ACLU of the District of Columbia
2021-2022 ANNUAL REPORT
For more than 60 years, we’ve fought to make the District a place where the promises of the Constitution are a lived reality for all. We do this work in partnership with our clients, community members, partner organizations, volunteers – and you.
OUR MISSION
The ACLU of the District of Columbia, with more than 14,000 local members, fights to protect and expand civil liberties and civil rights for people who live in, work in, and visit the District of Columbia. We are a local affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a nationwide nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization devoted to ensuring free speech, equal rights, and other civil liberties.
HOW WE WORK
LITIGATION
Lawsuits are one of the key tools available for protecting individual rights. We litigate cases, both directly and as amicus curiae (friend of the court), that will broaden and strengthen civil liberties and civil rights.
Organizing & Advocacy
We strive to achieve long-term, systemic changes for the communities of D.C., alongside and in coalition with grassroots and nonprofit partners. We testify and lobby the D.C. Council and mobilize community members to advocate on issues impacting their civil rights.
Public Education
We offer public education through speaking engagements, providing Know Your Rights/street law trainings, and providing teach-ins on our different issue areas and campaigns.
OUR ISSUES
Criminal Justice Reform
The rights guaranteed to criminal suspects, defendants, and prisoners are fundamental rights that protect all Americans from governmental abuses of power.
Reproductive Rights
Abortion is still legal in D.C., and it’s up to us to keep it that way. ACLU-DC and our partners are working to protect and expand abortion access in the District.
Free Speech
The First Amendment protects our freedom to speak, assemble, and associate with others. These rights are essential to our democratic system of governance.
LGBTQ+ Rights
We work to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people can live openly without discrimination and enjoy equal rights and equal dignity.
Police Practices
We work to ensure that police officers interact with the public on a race-neutral basis and with respect for individuals’ constitutional rights.
Voting Rights
Granting D.C. Statehood is constitutional and is the only way to enfranchise more than 700,000 Americans who have been denied their full voting rights for over 200 years.
Immigrants’ Rights
The fundamental constitutional protections of due process and equal protection apply to every person, regardless of immigration status.
Disability Rights
We strive for a District free of discrimination against people with disabilities, where people with disabilities are valued, integrated members of society.
Privacy
In this age of ever-expanding surveillance, our right to privacy is under assault. We work to protect our personal privacy in the District in a range of settings.
“We all have different roles to play, and it’s okay to be a beginner. Step one is to connect with the people who have already been doing the work locally. Then, consider what you can offer to a movement, with joy and commitment.”
Veronica Mosqueda, Campaign Organizer
OUR STAFF
Monica Hopkins
Executive Director
Natacia Knapper
Managing Organizer
Michael Perloff
Staff Attorney
Arthur B. Spitzer
Senior Counsel
Brianna Tichy
Development Officer
Ahoefa Ananouko
Policy Associate
Scott Michelman
Legal Director
Loren Rahming-Curtis
Operations Associate
Elaine Stamp
Paralegal
Stacia Wallis
Executive Assistant
KT Beckman-Gotrich
Community Engagement Associate
Nassim Moshiree
Policy Director
Brigid Slipka
Director of Philanthropy
Amber Taylor
Strategic Communications Director
Nathan Warner
Deputy Director of Operations
Jada Collins
Intake Specialist
Tara Patel
Dunn Fellow
Yvonne Slosarski
Senior Communications Strategist
Thema Thomas
Digital Communications Strategist
Melissa Wasser
Policy Counsel
OUR BOARD