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E-News for ACLU-AL Friends |
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FEBRUARY 2009 |
FIGHTING FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES IN |
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ACLU Celebrates Black History
Month
The Fight to Preserve and Extend Constitutional Rights of All Racial
and Ethnic Minorities
“The real question is whether you mean to make good to us the promises of your constitution.” -- Frederick
Douglass, speaking at the Republican
National Convention of 1876
Although important gains in legal, political, social, employment and educational spheres have been made, our nation has yet to break free of racial injustice. From public educational institutions where students of color are often confined to racially isolated and inferior schools, to a criminal justice system that disproportionately targets people of color, to anti-immigrant legislation and housing starkly segregated by race and class, the dream of full equality remains elusive. While the law provides equal opportunity in theory, it is too often denied in fact. The ACLU aims to preserve and extend constitutionally guaranteed rights to people who have historically been denied their rights on the basis of race and ethnicity. The ACLU’s presence in It is the ACLU’s mission to make sure that Frederick Douglas’ question of making good the promises of the constitution is answered with a resounding Yes! – for all of our nation’s people. Here are a few examples of the many racial justice cases in which the ACLU has participated: NATIONWIDE: 1930s Powell v. Patterson v. 1940s Smith v. Allwright: This early civil rights victory invalidated
Shelley v. Kraemer: This major civil rights victory invalidated restrictive covenants or contractual agreements among white homeowners not to sell their houses to people of color. 1950s Brown v. Board of Education: In one of the century's most significant Court decisions, racially segregated schools were declared unconstitutional, wiping out the "separate but equal" doctrine announced in the infamous 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision. 1960s Reynolds v. Sims: This historic civil rights decision, which applied the "one person, one vote" rule to state legislative districts, was regarded by Chief Justice Earl Warren as the most important decision of his tenure. Loving v. 1990s 2000s Grutter v. Bollinger/Gratz v. Bollinger: In a decision strongly endorsing affirmative action in higher education, the Court ruled that public universities have a compelling interest in creating a diverse student body and that race may be treated as a "plus" factor in the admissions process. IN 1960s Gilmore v. City of Nixon v.
Brewer: Attack on 1970s Whitfield v.
Oliver: Black recipients of Aid
to Families with Dependent Children (federal welfare program) brought class
action challenging discrimination in the administration of the program. Underwood v.
Hunter: Voting rights lawsuit
challenging law denying the right to vote to individuals convicted of misdemeanors
defined as crimes of moral turpitude. The purpose of the law was the disenfranchisement
of African-Americans. 1980s In the Matter
of Barroso Suarez, Duboy Monuz and Verrier Beato: Representation before Immigration and Naturalization
Service of Mariel Cubans facing repatriation. Dillard v.
Crenshaw I and II: Hundreds of voting rights cases challenged the at-large nature of election
systems and transformed at-large to districted systems thereby providing
opportunities for minority candidates to be elected to political office.
These cases transformed the political landscape in Harris v.
Graddick: Plaintiffs sought an
election system that would result in the appointment of black polling
officials in numbers that reflected the number of black voters at each
polling place. Smith v.
Meese: Case against the U.S. Department of Justice for selective prosecution in its
investigation of alleged black voter fraud in five Taylor v. 1990s Harper v.
Siegelman: Institutional reform
class action challenging the inadequacy of public education in Reid v.
Goodwin: Claim brought against
owners and proprietors of a gas station in Winfield who refused to provide
service to a white mother and her biracial child, pointed a shotgun at them,
yelled racial epithets and threatened to shoot them. Knight v.
Thompson: Case on behalf of
Native American prisoners who are not allowed to practice their religion in
state prisons. ACLU of ACLU v. Village
Voice: Challenge to the
magazine's practice of publishing advertisements for residential rental
property that included restrictions, limitations, and preferences based on
race, religion, and gender. 2000s In the Matter
of Jane Doe: Challenge to the
Alabama Department of Public Safety for requiring Muslim women to take off
their Hijabs (headscarves) for their driver's license photo in violation of
religious tenets. Lee v. Macon Co.
Board of Ed. (Pickens Co. Board of Ed.):
Case seeking compliance with federal courts orders to desegregate In the Matter of Bobby Hicks: Complaint against county registrars removing persons with Hispanic last names from voting registration lists and requiring that they provide proof of citizenship. In re Federal
Immigrant Detainees:
Representation of immigrants imprisoned in Baker v. Chapman: Lawsuit seeking to block state election officials from disenfranchising voters with felony convictions not listed as disqualifying by the Alabama Legislature. The suit also challenges the discriminatory fee provision of the voter restoration process. The ACLU and the
ACLU of Thank you for your continued support of civil liberties
in
Olivia Turner Executive
Director, ACLU of T: 334-262-0304 | F: 334-269-5666 |
info@aclualabama.org |
