Published:
Thursday, August 18, 2011
As a college student, I could have spent my last summer before graduation doing any assortment of activities. I could have embraced living in Seattle by getting a job in a hip coffee shop. I could have traveled, trying to see the world before I get a job that requires me to stay in one place. Or I could have taken a full load of classes, trying to get ahead on credits so that I could add an extra major or try classes for which I wouldn’t normally have time.
However, I chose to be an intern with the Communications Dept. at the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington. The ACLU seemed to pop up everywhere in my life. In classes in the Law, Societies, and Justice department, it seemed that the ACLU was behind every major civil liberties case we studied. Most importantly to me, it was protecting the rights of those who have traditionally been denied their rights, including people of color, women, people with disabilities, and sexual minorities. In discussions during student club meetings, members would bring up landmark cases the ACLU had supported – Brown v. Board of Education, Tinker v. Des Moines, and Roe v. Wade, among others.
I chose this internship because I believe strongly that our constitutional rights can’t protect themselves. Although my “Millennials” generation is not known for protesting in the streets, this doesn’t mean that the fight for liberties ended with the Vietnam War. The issues and methods of protesting have changed, but the desire to work for change hasn’t. While the youth of today don’t usually storm the streets or engage in sit-ins, we do write opinionated blog articles, organize flash mobs, and send e-mails to public officials. And we get internships that support the ideals in which we believe.
Since starting this internship only seven weeks ago, I already have learned more about civil liberties than I ever could have in a full quarter inside a 700-person lecture hall. Each week, ACLU-WA interns have a lunch with presentations by each of the departments. In these, I’ve learned about drug policy, sex education in Washington state, and government surveillance, among other subjects. While grabbing coffee from the kitchen, I’ve been able to talk to other staff about their views and have been inspired by their dedication.
Through the weeks, I learned about new cases we’re taking on, heard individual women’s stories about their experiences with Title IX, and wrote a research paper on housing rights in Seattle. While here, I’ve worked with T-shirt vendors and button presses, put together membership packets, found speakers for events, sent out event notices to the media, and of course, written blog posts.
Interning at the ACLU of Washington is one of the most rewarding experiences a person interested in human rights and civil liberties could have.
