ACLU of Maryland's 75th Anniversary Drumbeat Events
Free screening/discussion of “Unconstitutional” on Tuesday!

January 23 (Tuesday) at 6:15 p.m. - Free
Unconstitutional: The War on Our Civil Liberties
Film screening and discussion
Enoch Pratt Central Library, Wheeler Auditorium
This 2004 documentary provides the facts and stories that illuminate administration lies, wrongheaded policies, and real victims of these actions -- the American people. Sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union and full of bipartisan testimony by lawyers, politicians, and victims of Patriot Act abuse, Unconstitutional makes an eloquent case for the careful interpretation of Constitutional law. This is a chilling reminder of how seemingly good intentions can corrupt even our most cherished American values. Featuring ACLU-MD attorney David Rocah leading a discussion following the screening.

January 31 (Wednesday) at 6:30 p.m. - Free
Free Speech and Censorship
Panel Discussion
Enoch Pratt Central Library, Poe Room
Featuring Dr. Carla Hayden, Executive Director of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, John Roemer, former ACLU Executive Director, and other panelists discuss issues of free speech and censorship and what they’ve done to protect your First Amendment rights. Susan Goering, current Executive Director of the ACLU of Maryland, will moderate.

February 3 (Saturday) at 1 p.m.
On the Courthouse Lawn: Confronting the Legacy of Lynching in the Twenty-First Century
Book launch and discussion
Presented and hosted by the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture
Featuring author Sherrilyn A. Ifill, civil rights lawyer and University of Maryland law professor, presenting concrete ways for all communities with histories of racial violence to move toward reconciliation.

February 13 (Tuesday) at 6 p.m. - Free
Freedom on My Mind
Film screening and discussion
Enoch Pratt Central Library, Wheeler Auditorium
Nominated for an Academy Award, winner of both the American Historical Association and the Organization of American Historians awards for best documentary, this landmark film from 1994 tells the story of the Mississippi freedom movement in the early 1960s when a handful of young activists changed history. Freedom summer helped transform political power in the South forever, leading to passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965.

February 17 (Saturday) at 2 p.m. - Free
The Struggle for Racial Justice in Maryland
Panel Discussion and Short Film Presentation
Enoch Pratt Central Library, Wheeler Auditorium
Racial justice is extended to all who live in this country by the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and various civil rights statutes. It’s your right to get an education, buy or rent a house, marry whom you want, get a job of your choice, and vote -- all without anyone stopping you because of your race. Featuring Maryland’s Chief Judge Robert Bell, Director of the Maryland Attorney General's Office for Civil Rights Carl O. Snowden, former ACLU Deputy Director Lea Gilmore, and other panelists will describe their personal experiences fighting for racial justice in Baltimore and Maryland. Plus, Kids on the Hill, a Baltimore arts-based community organization for inner city youth, will screen their animated civil rights film shorts.

March 18 (Sunday) at 2 p.m. - Free
The Road to Guantanamo
Film screening and discussion
Enoch Pratt Central Library, Wheeler Auditorium
Since 9/11 there has been a tension between national security and the need to preserve fundamental privacy protections, the rule of law, and our system of checks and balances. The acclaimed film “The Road to Guantanamo” tracks the true story of three British citizens of Pakistani descent, captured in Afghanistan in 2001, and detained without trial at Guantánamo Bay by the US government. Following the screening, hear Marine Col. Dwight Sullivan, former ACLU-MD staff attorney and now Chief Defense Counsel for the Guantánamo detainees.

April 7 (Saturday) at 8 p.m. - $15
Political satire performance by "The Loyal Opposition"
Creative Alliance at the Patterson Theatre
The Loyal Opposition’s ACLU Birthday Party! Celebrating the ACLU of Maryland’s 75th birthday with their incisive and satirical take on politics, The Loyal Opposition returns with their stellar cast—Bill Clinton, Larry King, Dick Cheney and more! Timely sketches featuring the 1,000 watt Bob Heck, Kevin Brown, Shari Elliker, Wes Johnson, and Brenna McDonough. Audience improv and music by David Zee. Librarian Holly Tominack jumps out of a birthday cake!

May 12, 19, 26 and June 2 (Saturdays at Noon)
Banned film series at The Charles Theatre
More details coming soon!