The opposite of poverty is not wealth. … In too many places, the opposite of poverty is justice.

Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, has repeated this line in talks and writing about how poverty in the United States is intertwined with unequal treatment by courts, policing, and public institutions. The formulation reflects his experience representing poor defendants—especially in the South—where lack of resources is compounded by racial bias, inadequate counsel, fines and fees, and harsh sentencing. Stevenson uses the phrase to challenge the common assumption that poverty is simply an economic condition solvable by money alone, arguing instead that many communities are kept poor through systemic unfairness and exclusion from legal protection.

The quote reframes poverty as a problem of power and rights rather than merely income. By saying the opposite of poverty is “justice,” Stevenson suggests that deprivation persists when people are denied fair treatment: equal access to courts, competent representation, due process, and protection from discriminatory policies. Wealth may relieve an individual’s hardship, but it does not correct the structures that produce and punish poverty. The line also implies a moral obligation: societies reduce poverty most durably when they build just institutions—ones that distribute opportunity and accountability fairly—rather than relying solely on charity or economic growth.