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15	<title>ACLU Back-To-School Bookshelf 2026: Artists, Authors, and Creators Share Their Favorite Reads About Civil Liberties | American Civil Liberties Union</title>
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167				  ACLU Back-To-School Bookshelf 2026: Artists, Authors, and Creators Share Their Favorite Reads About Civil Liberties				</span>
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187                            In our series, the ACLU has teamed up with artists, authors, Hachette Book Group, and content creators to share books that have helped them better understand civil liberties and civil rights, fight for our communities and our Constitution, and increase engagement in creating a more perfect union.        </div>
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195            <a class="hp__author_link font-bold author__name is-inline" href="https://www.aclu.org/bios/hibah-ansari">Hibah Ansari</a>,<br class="is-hidden-touch is-hidden-print">
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197        <span class="author__organization">ACLU</span></div>
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205            url="https://www.aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/aclu-back-to-school-bookshelf-2026-our-reading-list-to-build-a-more-perfect-union"
206            text="ACLU Back-To-School Bookshelf 2026: Artists, Authors, and Creators Share Their Favorite Reads About Civil Liberties"
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211
212<span class="text-[13px]">September 16, 2026</span>
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216							
217        <div class="article-desc__fullbleed is-hidden-touch mt-none mb-8 pb-8 text-[21px]">
218                            In our series, the ACLU has teamed up with artists, authors, Hachette Book Group, and content creators to share books that have helped them better understand civil liberties and civil rights, fight for our communities and our Constitution, and increase engagement in creating a more perfect union.        </div>
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225    <p>As the new school year begins, the ACLU has teamed up with your favorite authors and influencers to curate a list of books that do more than inform; they challenge us to build a more equitable future.</p>
226<p>Since 2021, thousands of book titles have been challenged or removed from school libraries, often targeting BIPOC authors, LGBTQ+ creators, and other marginalized voices. These efforts to ban books and restrict discussions — especially on race, gender, sexuality, and systemic injustice — are both unlawful and a serious threat to our freedom to learn.</p>
227<p>The ACLU and our partners are fighting back. We’re challenging censorship in <a href="https://www.aclu.org/news/free-speech/the-trump-administration-is-banning-books-on-military-bases-we-sued">military schools</a> and in classrooms across the country. Artists, authors, and content creators have joined us in this fight by sharing their favorite reads about civil liberties, civil rights, and some of the most pressing issues of today. A number of the recommendations below have been banned or challenged in schools across the country.</p>
228<p>Our series, “ACLU Bookshelf,” lets you join our fight and pick up the texts, novels, nonfiction stories, essays and more that help us form a more perfect union — one page at a time.</p>
229</div>
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238                        <img width="1110" height="740" src="https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/this-57-bus-image.jpg" class="is-block" alt="The book cover of Dashka Slater&#039;s The 57 Bus (A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives.)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/this-57-bus-image.jpg 1110w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/this-57-bus-image-768x512.jpg 768w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/this-57-bus-image-400x267.jpg 400w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/this-57-bus-image-600x400.jpg 600w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/this-57-bus-image-800x533.jpg 800w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/this-57-bus-image-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100v
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239                    <div class="expandable_card__text column is-5 p-6 px-6-touch py-12-tablet py-10-mobile">
240                        <h2 class="has-font-family-compressed pb-6 text-[36px] max-lg:text-[36px]">Alyssa Milano: “The 57 Bus” by Dashka Slater </h2>
241                        <div class="has-text-off-black pb-6 text-sm lg:text-sm"><p>In this true story, award-winning journalist Dashka Slater writes about two teenagers from Oakland, California who ride the bus together: Sasha, a white, middle-class teen who goes to a small private school and Richard, a Black teen who goes to public school.</p>
