Voting is the language of American democracy. The ability to participate in civic life — to have a voice in choosing the elected officials whose decisions impact our lives, families, and communities — is at the core of what it means to be an American. At our nation's founding, voting was enshrined only for educated white men who owned property. It took more than a century for the franchise to meaningfully expand to people of color, women, people with disabilities, people who are low-income, and Native Americans. Today, some elected leaders are still working to silence people who were historically denied access to the ballot box.

Please join us for a special training for the ACS network on the history of voter suppression, what voter suppression looks like today, and how we can fight for voting rights with advocacy tactics to ensure greater access to voting in the time of COVID and racial injustice.

Trainers:

Leigh Chapman, Program Director, The Leadership Conference

Jordan Fitzgerald, Voting Rights Organizing Consultant, The Leadership Conference

Elias Hakim, Field Assistant, The Leadership Conference

Nevasha Noble, Regional Field Manager, The Leadership Conference

Lindsey Walker, Field Associate, The Leadership Conference

ACS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It does not support political parties, positions, or candidates for public office.

Join ACS for our inaugural Book Club discussion hosted by the ACS Board of Academic Advisors. We are excited to announce Paul Butler's Chokehold as our first read. In his book, Butler explains how our “laws and practices [] treat every African American man like a thug” and “powerfully demonstrates why current efforts to reform law enforcement will not create lasting change.” Paul Butler will be joined by Kimberlé Crenshaw for a discussion of the book.  Following their conversation, members of the ACS Board of Academic Advisors will lead breakout discussion groups.

Featuring:
Paul Butler, Albert Brick Professor in Law, Georgetown Law School

Kimberlé Crenshaw, Executive Director of the African American Policy Forum; Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor of Law at Columbia University, Distinguished Professor of Law and Promise Institute Chair in Human Rights at UCLA

Justin Driver, Professor of Law, Yale Law School; Member, ACS Board of Academic Advisors

Leah Litman, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School; Member, ACS Board of Academic Advisors

Melissa Murray, Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law, Faculty Director of the Birnbaum Women's Leadership Network, New York University School of Law; Member, ACS National Board of Directors and Board of Academic Advisors

Micah Schwartzman, Hardy Cross Dillard Professor of Law, Martha Lubin Karsh and Bruce A. Karsh Bicentennial Professor of Law, Director, Karsh Center for Law and Democracy, University of Virginia School of Law; Member, ACS Board of Academic Advisors

Thursday, September 10, 2020
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. ET