World News | ACLU, for First Time, Elects Black Person as Its President
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Deborah Archer, a professor at New York University School of Law with expertise in civil rights and racial justice, has become the first Black person in the 101-year history of the American Civil Liberties Union to be elected its president.
New York, Feb 1 (AP) Deborah Archer, a professor at New York University School of Law with expertise in civil rights and racial justice, has become the first Black person in the 101-year history of the American Civil Liberties Union to be elected its president.
The ACLU announced Monday that Archer was elected over the weekend in a virtual meeting of the organization's 69-member board of directors. She succeeds Susan Herman, a professor at Brooklyn Law School who had served as president since 2008.
As the ACLU's eighth president since 1920, Archer will act as chair of its board of the directors, overseeing organizational matters and the setting of civil liberties policies. The fight against racial injustice is expected to be a top priority. The ACLU's day-to-day operations are managed by its executive director — a post currently held by Anthony Romero.
During former President Donald Trump's four years in office, the ACLU filed 413 lawsuits and other legal actions against his administration, challenging policies related to immigrant rights, voting rights, LGBT rights, racial justice and other issues.
The campaign against Trump's administration — promoted in a catchy “See You In Court” ad campaign — fueled huge increases in donations and membership. According to Romero, the ACLU national office and its state affiliates received about $175 million in donations in the three months after Trump's election, helping to finance a major expansion of staff.
“The ACLU has proven itself as an invaluable voice in the fight for civil rights in the last four years of the Trump era, and we are better positioned than ever to face the work ahead,” Archer said. (AP)
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