Thursday, April 14, 2011

ACLU of WI Bill of Rights Celebration - A Time to Recognize Civil Libertarians Who Made a Difference

On March 19th, 2011 we held our annual Bill of Rights Celebration at the Pfister Hotel. A packed house of over 300 people enjoyed the witty words of Aasif Mandvi from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Aasif Mandvi addresses ACLU of Wisconsin Foundation fundraiser

We also honored the following civil libertarians for their accomplishments in the past year:

Barbara Munson: The Eunice Z. Edgar Lifetime Achievement Award - Munson was recognized for her many years of work to encourage schools to eliminate race-based mascots. As chair of the “Indian” Mascot and Logo Taskforce for the Wisconsin Indian Education Association since its inception in 1997, Munson and the Taskforce actively worked to support the 31 Wisconsin school districts that have retired race-based mascots and were instrumental in the passage of Act 250 in 2010.

Barbara Munson with Aasif Mandvi

Tenants of the South Milwaukee Lake Bluff Apartments: William Gorham Rice Civil Libertarians of the Year Award - Residents of Lake Bluff filed a federal complaint of housing discrimination in 2003 when it was clear that their city government intended to raze the integrated, accessible, affordable housing complex. The ACLU of Wisconsin Foundation, Legal Action of Wisconsin and the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee assisted the families in court where a federal jury found that tearing down the apartments would have a discriminatory effect on persons of color and persons with disabilities.

Riverside University High School Teachers, Bonnie Brusky, Paul Moga and Tom Wild: Jack and Lucy Rosenberg Youth Civil Libertarians of the Year Award - Riverside University High School in Milwaukee has core values in teaching which include social responsibility and justice. These teachers’ leadership has paved the way for students to participate in powerful social awareness programs about racial justice, homelessness and the importance of civic participation. Participants in Riverside’s ACLU Student Alliance have gone on to become young community leaders in Milwaukee.

Bonnie Brusky and family with her state Senator, Chris Larson


For more photos of the event, please visit our photo album on Facebook.

Special thanks to event sponsors:

Jackie Boynton,

William Lynch and Barbara Manger,

and the lawfirm of Hawks Quindel