Attorneys from Sidley Austin, Arnold & Porter, Carlton Fields, Reed Smith and Latham & Watkins to be honored
LOS ANGELES—The hit ABC series “black-ish” will receive the Social Responsibility in the Media Award at the ACLU of Southern California’s 22nd Annual Luncheon on Friday, June 10, 2016 at The LA Hotel.
The ACLU of Southern California (ACLU SoCal) event honors outstanding individuals and dedicated attorneys who have taken a stand with us for civil liberties in the past year.
Kenya Barris, creator and executive producer of “black-ish,” will accept the award on behalf of the ABC series, which uses comedy and drama to explore the conflict between assimilation and identity in a highly successful black suburban family.
Mr. Barris started out as a writer in 1998 and has worked on several television series, including CBS’s “Listen Up,” The CW’s “The Game” and “Girlfriends.” He has also sold a number of pilots, including “America’s Next Top Model,” which he co-created with Tyra Banks. More recently, Mr. Barris wrote “Barbershop: The Next Cut” and is currently writing multiple features for Universal, New Line and MGM. Kenya is under an overall deal at ABC Studios.
Anthony Anderson, star and executive producer of “black-ish,” will present the award to Mr. Barris. Also attending the event will be cast members Yara Shahidi, Marcus Scribner, Miles Brown, Marsai Martin, Jenifer Lewis and Deon Cole.
Brian Knappenberger, an award-winning documentary filmmaker, will receive the Social Justice in the Media Award for his work exposing injustice.
Mr. Knappenberger’s work includes “The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz,” a biographical documentary on the life and work of the programming prodigy and information activist who took his own life at the age of 26. Mr. Knappenberger’s latest documentary series, “Truth and Power,” tells the stories of ordinary people going to extraordinary lengths to uncover breaches of public trust by governments and private institutions. “Truth and Power” aired on Participant Media’s network, Pivot.
Recipients of the Humanitarian Award are Sean A. Commons and Wen W. Shen of Sidley Austin LLP, for their work to secure procedural rights for immigrants.
Other honorees are Marty Koresawa, Brian Martinez, Jacob Poorman, Eric Shapland and John C. Ulin from Arnold & Porter LLP, who partnered with the ACLU SoCal and won a historic settlement that will lead to fundamental reforms in California schools where students were being denied equal access to a proper education. Also receiving the Education Equity Award are Mark Neubauer, Maria Rodriguez and Dawn B. Williams from Carlton Fields.
This year’s Access to Justice Award goes to Nabil A. Basharat, Timothy R. Carwinski, Julianna Dangel Milberg, Christopher R. Murphy, Christine M. Neuharth, John D. Pingel, James Rolfes and David Z. Smith from Reed Smith LLP.
Recipients of the Equal Justice Advocacy Award are Ana De Santiago Ayon, Milu Hoppenbrouwer, Eric Lauritsen, John Carlos Olivares and Daniel Schecter from Latham & Watkins LLP. James E. Gauch, Jocelin R. Hody, Esha Mankodi and Andrew Turnier from Jones Day receive the Freedom of Information Award.
“Today we recognize individuals and firms who used joined us to ensure that individuals can assert their most basic rights and liberties,” said Hector Villagra, executive director of ACLU SoCal.
When: Friday June 10, 2016, 11:15 am – 1:30 pm
Where: The L.A. Hotel, 333 South Figueroa, Los Angeles, CA 90071
Media contact:
Sandra Hernandez at 213.977.5247, or shernandez@aclusocal.org
Tony Marcano at 213. 977.5242, or tmarcano@aclusocal.org