SAMOHI Seniors Donating Just Mercy

The Santa Monica High School (SAMOHI) Class of 2020 is raising money to purchase copies of the book chosen by the SAMOHI Summer Reading committee for 2020, Just Mercy, as a way to give back to our learning community. Just Mercy, written by lawyer and activist Bryan Stevenson, tells the author’s story of founding the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama where he defends the incarcerated and wrongfully accused. The book walks readers through Stevenson’s journey in fighting cruel practices in the criminal justice system and provides insight into America’s history of racial injustice. 

As young adults, we find that this book disseminates strong messages of justice and system reform in a time when such topics are sorely lacking in education. To expose students to Just Mercy’s vital messages and to inspire meaningful discussions, we would like to provide SAMOHI with enough books so that each student can check out a copy. All money collected from this fundraiser will be donated directly to SAMOHI in order to purchase copies of the book. We are also accepting donations of the physical book, which can be donated by emailing Anna Doñate ([email redacted]). 

Since Just Mercy is the summer reading book, we need to raise the necessary funds to gift the books by June 14th. We want to emphasize that the education surrounding criminal justice reform is critical, especially in the current social climate. A donation to this fundraiser is an investment not only in the education of today’s SAMOHI students, but in the education of SAMOHI students for years to come. Because these copies will belong to the school, they can be reused by classrooms, students, and as the summer reading book in coming years. Please take into consideration the impact that your donations for the Just Mercy books will have on students in the coming years.

The funds will be withdrawn to my mom, Sydnee Breuer, and we will write a check to the school for the full amount to purchase the books. Once the funds are given to the school, our wonderful principal, Dr. Antonio Shelton, and our librarians will be in charge of purchasing the books with hopes to balance a cost-effective purchase and support for local stores. Donors will be updated through the process and our team ensures the honorable use of funds and purchase of our books.