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253                            <div class="hp__expandable_card_content content has-text-off-black"><p>One afternoon, a single reckless act leaves Sasha severely burned. Richard then receives charges for two hate crimes and faces life imprisonment. In “The 57 Bus,” Slater writes about what happened in a complex case that gained international attention.</p>
254<p><b>In Alyssa’s Words:</b> “The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater begins with one terrible act and refuses to give us the comfort of a simple villain. In telling the true story of two teenagers whose lives collide across lines of race, class, gender identity, and privilege, Slater asks us to consider what justice looks like when punishment alone cannot repair the harm. It’s the kind of book young people deserve: honest about the world they are inheriting and brave enough to trust them with its complexity.”</p>
255<p><b>Vibe:</b> Thought-provoking, heart-wrenching, and balanced.</p>
256</div>
257                                                    </div>
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266                    <div class="hp__expandable_card_content has-text-off-black content column p-none "><p>One afternoon, a single reckless act leaves Sasha severely burned. Richard then receives charges for two hate crimes and faces life imprisonment. In “The 57 Bus,” Slater writes about what happened in a complex case that gained international attention.</p>
267<p><b>In Alyssa’s Words:</b> “The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater begins with one terrible act and refuses to give us the comfort of a simple villain. In telling the true story of two teenagers whose lives collide across lines of race, class, gender identity, and privilege, Slater asks us to consider what justice looks like when punishment alone cannot repair the harm. It’s the kind of book young people deserve: honest about the world they are inheriting and brave enough to trust them with its complexity.”</p>
268<p><b>Vibe:</b> Thought-provoking, heart-wrenching, and balanced.</p>
269</div>
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274
275
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281                        <img width="1110" height="740" src="https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/ghost-boys-blog.jpg" class="is-block" alt="The book cover of Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes." decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/ghost-boys-blog.jpg 1110w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/ghost-boys-blog-768x512.jpg 768w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/ghost-boys-blog-400x267.jpg 400w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/ghost-boys-blog-600x400.jpg 600w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/ghost-boys-blog-800x533.jpg 800w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/ghost-boys-blog-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100v
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282                    <div class="expandable_card__text column is-5 p-6 px-6-touch py-12-tablet py-10-mobile">
283                        <h2 class="has-font-family-compressed pb-6 text-[36px] max-lg:text-[36px]">Jason Reynolds: “Ghost Boys” by Jewell Parker Rhodes </h2>
284                        <div class="has-text-off-black pb-6 text-sm lg:text-sm"><p>“Ghost Boys” is about Jerome, a 12-year-old Black boy in Chicago, who is shot and killed by a white police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real one.</p>
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296                            <div class="hp__expandable_card_content content has-text-off-black"><p>After his death, Jerome remains on Earth as a ghost and encounters other the ghosts of Black children unjustly killed across American history — including Emmett Till, the young boy who was lynched in 1955. The book has faced temporary bans and challenges in multiple school districts.</p>
297<p><b>In Jason’s Words:</b> “It’s one of my favorite books ever. It’s about a young boy named Jerome who is unfortunately killed by a cop, because he has a toy gun and the cop thinks it’s a real gun. And he’s killed in Chicago. And then, there’s this connection from that moment to the historic moment of Emmett Till’s death where this young man in the afterlife gets to then talk to Emmett Till. And it’s mind-boggling to even consider that. And then his spirit, the same deceased young man, gets to talk to the cop’s daughter. She can see him, she can see his ghost. And they have a relationship and are talking about the father’s actions, the police officer’s actions. It’s a brilliant complex take on some of the really unfortunate social injustices that happened.”</p>
298<p><b>Vibe: </b>Heartbreaking and somber, with a metaphysical angle.</p>
299</div>
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309                    <div class="hp__expandable_card_content has-text-off-black content column p-none "><p>After his death, Jerome remains on Earth as a ghost and encounters other the ghosts of Black children unjustly killed across American history — including Emmett Till, the young boy who was lynched in 1955. The book has faced temporary bans and challenges in multiple school districts.</p>
