Montgomery’s Truth-Telling Memorials Challenge America to Reckon with Slavery

In Montgomery, Alabama, Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative has built the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice to confront America’s history of slavery and racial terror. The episode details markers and a county-by-county layout, a Kwame Akoto-Bamfo sculpture, and a water wall that acknowledges thousands more lynching victims than can be documented. Stevenson argues that the nation’s history cannot be erased, that modern racial injustice grows from a dangerous white supremacist narrative, and that truth-telling and repair are essential to moving forward. As the U.S. marks its 250th anniversary, he emphasizes memory, education, and persistent justice work, and frames his American identity as inseparable from the enslaved ancestors who helped build the country.