Conference Program
Program is subject to change. PRINT PROGRAM
Last updated 6/23/04
Tuesday, July 6
2 p.m. Conference Registration Opens
   
3 - 5 p.m. Youth Reception (photos)
Hosted by the Northern California Affiliate.
   
4 p.m. ACLU Store Opens
   
5:45 - 7:30 p.m. Welcome Plenary (video)
The conference kicks off with greetings from Playwright Eve Ensler, ACLU President Nadine Strossen and local leaders from San Francisco, and a keynote address by ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero . Entertainment by singer/songwriter Steve Earle. Connect with old ACLU friends and make new ones over a light dinner.
   
8 - 9:30 p.m. Political Action Training
An introduction for new activists or a refresher course for seasoned advocates, offered by community organizing experts from the ACLU Legislative Office in Washington, D.C.
   
10 p.m.

Beats and Rhymes for Freedom — a concert (photos)
Featuring Youth Speaks, Kiwi of Native Guns, Calligraphy of Thought and other featured guests to perform at the ACLU Membership Conference Youth Event.
   
Wednesday, July 7
7:30 - 8:30 a.m. Breakfast
   
8:45 - 9:30 a.m. U.S. Supreme Court Update (video)
Get the latest on civil liberties developments in our nation’s highest court from ACLU Legal Director Steve Shapiro.
   
9:30 - 10:45 a.m.

Say “I Do” to Marriage for Same-Sex Couples (video)
Plenary session featuring keynote address by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Also featuring Rev. Cecil Williams and ACLU clients who are challenging the status quo.
   
11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

Marriage/Equality and Gay Rights – Breakout Sessions (photos)

  • Let’s Talk About Marriage for Same-Sex Couples: Framing the Issue With Messages That Work
  • Getting Started: Mobilizing in Your Community
  • Freedom From Fear: Safer Schools for LGBT Kids
   
12:30 - 2:30 p.m. Usual Suspects: Racial Profiling in America – Plenary Lunch (video)
Discuss implications of this controversial law enforcement technique with a panel including UCLA and Columbia law professor Kimberle Crenshaw; civil rights attorney Banafsheh Akhlaghi; Montgomery County Police Chief Charles A. Moose, who pursued the Beltway snipers; and ACLU Youth Activist Scholarship winner Elliott Wolf.
   
2:45 - 4:15 p.m.

Promises and Threats of Technology – Breakout Sessions

  • Human Genetics and Civil Liberties
    Hear from experts in the fields of medicine, law and bioethics on the interplay of emerging technologies, government regulation and individual freedoms. Speakers include Dr. Paul Billings and attorney/professor Lori Andrews.
  • Politics and the Internet
    Howard Dean’s campaign manager Joe Trippi explains how politicians are using the Internet as never before, American University constitutional law scholar Jamie Raskin assesses the Internet's impact on your vote and electoral politics, and Joan Blades from moveon.org. ACLU client Alan Porter shares his story.
   
6:15 - 9 p.m.

Gala Dinner: America at a Crossroads: Journalists and Artists Share Their Perspectives (video)
Speakers include writer and radio commentator Sandra Tsing Loh,filmmaker John Sayles presents clips from his latest film, and keynote address by investigative journalist Seymour Hersh. Entertainment by comedian Greg Proops.
   
9:45 p.m. Fahrenheit 9/11
A special screening for ACLU members of Michael Moore's controversial film Fahrenheit 9/11, a scathing indictment of White House actions after the Sept. 11 attacks, which won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
   
Thursday, July 8, 2004
7:30 - 8:30 a.m. Breakfast
   
8:30 - 10:15 a.m. Freedom’s Foundation: The First Amendment (video)
A plenary session on fundamental rights – like freedom of speech and the press, right to assembly, and separation of church and state – moderated by NPR Correspondent Ina Jaffe with views from ACLU President Nadine Strossen, Judge Kenneth Starr, Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State Barry Lynn, and Executive Vice President/CEO of the NRA Wayne LaPierre,
   
10:30 - 11:45 a.m.

Government Intrusion, Personal Autonomy and Privacy – Breakout Sessions

  • Vanishing Rights and Reproductive Freedom
    Grassroots organizers, medical experts and elected officials examine the imperiled status of women’s right to choose.
  • Domestic Political Spying: Paranoia or Reality?
    ACLU clients and civil rights activists look at who’s being watched by Big Brother.
  • Free Speech and Expression: Trends and Threats
    ACLU clients, activists and academics provide various perspectives.
  • Immigration: Emerging Challenges
    Journalists, demographers and advocates discuss immigrant communities and the opportunity to build new civil liberties constituencies for the future. Prof. Paul Ong, Rene Ciria-Cruz, Angela Sanbrano, Pramila Jayapal and Luz Buitrago. Moderated by Lucas Guttentag, ACLU’s Immigrant Rights Project.
   
noon - 3:30 p.m. Balancing National Security and Liberty: Keeping America Safe and Free – Plenary Lunch (video) | (photos)
Speakers include a keynote address by former National Security Council member and author of Against All Enemies Richard Clarke (video excerpt), FBI whistleblower and one of Time's 2002 Persons of the Year Coleen Rowley and former U.S. Representative Bob Barr.

Nadine Strossen moderates a discussion with Stanford Law School Dean Kathleen Sullivan, ACLU Legal Director Steve Shapiro, and trial attorney James Brosnahan who represented John Walker Lindh. (video)

   
4 - 5:30 p.m. Debate: Gov. Howard Dean v. Gov. Bill Owens (video)
The former governor of Vermont and sitting governor of Colorado debate one of today's hottest issues: Civil Liberties and the War on Terror.
   
5:30 - 6:15 p.m. Closing Event: The Next Generation of Civil Libertarians (video)
Meet the ACLU Youth Activist Scholarship Award Winners, young filmmakers who produced Fog of Fear, and the winner of the ACLU College Freedom PSA Contest.
   

Action Center

Make your voice heard. Loudly. Immediately.

Conference sessions are sure to inspire you, and the ACLU Action Center helps you apply your energy to make a difference. Open throughout the conference, this activist hub is equipped with:

  • Activist Experts. Meet face-to-face with knowledgeable staff members from the ACLU’s Legislative Office in Washington, D.C.
  • Issue Booths. Pick up information on the issues most important to you and get your questions answered.
  • Training Sessions. Get step-by-step instructions to take your first action or hone your activism skills.
  • Communications Hub. Compose your message and send it to local, state and national officials.
  • Networking Bulletin Board. Connect with other ACLU members who share your passion.
  • ACLU Store. Find ACLU publications and conference souvenirs.

Visit the Action Center, resources and tools for the concerned individual >>>
 
Steve Shapiro, ACLU Legal Director and Reggie Shuford, Staff Attorney hold a panel discussion on post 9/11 civil liberty issues at the 2003 Membership Conference.
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