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It is an exciting time to be engaged with the work of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky. 2014 and 2015 mark two milestone years for us – the 25th anniversary of the Reproductive Freedom Project and the 60th anniversary of the affiliate, respectively. And as we reflect on our past and commemorate these milestones, we do so with humility and gratitude to those have come before us. We are proud of all that we’ve accomplished, and with the support of donors like you, we are primed to put our human capital to work in the courts, legislature, and public arena to advance our mission. Here are a few of the areas where your support has helped our work gain traction in Kentucky.

This year the ACLU of Kentucky’s Reproductive Freedom Project celebrates 25 years of standing strong on reproductive rights. We are one of only three ACLU affiliates in the nation with a staff position singly dedicated to reproductive justice. After 25 years, we have an established program with a history of success, and because of that, our work has garnered national attention. Our affiliate was recently chosen to partner with the national ACLU in an aggressive, strategic advocacy campaign. This is an incredible opportunity for Kentucky to build support among unlikely allies. We face a significant danger of anti-choice legislation being passed in our state; we must remain vigilant, or we could be facing a very different political landscape in Frankfort.

Kentucky is at a tipping point when it comes to abolishing the death penalty. Local and national advocates agree that Kentucky will likely be the first state in the South to abolish the death penalty – possibly within the next three to five years. The progress that we are seeing is due, in large part, to the work of the ACLU of Kentucky. In the 2014 General Assembly, for the first time since the 1980’s, a conservative Republican introduced legislation to repeal Kentucky’s death penalty. And in the summer of 2014, an interim joint committee met to discuss whether Kentucky should have the death penalty. When you marry this local reality with the negative national media coverage – several botched executions, high-profile cases of innocent men and women being exonerated – you create an environment that is conducive to ending the use of capital punishment. And the ACLU of Kentucky is ready to capitalize upon this momentum.

The fundamental protections of due process and equal protection embodied in our founding documents apply to every person and are not limited to citizens; in fact, non-citizens are often the first and most vulnerable targets of government abuse. The ACLU of Kentucky’s Immigrants’ Rights Program is working to expand and enforce the rights and liberties of immigrants – those with and without their “papers” – and to combat public and private discrimination against them. This summer, reacting to recent federal court decisions, the ACLU sent written notice to Kentucky’s jailers regarding the use of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) detainers. The ACLU recommended that policies be adopted to ensure that ICE detainers do not result in the unlawful detention of individuals. Our staff attorney also offered to assist those officials who undertake a review and revision of their existing policies. As a result of our efforts, KACo (Kentucky Association of Counties) sent a recommendation to Kentucky jailers to refuse to honor ICE detainers. And recently, officials with Lexington Fayette Corrections announced they will no longer honor 48-hour ICE detainers. This effort is another example of how, using targeted impact litigation, advocacy, and public outreach, the ACLU addresses our state’s most pressing challenges to the rights of our constituents.

Over the past 25 years, the board and staff of the ACLU of Kentucky have focused on expanding the organization slowly and strategically. In that time, we have grown from two full-time staff members to our current total of seven. We are proud of all that we have accomplished, and we look forward to the new opportunities that are on the horizon; however, we recognize the challenges of growing an organization in an intentional and sustainable way. Your past support is proof of your dedication to our work; now we challenge you to think about what this work – our work – is worth to you.

If you believe in our work defending liberty and democracy, please consider making a year-end donation to the ACLU of Kentucky. Your gift at any level is appreciated.

Anne McKune, Development Director