Membership Spotlight
Hillary
I joined the ACLU shortly after my 18th birthday, almost immediately after I registered to vote. I went through high school during a time when school violence seemed to be increasing, and free speech in my community was being censored in the name of zero tolerance policies claiming to protect children from such violence. Even as a teenager I felt that suppressing free speech ran contrary to the values of this country, and I felt that it was as important to support those values as it was to cast my vote.
In the years since I became a member, the ACLU’s work on women’s rights and LGBT rights and have become as important to me as the free speech concerns which first inspired me to become a member. As terrorism eclipsed school shootings, the ACLU’s protection of an individual’s right to privacy has become a particular interest. The case of Redding v. Safford, in which a 13-year-old child was strip searched by school officials because of an allegation she was carrying ibuprofen in violation of school policy will always stand out for me. I am often proud to be a member of the ACLU, but the day the 9th Circuit court declared such searches unconstitutional was a day of particular pride I will not soon forget.
The fundamental rights enshrined by the Constitution are the building blocks of this country’s freedom. The rights were hard fought, and the battle for those rights is hardly over. Those considering joining the ACLU will help to protect those basic rights guaranteed by our forefathers, and ensure that these freedoms are secure for generations to come.
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