“Equal Justice Initiative” founder and executive director Bryan Stevenson will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 20 in the Eisenhower Auditorium as part of the Penn State Student Programming Association’s Distinguished Speaker Series.

The lecture, which will address justice as well as oppression and racial violence in the United States, is being presented in collaboration with the Rock Ethics Institute.

Stevenson is a professor at the New York University School of Law and the author of “Just Mercy,” a New York Times best-seller. As an award winning lawyer, Stevenson will use his background and experiences to incorporate civil rights and his work on criminal justice reform into the lecture.

As the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, Stevenson has successfully argued and won cases before the Supreme Court, including a ruling declaring mandatory life-without-parole sentences for minors unconstitutional. The EJI has won major legal challenges under Stevenson’s leadership across many aspects of criminal justice reform.

The lecture is free for University Park students with valid IDs, but tickets are required. Students will be able to pick up their tickets starting Monday, February 25 in the SPA office (226 HUB) as well as in the Eisenhower Auditorium, Bryce Jordan Center, and the State Theatre. Any remaining tickets will be made available to non-Penn State students beginning on Monday, March 4.