Social Justice Spotlight: ACLU of Oregon
Do you wish you could help make the community a better place, but aren’t sure how? Let’s learn about a local organization making a genuine positive impact on the community.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a multifaceted national organization committed to ensuring that all people in America are treated with equality and respect. The Oregon branch has a mission statement explaining how they “take action together to protect and advance our civil liberties and civil rights for a more just, equitable, and caring democracy in Oregon.”
The ACLU is a great way to get involved in the activist world if you have little to no experience, as they are a well established organization with projects in more or less every branch of the social justice tree. Notable areas in the ACLU’s work include youth and student rights, LGBTQ+ rights, the addiction and homelessness crisis, racial justice, and police accountability. Currently, they are preparing an anti-authoritarian agenda for the second Trump presidency. As Executive Director Sandy Chung said on November 6, 2024, “Democracy is hard work, but it is worth it.”
As an established organization with national reach, the ACLU is able to take on larger-scale projects than other local organizations featured in this column. They are committed to extensive legal battles against government and private individuals in support of civil liberties. They also push for ballot measures, which work to change the laws of our state to make a more equitable society. In 2024, the ACLU and other organizations found success in passing a bill through the Oregon Senate which bans book bans.
The Equal Rights for All campaign is fighting to pass a ballot measure in Oregon in 2026 which aims to defend transgender rights, abortion access, and marriage equality. Astute readers might recall that Basic Rights Oregon (previously featured in “Social Justice Spotlight”) is also working to pass this legislation. In their own words, this bill will ensure that interpretation of the state constitution “protects same-gender marriage and the right to make private, personal decisions about reproductive and gender-related health care, including abortion and health care for transgender people. It does this by clarifying that existing protections against sex discrimination in Oregon’s constitution [and applying them] to sexual orientation, ability to become pregnant and gender identity, and related health care decisions.” They note that “Oregon’s Constitution still has language defining marriage as only between a man and a woman,” which they are trying to change.
You can volunteer to help pass this measure on their website. Volunteer opportunities may include collecting petition signatures, attending educational events, canvassing door to door, or text-banking voters. Because the ACLU is a national organization with local chapters, you may get involved locally even if you are not from Oregon. Research what issues your state’s branch of the ACLU is active in, see if you could lend a hand over the summer. Common volunteer opportunities include writing letters to the editor of local newspapers, policy advocacy, voter outreach, contacting local government officials, and more. They also have a whole page of specific actions you can take at www.aclu-or.org/en/act .
ACLU offers comprehensive guides to an individual’s legal rights in accessible language. These guides detail what you are legally entitled to and protected from if you are a student, immigrant, as well as regarding law enforcement surveillance, and First Amendment protections. There’s also a guide to filing a Public Records Request.
The ACLU also publishes frequently in newsletter, emails (which you can sign up for or access online), and articles which contain up-to-date information and opinions on a variety of pertinent issues.
If you have a moment and the passion, get involved!