ACLU of Kentucky

Stand Up for Freedom

June 8-10, 2008

Washington, D.C.

The weekend of June 7^th, 15 students and 3 chaperones traveled to Washington D.C. for the 2008 ACLU Membership Conference.

The conference was loaded with handouts and information, mostly directed at the younger crowd that filled the large ballroom. The opening sessions dealt with the political atmosphere America faces in the Post-Bush era as well as the role (or lack there of) that the media has played throughout the Bush administration. Big names such as Arianna Huffington and Ariel Dorfman joined the stage with several other influential members of the media to discuss these matters. This session established the theme for the rest of the conference: we must stand up for our rights, because they cannot stand up for themselves!

Monday's events started around 8 A.M. and kept the Kentucky crew busy until 9:30 P.M. that night. Darryl Hunt stole the Capital Punishment session as he described his experience with the criminal justice system. Darryl was wrongly convicted of a violent rape and homicide in Alabama in 1984. He was sentenced to Death Row where he appealed the decision and eventually was released after 19.5 years in prison. Darryl waited 10 years in prison after DNA evidence proved his innocence - clearly a disgrace to the criminal justice system. A documentary film of his struggle has recently been released.

Later the participants listened to Anthony Romero, Executive Director of the national ACLU, who discussed his aspirations for the organization. His speech offered motivation and encouragement as highlighted some of the work from ACLU affiliates. He dealt with questions from the audience with respect, and answered each of the questions to the best of his ability. Most of the questions came from youth asking what they could do to make a difference in their own communities. Anthony gracefully echoed what Arianna Huffington had said the day before and advised all young people to find the one issue that they care about passionately and make a difference there.

The rest of the conference was filled with workshops dealing with the broad spectrum of civil liberties topics, including Reproductive Freedom, Sex in America, and LGBT rights. There was a workshop on publicly funded same sex schools, an issue similar to a current case the ACLU of Kentucky is dealing with in Breckinridge County where single-sex classrooms are being challenged. The conference closed with a reception dedicated to Nadine Strossen and her influence on the ACLU over her seventeen years as President of the organization. This closing plenary included appearances and speeches about Ms. Strossen from Supreme Court Justices Ginsburg, Scalia, and Souter. Their words, as well as Nadine's, inspired everyone in the room - showing how the incredible work of just one woman was able to bring so much to the entire nation.

Perhaps the best part of the entire conference came when we had the opportunity to lobby for civil liberty issues on Capital Hill. The Kentucky delegation was able to meet with Representative Chandler, Representative Yarmuth, three of Senator McConnell's staff members, and a staff member of Representative Rogers. In each of the meetings the students were able to vocalize issues of importance to the ACLU and discuss with the representatives how they felt about those issues.

After our afternoon on Capital Hill, it was time to pack into the bus and head home to Kentucky. The weekend was filled to the brim with information and encouragement. Our delegation learned a lot about how they can work to support civil liberty issues in our Commonwealth.  Several will continue to work with us over the summer months planning a Youth Conference to be held in September in Lexington, and a group of students from Iroquois High School in Louisville expressed interest in starting a student chapter in the Fall!