60th Anniversary Gala Bill of Rights Dinner
For sixty years, the ACLU-CT has consistently and vigorously led the charge to preserve and expand the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. Now, the ACLU-CT is inviting you to celebrate at our 60th Anniversary Gala at the New Haven Lawn Club on November 12th, at 6:30 pm. Longtime civil libertarian and film and television actor Ed Asner will be our keynote speaker. Additionally, the ACLU-CT will be honoring the late Corliss Lamont, a lifetime advocate of civil liberties. Accepting the award on his behalf will be his great nephew, special guest Ned Lamont. Tickets for the 60th Anniversary Gala can be purchased at the bottom of this page.
In 1949 at a Paul Robeson concert in Peekskill, New York, concert-goers were savagely attacked; including a Yale medical student suffered a fractured skull and the loss of one eye. The rioters, who were organized by the American Legion, seemed to have the virtual blessing, if not active support of the local police. The rioters had targeted the concert because of the political beliefs of Robeson and the concert-goers. After the incident the New Haven Civil Liberties Union was founded on the bedrock principles of racial tolerance and the freedom to think, speak and join political groups. The New Haven Civil Liberties Union grew into the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut.
Click here to see Pete Seeger talk about the riots. (Note: This link will bring you to YouTube. Anytime you watch a video on YouTube, YouTube and Google place a long-term cookie on your computer)
In the past decade alone, the ACLU-CT was at the forefront of some of the nation's toughest civil liberties battles, such as successfully defending Connecticut librarians against the Patriot Act and legalizing same-sex marriage. The ACLU-CT is proud of these accomplishments and continues to work tirelessly as the champion of civil liberties in our state. Ed Asner will deliver the keynote address to help us celebrate our 60th Anniversary.
Best known for his role as Lou Grant on the Mary Tyler Moore show, Ed Asner has been an outspoken defender and practitioner of the First Amendment. Working tirelessly to protect civil liberties, he has been actively apposed to the death penalty; testifying as a character witness for accused cop killer Kenneth Gay.
Ed Asner has won five Golden Globe Awards and seven Emmy Awards. He has been honored with the ACLU's Worker's Rights Committee Award, the Anne Frank Human Rights Award, the Eugene Debs Award, the Organized Labor Publications Humanitarian Award, and the National Emergency Civil Liberties Award.
Please join us for this celebration. The reception with Ed Asner and Ned Lamont begins at 6:30 pm with dinner starting at 7:00 pm.
For directions to the New Haven Lawn Club click here.
Thank you for your support. We look forward to toasting our successes with you on November 12th.
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