Join the ACLU of Illinois this fall for our virtual Voting Rights series in partnership with Weinberg/Newton Gallery. We will explore topics such as voting during the COVID-19 pandemic, fighting voter suppression and expanding access to the ballot, the intersection of art and social activism, and the continued fight for civil rights and liberties nationwide.

With many political leaders and lawmakers across the country refusing to authorize and fund no-excuse, mail-in absentee voting, and concerns remaining about the USPS, the COVID-19 pandemic has become yet another tool to suppress the votes of poor people, people of color, people with disabilities, young adults, and the elderly.

Each of us has an important role to play during this critical election. We encourage you to take part by joining us for our three-part event series, learning more about your rights as a voter in Illinois, and taking action to fight voter suppression across the country. Together, we will vote like our rights depend on it!

About Weinberg/Newton Gallery: 

Weinberg/Newton Gallery is a non-commercial gallery dedicated to becoming a presenting platform for social justice issues through collaboration with artists and non-profit organizations. Their exhibition Anthem, presented online and in partnership with the ACLU from September 11 – December 19, will examine voting rights in the United States through works of contemporary artists such as Bethany Collins, Eve L. Ewing, and Naima Green, among others. Learn more about the Gallery and view the exhibition here: weinbergnewtongallery.com

 

Events: 

LET PEOPLE VOTE
September 16, 2020 | 7:00 - 8:00 PM

We must protect our fundamental right to vote. Join us for a panel discussion featuring voting rights experts from the National ACLU, ACLU of Illinois, and Chicago Votes focusing on voting during the COVID-19 pandemic, fighting voter suppression and expanding access to the ballot, and knowing your rights as a voter in advance of the general election.

Featuring: Khadine Bennett, ACLU of Illinois Director of Advocacy and Intergovernmental Affairs; Michelle Hernandez, ACLU of Illinois Advocacy Associate; Molly McGrath, ACLU Voting Rights Campaign Strategist; and Stevie Valles, Chicago Votes Executive Director.

Watch a Recording of the Event

ART AND SOCIAL PROGRESS: CREATING A BETTER WORLD
October 14, 2020 | 7:00 – 8:00 PM

Artists in our community and nationwide play a vital role in helping us reimagine paths forward while showcasing what various forms of activism can look like. Join us for an hour of discussion and presentation with artists on the intersection of Art and Social Activism – especially during an election year. Get inspired and hear directly from artists on how their practices have been affected by the election year, the overdue and surging call for racial justice, and COVID-19.

Featuring: Ari Afsar; Adeshola Makinde; Ellen Rothenberg; and moderated by, Carrie Shepherd.

Learn more about Weinberg/Newton Gallery and view the Anthem exhibition here: www.weinbergnewtongallery.com

WATCH A RECORDING OF THE EVENT

THE FIGHT IS FAR FROM OVER
November 18, 2020 | 4:00 – 5:00 PM 

This election will have an impact on how civil liberties are protected and advanced in our state and country – from the President to local prosecutors, judges and other officials. Join us for a virtual town hall led by ACLU of Illinois Executive Director Colleen Connell, joined by Senator Durbin and ACLU of Illinois staff, on the 2020 Election and the continued fight for civil liberties and rights nationwide. 

Featuring: Khadine Bennett, Director of Advocacy and Intergovernmental Affairs; Nusrat Choudhury, Roger Pascal Legal Director; Colleen Connell, Executive Director; Senator Dick Durbin, U.S. Senator Illinois; Edwin Yohnka, Director of Communication and Public Policy.

WATCH A RECORDING OF THE EVENT

Actions: 

Register to vote or confirm your registration status.

Voting Resources: 

 

Event Date

Wednesday, September 16, 2020 - 7:00pm to
Thursday, November 19, 2020 - 4:45pm

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Let People Vote Event

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WATCH A RECORDING OF THE EVENT

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DSU1JuDC94

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Art and Social Progress Event

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https://youtu.be/wgW0Cb1b5eo

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The Fight is Far From Over Event

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https://youtu.be/f8oCdW5n7Cw

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Vote Like Your Right Depend On It Event Series

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Thursday, November 19, 2020 - 4:45pm

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The State of Illinois has not made the bulk of the changes to provision of medical care for transgender individuals in state prison ordered by a federal judge nine months ago. Instead, several Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) officials now admit that they have largely disregarded the court’s order and continue to deny transgender individuals the health care they need. This causes these individuals continued suffering, leading to harmful self-treatment efforts or even suicide attempts.
 
Because the State has failed to act, transgender prisoners now are asking the judge who ordered the changes last year to appoint an independent monitor to oversee that IDOC finally make the necessary changes.
 
The request comes in a filing today in the case Monroe v. Jeffreys pending in the Southern District of Illinois. 
 
Following a two-day hearing in 2019, Judge Nancy Rosenstengel ordered IDOC to overhaul its medical care for transgender prisoners. Foremost among the changes, the Judge ordered IDOC to immediately cease making medical treatment decisions by an internal committee made up of people with no relevant experience or expertise and whose members never even met with patients.
 
In depositions this summer, IDOC officials who are members of this committee acknowledged that it still makes medical decisions relating to hormone therapy and surgery. IDOC officials also admitted that women who are transgender continue to be kept in male prisons and routinely strip-searched by male guards, despite the court’s order that they avoid these searches.
 
“Janiah, Sora, Sasha, Marilyn, and Lydia, and the class of more than one hundred transgender individuals they represent, continue to be denied the crucial medical care they need,” said John Knight, LGBTQ Project Director at the ACLU of Illinois. “In addition, the State’s refusal to recognize these women as who they are by routinely keeping them in male prisons where they are searched by men is humiliating and causes them extreme and life-threatening suffering. The situation for transgender men is similarly concerning.” 
 
“IDOC has demonstrated that it simply cannot do this work by itself with the urgency necessary – an independent monitor is the only apparent way to protect the health and safety of our clients.”
 
Despite representations to the court earlier this year that IDOC was ending certain practices and making progress in complying with other changes the court ordered, the statements of IDOC officials – made under oath – belie those claims. Despite telling the court that the committee was no longer making medical decisions, Dr. Melvin Hinton, the Chief of Mental Health, testified in June that the committee continues to decide when a transgender prisoner begins hormone therapy and whether a transgender prisoner should undergo gender-affirming surgery.  The Court also ordered IDOC to provide prisoners with clothing and grooming items for social transition treatment. But, again, Dr. Hinton testified that IDOC and the committee continue to deny electrolysis and other forms of gender-affirming social transition.  
 
Another member of the committee – Ms. Tangenise Porter – acknowledged that she was still being asked by other committee members for her to weigh-in on medical treatment decisions for transgender prisoners, including decisions about housing, and without being given any guidance or standards for making such decisions.
 
“Nine months have passed without meaningful change for our clients in IDOC,” added Knight. “More concerning, the State continues to assert to the court that they are making changes, despite the testimony of those charged with fixing the system. We simply cannot wait for more promises and more empty words. We need an independent monitor now.”
 
Plaintiffs in this case are represented by the ACLU, along with lawyers from Kirkland & Ellis, King & Spalding, and Kennedy Hunt, P.C.

Date

Friday, August 21, 2020 - 1:15pm

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Institutionalized Persons LGBTQ and HIV Advocacy

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