Our Kids Don't Know What?!

WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union announced today that Bruce Springsteen and Colin Kaepernick have been selected for a new award recognizing profound contributions to American thought and culture: the ACLU Ralph Ellison Award for Defenders of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in the Arts, Business, Science, and Sports. This new award pays tribute to Ralph Ellison’s profound contributions to American thought and culture and underscores the ACLU’s recognition that the defense of our rights takes many forms, disciplines, platforms, and generations. The awards are being bestowed alongside other esteemed leaders in civil rights, academia, and free speech, who have been selected for the organization’s prestigious biennial awards recognizing lifetime achievements and contributions to civil rights and civil liberties. “Bruce Springsteen and Colin Kaepernick epitomize talent with a purpose. Bruce Springsteen’s iconic songs like ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ date back decades, and so does his advocacy on behalf of civil rights and liberties. Colin Kaepernick’s activism off the field has changed lives for a decade, long after the backlash he received for speaking out against racial injustice,” said Anthony D. Romero, ACLU executive director. “We are proud of the partnerships the ACLU has formed with Bruce and Colin, and we’re honored to recognize their lifetime achievements with one of the ACLU’s highest honors.” Bruce Springsteen is a singer, songwriter, and musician who has won 20 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, and a Special Tony Award. In a rare move, earlier this year Springsteen authorized the ACLU's use of “Born in the U.S.A.” for an ad campaign highlighting what’s at stake in the Supreme Court case involving birthright citizenship, Trump v. Barbara. Colin Kaepernick is a former NFL player who in 2016 ignited a global movement against racial injustice and police brutality, sacrificing his professional career to defend civil rights. Beyond his protest, he founded the Know Your Rights Camp, an initiative that empowers youth through legal education and self-advocacy. The ACLU recognizes leaders in civil rights and civil liberties biennially. The awards include the ACLU Roger N. Baldwin Medal of Liberty; the ACLU Presidential Prize, and the new ACLU Ralph Ellison Award for Defenders of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in the Arts, Business, Science, and Sports. In addition to Springsteen and Kaepernick, other honorees include: Vanita Gupta, former U.S. associate attorney general and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Gupta is a transformative force in civil rights, recently uniting the NGO community against unprecedented attacks while launching the NYU Center for Law and Public Trust to reimagine democratic institutions. Gupta will be awarded the ACLU Roger N. Baldwin Medal of Liberty. Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California at Berkeley Law School and preeminent voice in constitutional law. Chemerinsky’s influential scholarship and Supreme Court advocacy continue to shape the national discourse on federal jurisdiction, the First Amendment, and the protection of civil liberties. Chemerinsky will be awarded the ACLU Presidential Prize. Elizabeth Foster, who gained national recognition for defending the freedom to read in South Carolina. By restoring banned books and framing censorship as a vital racial justice issue, she mobilizes students to protect interconnected liberties ranging from free speech to LGBTQ rights. Foster will be named the ACLU Next Generation Leader in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. “Whether it’s teaching the next generation of civil rights lawyers, defending our freedoms at the Department of Justice, or mobilizing against censorship, there are few leaders in this country like Vanita Gupta, Erwin Chemerinsky, and Elizabeth Foster. Their contributions to civil rights and liberties are eminently deserving of the ACLU’s highest honors,” said Romero. The ACLU Roger N. Baldwin Medal of Liberty is the ACLU’s highest honor acknowledging individuals who have made lifetime contributions to the advancement of civil liberties. First awarded in 1989 and named after the ACLU founder, the medal comes with a cash award of $30,000. The ACLU Presidential Prize is granted to a full-time academic in any discipline to honor outstanding, lifetime contributions to civil rights and liberties in academia. The prize was first awarded in 2013. The awards will be bestowed on Friday, July 24 in Washington, D.C. The awards ceremony will be hosted by Laverne Cox, an actress, New York Times best-selling author and advocate for transgender rights.

The ACLU, the ACLU of Florida, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and their partners represent CAIR and CAIR-Florida in two federal lawsuits challenging Governor DeSantis’s unconstitutional and baseless designation of the nonprofits as “terrorist.” The lawsuits allege violations of CAIR and CAIR-Florida’s rights under the First Amendment and the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The Founding Fathers declared independence from despotism 250 years ago. Today we’re fighting against similar abuses of power from a wannabe king.

ACLU deputy executive director reflects on the country’s 250th anniversary and the work that continues today as she enters new role.