60+ Years of Protecting Civil Liberties in the Commonwealth

2015 marked an important milestone of the ACLU of Kentucky, our 60th anniversary of protecting your liberty here in the commonwealth. A group of Kentuckians, shocked and outraged at the “pervasive fog of guilt” that permeated Kentucky in the mid-1950’s during the McCarthy era, came together to charter the Kentucky Civil Liberties Union (KCLU, our original name). The charges of sedition against Louisville activists Carl and Anne Braden for purchasing a home on behalf of African Americans (the Wade Family) were the spark that spurred the KCLU founders to action. The KCLU represented Carl Braden on the appeal of his conviction, eventually securing a reversal after SCOTUS declared all state sedition laws unconstitutional. Since the early days, our organization has expanded from a group of volunteers to a staff of seven. Our work has expanded outside of the courtroom to include advocacy at the capitol, and education and organizing in communities across the state. What remains the same is our steadfast commitment to defend the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people by the Constitutions of the United States and the Commonwealth of Kentucky