National ACLU Director Anthony Romero to Speak at ACLU of Arizona’s 50th Anniversary Dinner on March 20 in Tucson
For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Contact: Alessandra Soler Meetze, Executive Director, ACLU-AZ, 602-418-5499 (cell) or 602-650-1854 ext. 106 (office)
TUCSON – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arizona will celebrate 50 years of protecting the Bill of Rights during a fund-raising dinner at the Westward Look Resort on March 20th featuring a keynote address by National ACLU Director Anthony Romero. Tucson resident Henry Oyama, who made history as the ACLU of Arizona’s first client in a lawsuit challenging Arizona’s discriminatory miscegenation law, will be honored for having the courage to stand up for equality five decades ago.
“Protecting fundamental freedoms in Arizona for 50 years is a milestone for both the ACLU and the community," said Alessandra Soler Meetze, executive director of the ACLU of Arizona. "Individual rights in Arizona are more secure because of the work of countless individuals whom we consider pioneers and because of our brave clients like Henry Oyama.”
The ACLU of Arizona’s 50th Anniversary Celebration Dinner will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 20 at the Westward Look Resort, 245 E. Ina Road, in Tucson, Arizona. For press passes, contact Alessandra Soler Meetze at 602-650-1854 ext. 106 or via e-mail at ameetze@acluaz.org.
Oyama turned to the ACLU in December of 1959 after the Clerk of the Pima County Superior Court refused to accept his application for a marriage license. Oyama had planned to marry his longtime sweetheart, Marry Ann Jordan. But, he was turned away because of an Arizona law that prohibited the marriage of a person of “Caucasian blood” with a person of the “Mongolian race.” He turned to the newly-established ACLU of Arizona, which filed a lawsuit on December 11, 1959 arguing the law violated the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. ACLU attorneys Frank J. Barry, Charles E. Ares and Paul G. Rees, Jr. demanded an injunction requiring the Pima County Clerk to issue the license. Victory came just a few days later on December 23, 1959, when Pima County Superior Court Judge Herbert F. Krucker granted them relief. The couple became officially married in Tucson, surrounded by family and friends, just five days later.
In addition to honoring Oyama, the ACLU of Arizona also will honor its founders Alice Bendheim, the late Alice Papcun, Cornelius Steelink, Paul G. Rees, Jr., and Charles E. Ares, who served as Dean of the University of Arizona College of Law from 1966 until 1973. The group also will present special recognition awards to Ed Morgan, Leonard Scheff and the Honorable Stanley Feldman, who volunteered to handle cases on behalf of the ACLU.
Over its five-decade history, the ACLU of Arizona has secured the rights of a wide range of individuals including:
- county employees who couldn’t refer patients to Planned Parenthood because of a 1901 law that banned birth control ads;
- teacher Barbara Elfbrandt, who went for many months without pay after refusing to sign a loyalty oath;
- day laborer Ernesto Miranda, who was convicted of rape after confessing, without realizing he was entitled to remain silent and to have an attorney present during his police interrogation; and
- 15-year-old Gerry Gault, who was sentenced – without going to trial – to six years in juvenile prison for making one lewd phone call.
Click here for a more detailed list of our cases throughout the years.
The mission of the ACLU of Arizona is to protect the civil liberties contained in the state and federal constitutions through litigation, legislative and public education. The ACLU is funded primarily through private donations and offers its services at no cost to the public. The ACLU does not accept any government funds. Nearly 4,000 ACLU members live in Southern Arizona. They’re represented by volunteers who serve on the board of the Southern Chapter of the ACLU of Arizona. The ACLU of Arizona is an affiliate of the national ACLU, which boasts a membership of 550,000 with approximately 8,000 members and supporters in Arizona.