| The
ACLU is supported
by annual dues and
contributions
from its members.
We also receive
a few grants from
private foundations.
Each year, Washington-area
“freedom-lovers”
eagerly anticipate
the Bill of Rights
Awards Luncheon,
hosted by the ACLU-NCA
and spotlighting
fascinating people
for over forty years.
This annual celebration
of old friends,
new colleagues and
the freedoms we
hold dear, has informed
and inspired both
members and non-members
with moving, funny,
compelling and historically
significant presentations. |
Freedom
of speech is the
ultimate civil liberty,
the bedrock from
which all others
spring. People must
hear the unpopular
to confirm their
conviction in the
popular--or to change.
Without the freedom
to challenge the
status quo, neither
abolitionists nor
suffragists could
have spoken, and
America might still
be a slave-holding
country in which
women could not
vote. That people
may be exposed to
unpopular, even
hateful messages
is the cost of free
speech. That people
may accept or reject
such messages is
the benefit of free
speech.
That people have
such power guarantees
the integrity of
this nation. It
follows that freedom
of speech recognizes
no political, racial,
ethnic or religious
orthodoxy. So the
ACLU has defended
the freedom of speech
of organizations
across the ideological
spectrum, from Planned
Parenthood to the
Christian Coalition;
from the Black Panthers
to the Ku Klux Klan.
We often disagree
with the views of
those we defend,
but we defend them
anyway.
We understand that
the denial of rights
to one erodes the
rights of all. Like
the framers, we
have faith in the
ability of the American
people to decide
which views to accept
and which to reject.
We trust the people
far more than those
who seek the government’s
aid to impose their
beliefs on everyone,
and who don't want
the rest of us to
make those decisions
for ourselves.
We fight for the
right to decide.
We will fight for
your freedom to
speak, regardless
of your views. Even
when we seem to
fight against what
you believe in,
we are actually
fighting for you:
fighting for your
opponents’ rights
so that those same
rights are never
taken away from
you. |
The
American
Civil
Liberties
Union
(ACLU)
is
the
nationwide
non-profit,
non-partisan
organization
devoted
to
ensuring
free
speech,
equal
rights,
and
other
civil
liberties.
With
a
membership
of
over
5,000,
the
ACLU
of
the
National
Capital
Area
(ACLU-NCA) now defends
and
expands
civil
liberties
in
the
Nation’s
Capital, including important Federal employee matters.
Those
who
join
us
also
become
members
of
the
National
ACLU.
