Special Performance by Oscar® nominee Laura Karpman, composer for American Fiction
LOS ANGELES – To mark a century, stars and advocates will gather at the ACLU of Southern California’s Centennial Bill of Rights Awards at the Westin Bonaventure, in Downtown Los Angeles on February 18th, 2024 at 6 p.m. PT.
“Today—and for 100 years—the ACLU SoCal is committed to ensuring that 'we the people' means all of us,” said Marcus Benigno, chief communications and marketing officer at the ACLU SoCal. “We are proud to honor artists and change-makers who use their talent and power to create a just and inclusive world.”
The program is hosted by actor and activist Jason George with special appearances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Martin Sheen, Lena Waithe, Shari Belafonte, Stephanie Hsu, Dulé Hill and poet Rupi Kaur. Composer Laura Karpman will perform a piece from the Oscar® nominated score from American Fiction.
Reception will begin at 5 p.m. PT. This year’s Bill of Rights Awards will be presented to those who have meaningfully challenged the status quo:
Daniel Kwan / Daniel Scheinert: Filmmakers collectively known as Daniels, for their work telling brilliant and provocative stories, which challenge the entrenched narratives of Hollywood by spotlighting immigrant, queer and Asian-American characters and for their unwavering stands for equity and inclusion behind and in front of the camera.
Sheryl Lee Ralph/Actress, Producer, Activist, for her enduring advocacy — with her DIVA Foundation — centered on women and girls, LGBTQ people, health awareness, food and housing security, and social justice and racial equity.
Alok Vaid-Menon/Author, Poet, Comedian, for their committed advocacy elevating “trans ordinariness” and LGBTQ rights and calling for the "degendering” of fashion and beauty industry, while leading with humor, joy and compassion.
Please find below additional information on this year's honorees.
Filmmakers Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively known as Daniels, are the Oscar-winning directing/writing duo behind Everything Everywhere All at Once, as well as a decade's worth of attention-grabbing music videos, short films, and independent films (95% of which have at least one butt joke). Their work has focused on diverse stories from underheard perspectives featuring immigrant, queer, and Asian-American characters while exposing and exploding various taboos for dramatic and comedic effect. They have advocated for workers rights and ethical filmmaking practices in their own industry. And while promoting their movies they have used their platform to highlight activists and their causes through fundraising, partnerships, or that one time Daniel mentioned how hurtful anti-drag bills are during his Oscar speech.
Sheryl Lee Ralph/Actress, Producer, Activist, is a stunning performer with an extraordinary career, whose lifelong work as an advocate is equally impressive. For decades, she has used her platform to educate audiences and fight stigma around HIV/AIDS. Her recent documentary film Unexpected spotlights communities who are most affected, underserved and underrepresented, namely Black women. Her transformational one-woman show Sometimes I Cry personalizes women’s stories about health and wellbeing and her show My Soul Cries Out presents real women’s stories about domestic abuse. Ralph’s DIVA Foundation centers on five pillars: health awareness, women and girls, LGBTQ people, social justice and racial equity, and food and housing security.
Alok Vaid-Menon is an author, poet, comedian and activist, whose work elevates “trans ordinariness.” From their advocacy to "degender" the fashion and the beauty industries to their poetry yearning for beauty in a time of grief and loss, Alok has done so much to foster an accurate reflection and celebration of the trans community. Their writing includes Beyond the Gender Binary, Femme in Public and Your Wound/My Garden. In a world plagued with vitriol and division especially towards LGBTQ people, they have led with joy, kindness and compassion.
For tickets and additional information click HERE