ACLU Executive Director to speak

Ariel Schwartz Asst. News Editor

On April 19, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Anthony Romero will speak at Vassar. The event is being sponsored by the Vassar College Democrats, the Office of the President, the Office of the Dean of Faculty, the Political Science Department, the Program in American Culture, Amnesty International, PEACE, Poder Latino, and the Vassar Student Association.

Romero has dedicated his life to protecting civil liberties in the United States and around the world. He joined the ACLU one week before the attacks of Sept. 11 and has led the growth of the organization for the past four years. Over 75,000 new members joined in his first year as Executive Director.
Romero is both the first Latino and openly gay man to hold this title. Before his tenure at the ACLU, Romero directed the Human Rights and International Cooperation Program at the Ford Foundation, where he distributed $90 million in grants.

According to Vassar College Democrats Director of Community and Voter Outreach Dan Ross ’06, “This campus really mobilized for the 2004 presidential campaign. After what was, for many of us, a disappointing election night, finding a way to maintain our momentum was important. While candidates come and go with election cycles, issues are perennial and deserve our attention.”

The ACLU is a non-partisan organization and works to protect constitutional rights. The organization fights to overturn provisions from the Patriot Act that demand information from government agencies, supports gay and lesbian rights, fights for a woman’s right to choose, and defends other civil liberty issues.

“These are issues that are important to more than just Democrats, as is shown by the lecture’s wide co-sponsorship,” said Ross.