Thursday, November 17, 2016
6:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.
The Noah Liff Opera Center · 3622 Redmon Street, Nashville 37209
ACLU-TN has redesigned its annual fundraiser, formerly known as the “Bill of Rights Celebration.” This year’s celebration, “The Constitution Uncorked,” will be a cocktail party with hors d’oeuvres, featuring a brief awards ceremony recognizing a lifelong champion of civil liberties and young activists who are picking up the torch of justice for the next generation.
ACLU-TN will honor Bernard Werthan with its Lifetime Achievement Award. A fourth generation Nashvillian, Werthan has been a leader in the fight to dismantle social barriers and realize racial and religious integration for over fifty years. As a founding board member of the Opportunities Industrialization Center, he has helped prepare disenfranchised people, including individuals leaving prison, for careers in the local economy. In addition, as a leader of the Family of Abraham and the Faith and Cultural Center’s Our Muslim Neighbors group, he has dedicated his life to building bridges between people from different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds.
This year’s celebration will also honor three young adults who represent the next generation of activists working toward social justice in their communities with the 2016 Benjamin S. Pressnell Bill of Rights Award:
Justin Bautista-Jones, a senior at Fisk University, is a strategic organizer who has dedicated countless hours to fighting barriers to the ballot box by mobilizing young people to vote, testifying at the legislature, coordinating rallies, and, in collaboration with the late attorney George Barrett, challenging the inability of students to use college photo IDs as identification to vote. He was one of the organizers of the “March Against Fear,” held in response to the massacre at a predominantly Black South Carolina church, and he organized a rally and marched from North Carolina to Washington, D.C. in support of access to health care.
Drost Kokoye, a first-year law student, is a vocal and passionate grassroots mobilizer across the state. She has organized and supported vigils, rallies and awareness programs around the issues of religious freedom, fair treatment of immigrants and refugees, racial justice and police accountability, voting rights and more. Drost’s leadership has broken social barriers and fostered greater understanding and interaction with Tennessee’s Muslim community.
Henry Seaton, a recent graduate of Beech High School, dedicated his senior year to speaking out on behalf of LGBT youth. In particular, he lobbied against the anti-transgender bathroom access bill and co-founded a group offering supportive space for LGBT youth who are aging out of other empowerment programs. Through his efforts, he is helping to change the conversation statewide about transgender individuals and their rights.
Guests will also enjoy a special performance by award-winning recording artists The Stellas.
You can find additional event information, become a special event sponsor, or make your reservations here.
If you have any questions, please email aclutn@aclu-tn.org or call (615) 320-7142.