“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The national ACLU turned ninety-four this year — five hundred thousand Americans united in one cause. Since 1920, the political currents have repeatedly threatened to take — and sometimes have taken — America off course.
On May 15, 1923, angered by the LAPD's brutal treatment and imprisonment of striking longshoremen, renowned journalist and novelist Upton Sinclair appeared at a rally in San Pedro. Sinclair began reading the First Amendment to the Constitution.
ACLU founder Roger Baldwin said, “So long as we have enough people in this country willing to fight for their rights, we’ll be called a democracy.” We have been fortunate this year to stand with many people willing to fight for their rights, and to stand up for the principles of
Novelist Zora Neale Hurston wrote, “There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” One of this year’s more prominent questions appeared on the cover of TIME magazine: Is the Constitution still relevant?