the the significance of this historic honor. the significance of it is that on emmett till s birthday, his lynching, his killing was an impetus for the civil rights movement. rosa parks often said when she sat in the front of the bus in montgomery, alabama, that day, that became the spark that started the montgomery boycott. when they told her to move, she said, i couldn t move, all i could think of was emmett till. why? because his mother had the courage to bring his body back from mississippi and pull the casket out and show the world how they beat her son. that is seared into the minds of many, including rosa parks and led into the 60s. i think it s very interesting and in my opinion as a minister
including parts of california that are seeing some of the warmest temperatures this year so far. 110 for fresno, 108 for bakersfield, later this afternoon, 112 for redding, we could see a record there by later this afternoon. meanwhile, as we go through the next couple of days, we re going to slowly but surely get to more normal temperatures. that really doesn t happen until tuesday and some of these spots. las vegas is going to head to 111 on sunday, monday, 112, and the time you get to fourth of july in palm springs, it will be 112 degrees. we re still really warm through the next couple of days, out west. meanwhile, in parts of the southeast, 98 degrees for nashville, but feeling like 109. 107 for what it feels like in montgomery, in new orleans, as to 108. that s the temperatures for today, we move a little farther to the east and see the warmer temperatures for tomorrow, but it feels a lot better when it s 95, and only 104 in memphis to what we re dealing with today, but it s stil
more than a dream? bryan stevenson in montgomery, alabama, welcome to hardtalk. it s great to be with you. it s a pleasure to have you. bryan, i think i m right in saying that you yourself were brought up, raised, at the tail end of segregation. that is a reality that you experienced. we now live in the era of deeply polarised politics in the united states, but also of black lives matter. as a civil rights lawyer and advocate, do you feel america is travelling in the right direction? well, we ve made some progress, but we have enormous challenges to overcome. you re absolutely right, i was born at a time when black children were not allowed to attend public schools. i started my education in a coloured school.
because there you sit in montgomery, alabama, which, as a southern city and the capital as it was of the confederacy for a time during the civil war, it s a deeply symbolic place to be, but before we get to that, let me just focus for a little while on your work as a civil rights lawyer. we spoke quite a few years ago now about the work you were doing, trying to right wrongs, miscarriages ofjustice within america s criminal justice system. i just wonder whether you feel, in the last six or seven years since we spoke, that things have gotten better? you know, it s such a difficult question, steve, because i think we ve made progress, but we ve also seen the development of things that are new threats. the united states still has the highest rate of incarceration in the world, we still have a system of justice that treats you better if you re rich and guilty than if you re poor and innocent, we still see huge disparities based on race and what kind of sentences are imposed. the pandemic h
my guest is bryan stevenson, civil rights lawyer and founder of the equaljustice initiative. will equality ever be more than a dream? bryan stevenson in montgomery, alabama, welcome to hardtalk. it s great to be with you. it s a pleasure to have you. bryan, i think i m right in saying that you yourself were brought up, raised, at the tail end of segregation. that is a reality that you experienced.