In 2021, the ACLU of Maryland is celebrating a special birthday. It’s our 90th year protecting civil liberties and civil rights, and advancing racial justice. With this year being marked by a global pandemic and a re-invigorated national racial justice movement, our efforts have been even more necessary and urgent. Ninety years later, ACLU-MD continues our journey for race equity that began at our founding.
When Activist Elisabeth Gilman and her friends attempted to get some justice for Orphan Jones aka Euel Lee in 1931, the case spurred the first gathering of what would become the ACLU of Maryland. A Black man from Virginia, Lee was racially mistreated, threatened with lynching by a white mob, beaten before he was questioned, brutalized, charged with murder, and denied counsel.
The foundation of our organization was based on racial justice. It played a central role in the ACLU of Maryland’s first case. We are now seen as one of America’s premier guardians of liberty; our staff, Board of Directors, and other key stakeholders, remain determined to live that commitment each day.
Back then, we were able to provide Euel Lee some measure of due process, but it wasn’t enough. The system of white supremacy and injustice remained and we still see it today. Yet, we are still motivated to dismantle it. We are determined to see the day where everyone has their humanity valued, and their civil liberties and rights respected.
Sadly, our 90th anniversary year is marked by the need to pursue justice for the murder by police of a young Black man, Anton Black, who was killed in 2018 by white officers and a white civilian, also on the Eastern Shore. Today, Anton Black’s family seeks justice with the support of the ACLU. They are challenging the systemic role that medical examiners play in justifying police killings, particularly of Black people.
His family described their son, Anton Black, as “loving” and a family-oriented person. He had many dreams like any college student, ranging from enlisting in the military to pursuing modeling and acting. Anton’s dreams were just beginning to come true but he was killed before he could fulfill any of them.
The murder of Anton by police made a big impact in his community, leaving many people suffering. The police officers who did this were not held accountable because medical examiners justified the police narrative of what happened. They blamed the killing of Anton on his bipolar disorder as a contributing cause instead of asphyxiation from having multiple bodies weighing down his body.
What can we all do now to make things truly different? To achieve systemic change that overcomes white supremacy? To ensure we aren’t faced with the same racist inhumanity after another 90 years in Maryland?
We need change, which is why we developed a four-year strategic plan that has as its centerpiece a fundamentally different way of working. Coalitions are growing across the state – including with equal vigor Western Maryland & the Eastern Shore – that center the leadership and experience of Marylanders directly impacted by state systems that perpetuate injustice. The ACLU of Maryland is committed to centering and investing in this work and together making a deep and lasting impact.
You are a part of an important movement. Together, let’s ensure that 90 years from now we have dismantled white supremacy and finally realized rights for all Marylanders.
Yours in liberty and equity,
Dana Vickers Shelley
Executive Director
ACLU of Maryland
John Alvin Henderson
President, Board of Directors
ACLU of Maryland
Date
Friday, April 1, 2022 - 6:00pm
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90 Years Protecting Civil Rights, Challenging Racism
It Was a Woman Who Founded The ACLU Of Maryland
“He was everything. He loved his family. He was a family boy.”: Anton Black’s Murder by Police
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The power of our country has always been with the people. And even with a Biden-Harris Administration, we still have a lot of work to do to protect our rights and liberties. Where do we go from here? How can Maryland become the state we all want to live in, particularly those who have historically been harmed by our government?
The 2020 election taught us that when we remove barriers and expand access to the ballot, citizens are able to vote in record numbers. That is why we are committed to realizing an election infrastructure that guarantees universal suffrage and robust access to the ballot, including Marylanders who are currently incarcerated.
A quality education is necessary to be a productive member of our society. But for generations, access to a quality education has been denied to Black and Latinx students and students with disabilities. That is why we are committed to realizing a public education system where all students can learn, thrive, and are prepared to effectively engage in the social, political, and economic life of their community.
The legal justice system has systemic racism baked into its DNA and has deeply hurt and impacted the Black community. That is why we are committed to realizing an equitable justice system that prioritizes community-centered approaches to public safety and ends our primary reliance on incarceration.
Our neighbors are our neighbors regardless of their legal status. But ICE ramped up their racist practices against our immigrant neighbors under the previous administration. That is why we are committed to realizing a state where all Marylanders are empowered to fully participate in society regardless of citizenship or legal status.
We are committed to realizing a Maryland where all individuals can live, think, and speak freely, without discrimination based on identity, unwarranted surveillance, with bodily integrity protected, and with equitable access to the public square.
And we are committed to making government accountable by maximizing transparency, establishing limits on governmental power, and strengthening enforcement mechanisms, particularly where there is the greatest opportunity for abuse of power.
The ACLU of Maryland does not just name the problems. We advocate for systemic solutions. Thanks for joining us in this important work!
Yours in liberty and equity,
Dana Vickers Shelley
Executive Director
ACLU of Maryland
John Alvin Henderson
President, Board of Directors
ACLU of Maryland
Date
Thursday, March 11, 2021 - 9:45am
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The ACLU of Maryland was founded in 1931 in response to lynching on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The organization’s first case was on behalf of a Black man named Orphan Jones who was charged with murder, denied counsel, and threatened with lynching.
Today, we are the nation’s premier guardian of liberty. We exist to empower Marylanders to exercise their rights so that the law values and uplifts their humanity.
We work daily to defend and preserve the individual rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and the laws of the United States. We work to ensure that all people in the state of Maryland are free to think and speak as they choose, and to live their lives free from discrimination and unwarranted government intrusion.
Our vision is that Maryland’s people are united in affirming and exercising their rights in order to address inequities and fulfill the country’s unrealized promise of justice and freedom for all.
Thanks for joining us in this important work,
Dana Vickers Shelley
Executive Director
ACLU of Maryland
John Alvin Henderson
President, Board of Directors
ACLU of Maryland
Date
Monday, March 16, 2020 - 9:45pm
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