Week of Why Day 6 - Sent June 11, 2020
Dear Friends and Family,
As a reminder, over the course of the week I will be highlighting 7 different organizations that support black lives and communities of color and discussing important questions that I’ve been asking myself, such as “why is this happening?” “why is this important?” and “why do we need to get involved?” Despite the research I’ve put into this project, I know that I still have a lot to learn. I am in no way an expert or trying to speak on behalf of the black community, but rather am attempting to use my voice and privilege as a white person to amplify those whose voices and stories have been typically ignored and excluded from popular narratives throughout history.
For Day 6 of Week of Why, I am highlighting the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Racial Justice Program, a policy reform organization. Their mission statement is as follows:
“In pursuit of a world free of discrimination, the Racial Justice Program brings impact lawsuits in state and federal courts throughout the country, taking on cases designed to have a significant and wide-reaching effect on communities of color. In coalition with ACLU affiliates in each state, other civil rights groups, and local advocates, we lobby in local and state legislatures and support grassroots movements. Through these efforts, we strive to educate and empower the public on a variety of issues, including race as it relates to criminal justice, economic justice, and inequality in education; affirmative action; and American Indian rights.”
While the ACLU as a whole develops lawsuits that fight for human rights, their Racial Justice Program focuses more specifically on court cases which fight injustices that most affect communities of color that face systemic racism.
Since its inception post-World War I in speaking out against the “Palmer Raids”, the ACLU has fought strongly, and sometimes alone, for all Americans’ civil liberties. Some high points of their work include:
Scopes Trial of 1925 - fought for academic freedom and the right to teach evolution in the classroom
One of the only groups to speak out against the internment of Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor
Worked with the NAACP on Brown vs. Board of Education to end the era of “separate but equal”
Involvement in Roe vs. Wade and Doe vs. Bolton to help prove that the right to privacy encompasses a woman’s right to choose to terminate a pregnancy
Regardless of the popularity of the group, or widespread public opinion, the ACLU is committed to fighting for civil liberties for all people.
The ALCU’s Racial Justice Program centers on repairing the deep-rooted racism sparked by America’s history of the removal of indigenous communities and the enslavement of black people. Although slavery is now illegal and some independence been given to native populations, our country’s racist history still heavily permeates the everyday experiences of marginalized communities.
From the ACLU’s website:
“Deep-seated systemic racism and inequities that disadvantaged communities of color are still woven into the fabric of our institutions today— from education and housing to our criminal legal system. Systemic racism permeates the starkly segregated world of housing. In our public schools, students of color are too often confined to racially isolated, underfunded, and inferior programs. Our criminal justice system disproportionately targets and subjects people of color to police brutality, incarcerates them and imposes numerous collateral consequences, and criminalizes poverty. The dream of equal justice remains an elusive one.”
What can you do to get involved and learn more?
Donate to the ACLU’s demand for justice to “end police brutality, demand racial justice, and defend our right to protest” by clicking here.
Donate to help support the ACLU’s fights as a whole by clicking here.
Learn more and take action on the ACLU’s website by clicking here.
Based on how much time you have, they will provide a variety of reasonable tasks you can do to help make an impact, from adding your name to a petition, to sending a letter to congress, to joining their volunteer team.
Remember that in just reading and sharing this email you are already taking action to support the movement.
As always, if you feel like I missed something, would like to engage in further conversation, or have questions, please reply to this email (reply individually, not reply all) and I would be happy to continue the discussion or recommend further resources.
Sincerely,
Grace Hochberg