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The ACLU is dedicated to protecting the rights of all Louisianians. We believe that freedom is won not only through the courts, but also by opening a dialogue on equality, fairness, and the values espoused in the Constitution with the public.
To do this, we work to get stories about abuses of power in the press. We bring a human face to the principles we stand for by highlighting the experiences of ACLU plaintiffs whenever possible.
If you are a journalist interested in covering an ACLU case or civil liberties issue, please call our main number and leave a message for Marjorie Esman, Executive Director. We will be happy to assist you however we can. We want to make sure the issues we care about are well understood by and accurately portrayed in the media.
Here are a few ACLU issues that have made news recently.
When the Louisiana Legislature passed an “academic freedom” bill, trying to grant schools the right to teach creationism, we immediately responded with a press release. The story was picked up in the Christian Post and the Hammond Daily Star. Courts have long ruled that it is Unconstitutional to teach evolution alongside religious theories that have no scientific basis. In 1987, the Supreme Court struck down a similar Louisiana law. Just as the ACLU stood up for science in 1925 in the Monkey Scopes trial, we will defend the right to give our children the best, most accurate information in schools.
When a prisoner was grossly neglected by prison guards – thrown into general population although he was assigned to special protection, stabbed by a fellow prisoner, then refused medical attention – we filed suit. A judge agreed that the prisoner deserved his day in court, and the case was featured in The Times Picayune.
When a judge ruled that it is Unconstitutional to pass out Bibles to 5th graders, the case made news around the globe. The story was picked up by WDSU TV in Louisiana, NBC.com in Washington DC, the Associated Press, the First Amendment Center and Metro UK news. This was the sixth time we’ve had to take the Tangipahoa School Board to task for failing to respect the religious beliefs of all its students.
When a student addressed the Tangipahoa School Board because her friend had been told she could not bring a female date to prom, we were contacted by media outlets around the country. We spoke out in support of every student’s right to bring the date of their choice to school events, no matter their sexual orientation, and applauded the bravery of the student who spoke up. The story was picked up by the Baton Rouge Advocate.
We also write op-eds on threats to freedom in towns across Louisiana as they arise.
One value the ACLU has always espoused is a free press. We believe in the power of dialogue to inform, educate, and spark change. We believe in the open exchange of ideals.
We believe in trying to persuade people of the toll that discrimination takes on individual lives and society as a whole.
If there’s a civil liberties issue facing your community we should write about, contact us.
Help protect freedom for black people, gay people, students, activists, artists, scholars, poor people, all people.
Protect freedom for the next generation.
We’ve never been more needed. Join us today.
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