At Liberty is a weekly podcast that explores the most pressing civil rights and civil liberties questions of our time. Catch new episodes on Thursday at 9am ET.
episodes
June 11, 2020
Policing the Press: A Journalist on the Frontlines
Journalists covering protests against police brutality across the country are facing an influx of violence, suppression efforts, and arrests by police. According to The U.S. Press Freedom tracker, there have been over 300 claims of violations to press freedoms since the protests began. These violations include being assaulted with pepper...
Journalists covering protests against police brutality across the country are facing an influx of violence, suppression efforts, and arrests by police. According to The U.S. Press Freedom tracker, there have been over 300 claims of...
June 4, 2020
Why is it so hard to hold police accountable?
Police are supposed to “protect and serve” the community, but that’s a far cry from what modern-day policing often looks like in our country. The recent murders of Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, George Floyd, and others highlight the need for drastic systemic change, yet again. ACLU Policing Policy Advisor Paige...
Police are supposed to “protect and serve” the community, but that’s a far cry from what modern-day policing often looks like in our country. The recent murders of Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, George Floyd, and...
April 22, 2020
Centering Racial Equity in the Fight to Legalize Marijuana
Public opinion on marijuana legalization has shifted in recent years—roughly two-thirds of all Americans are now in favor of national legalization, according to a recent Pew Research Study. However, a new ACLU report called "A Tale of Two Countries: Racially Targeted Arrests in the Era of Marijuana Reform,” shows that...
Public opinion on marijuana legalization has shifted in recent years—roughly two-thirds of all Americans are now in favor of national legalization, according to a recent Pew Research Study. However, a new ACLU report called "A...
August 29, 2019
A Former Prosecutor's 'Radical Thoughts' on the System Set Up to Control Black Men
This week, we’re replaying an interview from earlier this year with Paul Butler, a scholar, former prosecutor and the author of "Chokehold: Policing Black Men." When we first spoke with Paul, his book had been banned in Arizona prisons. Arizona has since lifted its ban, and incarcerated people in Arizona...
This week, we’re replaying an interview from earlier this year with Paul Butler, a scholar, former prosecutor and the author of "Chokehold: Policing Black Men." When we first spoke with Paul, his book had been...
June 13, 2019
Why It's Time to Talk About Reparations
As discussions about racism in America gain traction, so too does the question of reparations. Broadly defined as some form of repayment for the harms inflicted on enslaved peoples and their descendants, reparations have earned increased visibility thanks to advocacy by the National African-American Reparations Commission and other groups. The...
As discussions about racism in America gain traction, so too does the question of reparations. Broadly defined as some form of repayment for the harms inflicted on enslaved peoples and their descendants, reparations have earned...
May 16, 2019
School Segregation 65 Years After Brown v. Board
May 17 marks the 65th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 Supreme Court case that declared state laws enforcing racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. Yet more than six decades later, segregation in some public school systems is worse than ever. Dr. Ansley Erickson, associate professor of...
May 17 marks the 65th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 Supreme Court case that declared state laws enforcing racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. Yet more than six decades later, segregation...
February 28, 2019
The Racist Reality of Voter Suppression
As Black History Month comes to an end, Professor Carol Anderson (Emory University) joins At Liberty to discuss ongoing voter suppression efforts in the United States, and as a bonus, she tells the story of how the NAACP helped lead the global struggle against colonialism in the 1940s and 1950s.
As Black History Month comes to an end, Professor Carol Anderson (Emory University) joins At Liberty to discuss ongoing voter suppression efforts in the United States, and as a bonus, she tells the story of...
December 13, 2018
The Criminalization of Homelessness
As homelessness steadily rises in America, so too does the willingness of state and local governments to use criminal laws against their homeless residents. Earlier this year, a federal appeals court found that laws making it illegal to sleep in public violate the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual...
As homelessness steadily rises in America, so too does the willingness of state and local governments to use criminal laws against their homeless residents. Earlier this year, a federal appeals court found that laws making...
October 11, 2018
Affirmative Action and the Case Against Harvard
Harvard University is facing a lawsuit alleging that its undergraduate admissions practices unlawfully discriminate against Asian American applicants. This suit is the latest salvo in the legal battle over whether and how schools can consider race as a factor in their admissions process. Jin Hee Lee, senior deputy director of...
Harvard University is facing a lawsuit alleging that its undergraduate admissions practices unlawfully discriminate against Asian American applicants. This suit is the latest salvo in the legal battle over whether and how schools can consider...
August 8, 2018
Lessons From Charlottesville
On Aug. 12, 2017, a group of white supremacists gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia. The day was a disaster, with violence in the streets and Heather Heyer murdered by a man who drove his car into a crowd of anti-racist protesters. The ACLU of Virginia had represented Jason Kessler, the march organizer,...
On Aug. 12, 2017, a group of white supremacists gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia. The day was a disaster, with violence in the streets and Heather Heyer murdered by a man who drove his car into a...