2004 Annual Dinner
The 2004 Annual Dinner Meeting of the Rhode Island ACLU was held the evening of Friday, November 19 at the Westin Hotel in downtown Providence.
Over 180 ACLU members and supporters gathered to celebrate the Affiliate's activities over the past year and present the Raymond J. Pettine Civil Libertarians of the Year Award to Poverty Institute co-founders Linda Katz and Nancy Gewirtz. Sadly, Nancy Gewirtz passed away just a few days before the event, but her daughter Rebekah Gewirtz (pictured above with Linda Katz) movingly accepted the award on her behalf. The evening was a fitting tribute to both Nancy and Linda and their invaluable work defending the rights of low-income Rhode Islanders.
As our featured speaker we were delighted to welcome national ACLU Legal Director Steven Shapiro, who offered fresh insight into what the coming years might hold for civil liberties.
Special thanks go to the following for helping to make this evening a success:
- Jephry Floral Studio, located at 432 Broadway in Providence, for creating and generously donating exquisite floral centerpieces;
- Chuck Schwartz, our intrepid videographer
Legislative Wrap-Up Event
To mark the end of the 2003-2004 legislative session, the ACLU of Rhode Island held a Legislative Wrap-Up Dessert Lecture on July 28, 2004 at the offices of the Rhode Island Medical Society in Providence. Representative Edith Ajello, ACLU Executive Director Steven Brown and ACLU board member Carolyn Mannis presented an assessment of how civil liberties fared at the state house this session. Approximately 35 ACLU members and friends turned out to join in the discussion and sample a decadent array of desserts donated by the following area establishments:- Brewed Awakenings
- Cheesecake Factory
- Coffee Exchange
- Daily Bread
- Geralyn’s
- Gregg’s
- Johansson’s Bakery
- Seven Stars Bakery
- Shaw’s Supermarket
- Stop and Shop Supermarket
- Trinity Brewhouse