Published:
Friday, November 22, 2013
On November 9th, the ACLU of Washington held its annual Bill of Rights Dinner, which celebrates the past year’s work and honors those who have made a difference here in Washington. It was my first time attending and, needless to say, I was pretty excited to be there. Although I was born and raised here in Washington, I don’t often find myself with this many like-minded individuals; and when I do, it’s pretty exciting.
The event was emceed by KING-TV Almost Live! alum and all-around funny-lady Nancy Guppy, whose charm and humor added to the evening’s program. Our Executive Director Kathleen Taylor welcomed the crowd and gave us a special preview of the new ACLU-WA and Macklemore video, which was a real crowd-pleaser (you can see it at https://aclucard.com/).
The William O Douglas Award was presented to Innocence Project Northwest founder and University of Washington Law School faculty member Jackie McMurtrie, who was humble and inspiring in her acceptance as she described her work. The Washington state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was given the Civil Libertarian Award for their wide-ranging work to protect the rights of and educate others about Muslim Americans. The Youth Activist Award was presented to the co-founder of the Washington Dream Act Coalition, Carolos Padilla whose speech illuminated the real need for immigration reform.
We were honored to have celebrated Hollywood actress Kathleen Turner (whom I remembered from her Oscar-nominated performance in Peggy Sue got Married) as our special guest. Not only did she perform part of her one-woman show “Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins,” she also sat down following her performance with Nancy Guppy for a very interesting conversation about her advocacy work for civil liberties issues. I was unfamiliar with Ivins, so I looked her up on Wikipedia before the event. I learned she was a true journalist with integrity and a lot of sass, which Turner captured beautifully on stage. From her red cowboy boots to the six-pack of beer she pulled out from her desk, Ms. Turner did a wonderful job portraying this iconic civil libertarian.
At the end of the evening and after a very long day, I was reinvigorated! It’s humbling to be an intern at an organization that works tirelessly to make sure the civil liberties and civil rights of all are being protected. One can’t help but feel hopeful for the future when working with people who dedicate their lives to giving others a second chance, decriminalizing marijuana, projecting our privacy, fighting for marriage equality, and so much more.
View the event photos by clicking here.
