Today's Date: March 28, 2024
Parental avoidance of toxic exposures could help prevent autism, ADHD in children, new study shows   •   Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and Palantir Partner to Create Safe Conditions for In-Person Education in Schools   •   Stora Enso publishes Green and Sustainability-Linked Financing Report 2023   •   Nutrex-Hawaii Introduces Its #1 Selling BioAstin® Hawaiian Astaxanthin® in a Retail-Ready, Sugar-Free, Vegan Gummy Forma   •   SLB Announces Agreement to Acquire Majority Ownership in Aker Carbon Capture   •   Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas and Wells Fargo Bank Award $750K to CC Housing for Senior Affordable Housing Development   •   The Home Depot Announces Agreement to Acquire SRS Distribution, a Leading Specialty Trade Distributor Across Multiple Verticals;   •   ADM Names Commonwealth Warehouse Inc. as a 2023 Supplier Award Winner   •   Lenzing strives to drive beneficial transformation across the value chain   •   Netcracker Continues Its Support of the U.S. Paralympic Ski and Snowboard Team at Adaptive Spirit 2024   •   Cardinal Tobin Blesses New Open-Air Mausoleum of the Holy Spirit Site   •   PRIVATE SCHOOL VILLAGE (PSV) AWARDS INAUGURAL ELEMENTARY-SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS   •   Latest U.S. Soybean Field Trials by Texas Crop Science Deliver Average Yield Increase of More Than 20%   •   Guo Guangchang: "Focus on building sustainable, predictable and enterprise with stable profit growth "   •   3EO Health Announces the First Point of Care Molecular Test Under $15   •   Government of Canada signs two bilateral agreements with Quebec to support initiatives to improve health care   •   EIG’s MidOcean Energy Completes Acquisition of Tokyo Gas’ Interests in Portfolio of Australian Integrated LNG Projec   •   Midea Group Breaks Revenue and Profit Records with RMB 373.7 Billion in 2023   •   The Lenserf Group Launches Emotional Intelligence Academy for HBCU Interns   •   "SHAKIRA DESDE TIMES SQUARE," an Exclusive Special Taking Viewers Behind-the-Scenes of Shakira's Historic Surprise Performance i
Bookmark and Share

ACLU Honors Civil Rights Activist

ACLU To Honor Regina Kelly, Plaintiff In Landmark Civil Rights Case, With Baldwin Medal Of Liberty Award October 24 At New York Academy Of Sciences

Award-Winning Actress Alfre Woodard, Civil Rights Groups, ACLU Members And Staff To Recognize Kelly's Outstanding Contributions To Civil Liberties



NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union will present the Roger N. Baldwin Medal of Liberty Award to Regina Kelly, an African-American single mother of four who, based on an unreliable informant's false information, was arrested in a military-style drug raid for felony cocaine distribution. Refusing to plead guilty, Kelly fought the charges, resulting in a significant change in Texas law whereby cases can no longer be prosecuted based solely on the claims of a single confidential informant. The award will be presented on Saturday, October 24 at 6:30 p.m. EDT at the New York Academy of Sciences.

Kelly's story is the subject of a recent Hollywood film, "American Violet," released earlier this year in theaters nationwide. Academy Award nominee Alfre Woodard, who portrayed Kelly's mother in the movie, will join the ACLU in presenting the award.

Excessive paramilitary drug "sweeps" by an out-of-control narcotics task force led to the arrest of almost 15 percent of the young African-American men in the small town of Hearne, Texas in 2000. The busts were based solely on the uncorroborated word of a single, drug-addicted, mentally ill confidential informant coerced by police. Kelly was swept up in the raids and, like other innocent people arrested, faced trumped-up drug charges designed to illicit guilty pleas. Many innocent individuals pled guilty to lesser charges rather than face decades behind bars and risk trial before mostly white Texas juries. Kelly, however, refused to plead guilty despite pressure from her court-appointed attorney at the time and others in the community. 

The ACLU represented Kelly and others in a successful civil rights lawsuit, Kelly v. Paschall, against the Robertson County, Texas District Attorney and the local narcotics task force after evidence of police and prosecutor corruption and racist intent surfaced. Eventually, the charges against her were dropped.

WHAT: 
Roger Baldwin Medal of Liberty Award Presentation

WHO: 
Regina Kelly, Roger Baldwin Medal of Liberty award recipient 
Academy Award nominee Alfre Woodard, who portrayed Kelly's mother in the movie, to present the award to Kelly 
Remarks by Susan Herman, President of the ACLU; Graham Boyd, Director of the ACLU Drug Law Reform Project, who represented Kelly in Kelly v. Paschall; and Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director of the ACLU 

WHEN: 
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. EDT
Program begins at 7:15 p.m. 

WHERE: 
New York Academy of Sciences
7 World Trade Center 
250 Greenwich Street, 40th Floor
New York, NY

ADMISSION:
The event is closed to the general public


American Civil Liberties Union, 125 Broad Street 18th Floor, New York, NY 10004-2400 United States 


STORY TAGS: aclu, rights, activist, activism, american, civil, liberties, union, regina, kelly, baldwin, medal, african, american, court, case



Back to top
| Back to home page
Video

White House Live Stream
LIVE VIDEO EVERY SATURDAY
alsharpton Rev. Al Sharpton
9 to 11 am EST
jjackson Rev. Jesse Jackson
10 to noon CST


Video

LIVE BROADCASTS
Sounds Make the News ®
WAOK-Urban
Atlanta - WAOK-Urban
KPFA-Progressive
Berkley / San Francisco - KPFA-Progressive
WVON-Urban
Chicago - WVON-Urban
KJLH - Urban
Los Angeles - KJLH - Urban
WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
New York - WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
WADO-Spanish
New York - WADO-Spanish
WBAI - Progressive
New York - WBAI - Progressive
WOL-Urban
Washington - WOL-Urban

Listen to United Natiosns News