FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Septermber 12, 2013
Contact: Hedy Weinberg, Executive Director; (615) 320-7142
NASHVILLE - The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee today announced that the Reverend Edwin C. Sanders II will be honored with the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award on Thursday, November 14 at its annual Bill of Rights Celebration. Reverend Sanders is the Senior Servant and Founder of Nashville’s Metropolitan Interdenominational Church. ACLU-TN is recognizing Sanders for his dedication to criminal justice reform and equal protection for the disenfranchised.
“We are excited to present our Lifetime Achievement Award to Reverend Sanders, who is an inspiring torchbearer for equality in Tennessee. Reverend Sanders has dedicated his life to the pursuit of social justice, particularly in challenging the War on Drugs and over-incarceration of minority youth,” said Hedy Weinberg, ACLU-TN executive director.
ACLU-TN will also present the 2013 Benjamin S. Pressnell Bill of Rights Award to Remziya Suleyman, Co-Founder and Director of Policy and Administration for the American Center for Outreach. In 2011 Remziya spearheaded a successful campaign to stop a bill that would have criminalized Tennessee Muslims who practice their faith. An activist for immigration reform, voting rights and religious freedom, she was named one of the “13 Progressive Faith Leaders to Watch in 2012” by the Center for American Progress.
This year’s Bill of Rights Celebration will also include a special performance by award-winning songwriter Annie Mosher.
At the forefront of civil liberties battles across Tennessee, ACLU-TN employs a range of strategies including advocacy, education, legislative lobbying and litigation to ensure that Tennesseans’ constitutional freedoms are protected. An affiliate of the national ACLU, ACLU-TN is a private, non-profit, non-partisan membership organization.
ACLU-TN’s Bill of Rights Celebration will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a silent auction of autographed books, art and more. Dinner, the awards presentation and Mosher’s special performance will follow. The Celebration will take place at the University Club in Nashville.
Tickets are $125 per person and sponsorship opportunities are available at bit.ly/BORC2013. Tickets and sponsorships may also be purchased by calling the ACLU-TN office at 615-320-7142.
