This is one in a series of profiles marking the 60th anniversary of the ACLU of Kentucky’s founding. Each week through December 2015 we will highlight the story of one member, client, case, board or staff member that has been an integral part of our organization’s rich history.
Young Civil Libertarians
“The ACLU of Kentucky has shown so many young people that our voices matter.” -University of Louisville Student, ACLU of KY volunteer Jason Jewell.
There are thousands of young people who have had some connection to the ACLU of Kentucky. And there are dozens of young leaders who have shaped the face of the ACLU and their communities. The ACLU-KY’s work with high school and college-aged civil libertarians is centered on the idea that in order to shape the future, we have to invest in young people today.
The ACLU-KY is proud to partner with the University Of Louisville Brandeis School Of Law and Central High School’s Law and Government magnet for the Marshall-Brennan program. The program trains third year law students to teach constitutional law to the next generation of civil libertarians. We salute Central High School teacher Joe Guttman who works closely with ACLU-KY staff to make sure students are connected to all the community resources and tools they need to succeed and make a difference.
Over the years incredible students like Dwight Haggard, Andrea Wilson, Christien Russell, Jamitra Fulleord, and many many more have volunteered hundreds of hours to organizing programs like our annual Youth Rights Conference (convened in partnership with the Muhammad Ali Center), and the YMCA’s Kentucky Youth Assembly (a three-day experiential learning conference where students participate in a simulation of Kentucky’s democratic process).
We applaud the accomplishments of past youth leaders who check-in often with updates from college, study abroad trips, new jobs, work on presidential campaigns, and so much more. These young Faces of Liberty are the next generation of committed advocates for social justice. The ACLU-KY’s work with them makes the entire organization more valuable.