We aspire to form a more perfect union.
We stand on principle and don’t back down. The ACLU never yields in its devotion to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, or the rule of law. We defend everyone’s rights. We don’t choose sides when it comes to the Constitution. Whether it is due process, the right to protest, or to practice one’s religion free from interference from the government, our commitment is to protect the freedoms we are all guaranteed under the law. At the same time, we want to be a constructive participant in public discourse and show how government can keep us both safe and free. To
address issues about government action to permit or regulate public protests and demonstrations in a time of increasing violence, we published a comprehensive set of guidelines for public officials to follow in developing rules and making permit decisions that protect free speech while allowing appropriate action to mitigate potential violence.
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Tuesday, July 16, 2019 - 12:15pm
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For our annual report this year, we have chosen to provide you with samples of our work protecting and promoting civil liberties around the state. As you can see, our efforts take us to every corner of Virginia and feature successes stemming from our litigation, advocacy, and lobbying on issues ranging from free speech to due process to voting rights to religious liberty to racial justice and the equal treatment of gay and lesbian individuals.
But this is only part of the ACLU of Virginia picture. In the 2010 General Assembly we lobbied for or against 75 bills affecting civil liberties by both deploying the ACLU staff and engaging more than 1,000 volunteer activists to assist us.
The ACLU of Virginia is the most effective voice for civil liberties in the state. It’s hard to count all the times we appear on the radio, television, and in newspapers and blogs since we are so constantly in demand, but it is well over 1,500 per year.
We also have special programs focused on a single issue. Our Voter Restoration Project is slowly reforming Virginia’s felon disenfranchisement law, and this year we will launch the Patricia M. Arnold Women’s Rights Project.
Our Northern Virginia Chapter has some of the best educational programs of any local chapter in the nation. If you haven’t been to their summer “Crabfest” or winter issues brunch, you’re missing out on two special opportunities to meet with other ACLU supporters and catch up on civil liberties in Virginia. We also have six active college chapters that are serving as platforms for energizing a new generation of civil libertarians.
Behind all this is a dedicated volunteer board of directors, as well as a panel of lawyers who not only select the cases we file but also provide pro bono legal services.
Of course, none of this would happen without our generous donors. What we do starts with you and simply would not be possible without you.
Date
Wednesday, September 15, 2010 - 11:30am
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Stories, straightforward and simple, are sometimes the best way to make a point. So, here’s your ACLU of Virginia—a multifaceted public education, lobbying and litigating organization comprised of 10,000 members, 1,500 activists, more than 150 volunteer lawyers and lay leaders, and a staff of nine—explained through a few short stories from the last year.
The stories are about the pursuit of liberty and equality in Virginia, about defending and advancing our constitutional rights by protecting religious liberty, free speech, privacy, reproductive freedom, and the rights of gay men, lesbians, racial minorities, immigrants, students, homeless persons and anyone else who needs it.
These are but a few samples of our work, though, and for each story you see here there are many more like them.
I hope this little report will encourage you to learn more about our work—about the 75-80 bills on which we vigorously lobby in the General Assembly each year, the 25-30 lawsuits or threats of litigation we make each year against local or state governments, the educational events we sponsor around the state, and our use of the media to get out our message. Did you know, for example, that in the last year we made comments supporting civil liberties more than 600 times on radio, television, newspapers or blogs?
I hope, too, that you will consider becoming an active part of what we do by signing up for our electronic news service—we call it E-News—or by lending your voice to our cause by becoming a grassroots lobbyist.
Thanks so much for your support. We would not be Virginia’s premier voice for civil liberties without you.
Date
Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 11:15am
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