ACLU of Colorodo Celebrates Its 50th Year of Service in 2002

ACLU of Colorado is gearing up to celebrate its 50th year of service to the Colorado community. Established by a group of staunch civil libertarians on March 27, 1952, the nascent affiliate drew up its original constitution and first set of bylaws. The national ACLU Board of Directors voted to formally recognize our Colorado group as an affiliate on April 14, 1952. The rest is, as they say, history. The last 50 years have witnessed the ACLU of Colorado engaged in extensive and extremely active defense of Constitutional freedoms, civil rights, and Bill of Rights liberties.

In addition to the many cases taken over the last 50 years, ACLU of Colorado has also successfully advocated on behalf of numerous individuals and groups on a widespread set of issues, concerns, and attacks on civil liberties and rights. Advocating has often proven to be at least as successful as litigating and frequently uses fewer ACLU resources than a full-fledged court proceeding. Your ACLU of Colorado remains very active in both legal arenas. Please see the Legal Director's Report with 2001 highlights on the following page.

In conjunction with many years of legal work, ACLU of Colorado has also engaged in influencing our Colorado legislative work, proactively lobbying for good and effective law. These nonpartisan efforts have repeatedly borne fruit - better law with less risk of legal challenge which frequently translates into less expense for the Colorado taxpayer. ACLU of Colorado continues to remain watchful on the Legislative front, always prepared to testify against infringements on our freedoms or in support of sound law.

ACLU of Colorado hasn't been content to restrict itself and our work to only the fields of legislative involvement and litigation; for many of the last 50 years, ACLU has also been an active agent for positive social and civic change with our participation in the annual Citizen's Day Swearing-In Ceremony; the many community fairs, fests, and functions throughout the State; educational events and programs for our legal community, civic and religious groups, and classrooms of all educational levels; and, most recently, a professionally managed and frequently updated web page with a host of resources and links.

Mindful of the varied interests and concerns of the many different areas of our State, ACLU has also fostered a strong web of Chapter involvement through the years and across the state. Chapters have formed and faded away, as local needs arose and diminished, in virtually every corner of the State. ACLU currently boasts four active Chapters: Boulder County; Colorado Springs/El Paso County area; University of Denver School of Law; and the University of Colorado, Boulder School of Law. Action Groups are currently organized in Grand Junction and Greeley.

Please join us in celebrating our 50th anniversary! Several events are listed throughout this newsletter and planning, by a devoted group of volunteers and members, is underway for several more exciting events and celebrations throughout 2002. Watch for upcoming newsletters or stay up-to-date by viewing our web site at www.aclu-co.org

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