By Holliday Woodard
The American Civil Liberties Union at the University of Maryland hosted a Civil Liberties Speaker Panel on Zoom on April 18. The panel discussed voting rights, criminal legal reform, reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ rights featuring a panelist from ACLU Virginia, a civil rights lawyer and a Maryland state delegate.
Leslie Proll, senior director of the voting rights program at the leadership conference for civil and human rights, emphasized one message at the event: If you don’t have the right to vote, all other rights are difficult to protect.
“There are certain restrictions on voting that affect students specifically. As Ms. Proll in the speaker panel stated, ‘some states are closing polling places on campuses and restricting the use of student ID for voting which can all have such a detrimental effect on the student vote,’” said Renee Paulraj, the founder and president of ACLU at UMD.
The panelists emphasized the power of the vote to protect rights. Edith Bullard, the ACLU Virginia chief communications officer, outlined the goals of the organization. They are currently working on passing legislation to protect the first amendment, protect people not prisons, defend democracy and fight for LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights.
“We have a client in the Virginia Department of Corrections who is a satanist who we are taking the department to court because they will not allow him to practice his religion. Our deal is that religious freedom is whether you have a version and practice or not,” said Bullard.
After the Virginia House of Delegates became majority Republican in 2023, the ACLU switched gears in policy making, becoming more defensive against Republicans rather than working offensively with the Democrats, according to Bullard.
The issues of equality and freedom of expression directly affect college students and can be fought for through emails to representatives, involvement in community groups and most importantly through the vote, according to Maryland State Delegate Anne Kaiser.
The panelists shared their experience as policy makers and with having the front row seat when people change their minds. Kaiser, who came out as gay during the 2004 legislative session, explained the personal aspect of voting rights.
“Something I always tell people… is that our job in the legislature is to put values into action. But it’s also true that the personal is political. That certainly is a driving force or idea in a lot of the LGBTQ legislation over time and what it takes to put your own face out there and put your own life story on the line with people,” said Kaiser.
Featured Image: a slide deck that appeared during the presentation. Photo from the ACLU at UMD.