August 9, 2010
The ACLU's work to defend and promote equality, liberty, democracy, and justice is organized around four Centers. The Centers serve as focal points for strategic thinking and collaborative initiatives involving the Legal Department, the Washington Legislative Office, the Communications Department and the Affiliate Support and Advocacy Department.
- The Center for Equality, which is directed by Matt Coles, continues the ACLU's long history of working to fulfill America's ideal of equal rights for all. The Center for Equality includes the Racial Justice Program, the Immigrants' Rights Project, the Voting Rights Project and the Disability Rights docket.
- The Center for Liberty is dedicated to the principle that we are all entitled to determine the course of our lives based on who we are and what we believe free from unreasonable government constraint and baseless stereotypes. Directed by Louise Melling, the Center for Liberty includes the LGBT & AIDS Project, the Reproductive Freedom Project, the Women's Rights Project and the Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief.
- The Center for Democracy, under the direction of Jameel Jaffer, works to strengthen democratic values, promote human rights and ensure government accountability. The Center for Democracy includes the National Security Project, the Human Rights Program and the Speech, Privacy and Technology Project.
- The Center for Justice is focused on the problems in the U.S. criminal justice system, including the treatment of prisoners, the death penalty and the policies of over-incarceration that have led the United States to imprison more people than any other country in the world. Directed by Vanita Gupta, the Center for Justice includes the National Prison Project, the Criminal Law Reform Project and the Capital Punishment Project.
The Centers are designed to facilitate a multi-disciplinary approach to advocacy. For that reason, each Center brings together ACLU litigators, lobbyists, communications specialists, policy experts and state advocates from throughout the organization to plan and implement the ACLU's program and goals.
The Affiliate Support and Advocacy Department works with ACLU affiliates throughout the country to develop effective advocacy strategies at the state level, and thereby further the vision of the ACLU's founders of a nationwide organization that is both responsive to local needs and unified in its pursuit of national priorities.
The ACLU is proud of what we've accomplished over the past 90 years. With this structure in place, the ACLU is committed to remaining a dynamic defender of civil liberties for the next 90 years and beyond.