310<p><b>In Jason’s Words:</b> “It’s one of my favorite books ever. It’s about a young boy named Jerome who is unfortunately killed by a cop, because he has a toy gun and the cop thinks it’s a real gun. And he’s killed in Chicago. And then, there’s this connection from that moment to the historic moment of Emmett Till’s death where this young man in the afterlife gets to then talk to Emmett Till. And it’s mind-boggling to even consider that. And then his spirit, the same deceased young man, gets to talk to the cop’s daughter. She can see him, she can see his ghost. And they have a relationship and are talking about the father’s actions, the police officer’s actions. It’s a brilliant complex take on some of the really unfortunate social injustices that happened.”</p>
311<p><b>Vibe: </b>Heartbreaking and somber, with a metaphysical angle.</p>
312</div>
313                                    </div>
314            </div>
315        </showmore>
316    </div>
317
318
319<div class="py-12">
320            <showmore v-slot="{ toggleVisibleContent, showFullContent }">
321            <div class="expandable_card sizing--two-thirds ">
322                <div class="columns m-none reverse-row-order">
323                    <div class="expandable_card__image column p-none">
324                        <img width="1110" height="740" src="https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-best-at-it-image.jpg" class="is-block" alt="The book cover of Maulik Pancholy&#039;s The Best at It." decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-best-at-it-image.jpg 1110w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-best-at-it-image-768x512.jpg 768w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-best-at-it-image-400x267.jpg 400w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-best-at-it-image-600x400.jpg 600w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-best-at-it-image-800x533.jpg 800w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-best-at-it-image-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100v
324w, 1110px" />                    </div>
325                    <div class="expandable_card__text column is-5 p-6 px-6-touch py-12-tablet py-10-mobile">
326                        <h2 class="has-font-family-compressed pb-6 text-[36px] max-lg:text-[36px]">Maulik Pancholy: “The Best at It” by Maulik Pancholy </h2>
327                        <div class="has-text-off-black pb-6 text-sm lg:text-sm"><p>Rahul Kapoor is a 12-year-old Indian American boy who is just beginning to realize that he might be gay. He starts to doubt his self-worth, so he sets off on a mission to prove that he is the best at something.</p>
328</div>
329                        <button
330                            class="hp__expandable_card_view_more expandable_card__button is-light has-text-link"
331                            :aria-expanded="`${showFullContent}`"
332                            aria-controls="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d20"
333                            @click="toggleVisibleContent"
334                        >
335                            <span v-if="!showFullContent">View more<span class="icon caret is-blue-5 down"></span></span>
336                            <span v-else>View less<span class="icon caret is-blue-5 up"></span></span>
337                        </button>
338                        <div v-show="showFullContent" id="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d20_touch" role="region" class="is-hidden-desktop is-hidden-tablet py-8">
339                            <div class="hp__expandable_card_content content has-text-off-black"><p>“The Best at It” explores themes of sexuality, cultural identity, and mental health. The children’s book has also been challenged or banned from classrooms in multiple states.</p>
340<p><b>In Maulik’s Words:</b> “I recommend it because it is full of heart, it’s very funny, and it’s about discovering that it is okay to be exactly who you are.”</p>
341<p><b>Vibe: </b>For young readers looking for a coming-of-age story that’s funny yet heartfelt.</p>
342</div>
343                                                    </div>
344                    </div>
345                </div>
346                <div
347                    v-show="showFullContent"
348                    id="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d20_desktop"
349                    role="region"
350                    class="is-hidden-mobile column is-full expandable_card__text text-md py-12 px-6"
351                >
352                    <div class="hp__expandable_card_content has-text-off-black content column p-none "><p>“The Best at It” explores themes of sexuality, cultural identity, and mental health. The children’s book has also been challenged or banned from classrooms in multiple states.</p>
353<p><b>In Maulik’s Words:</b> “I recommend it because it is full of heart, it’s very funny, and it’s about discovering that it is okay to be exactly who you are.”</p>
354<p><b>Vibe: </b>For young readers looking for a coming-of-age story that’s funny yet heartfelt.</p>
355</div>
356                                    </div>
357            </div>
358        </showmore>
359    </div>
360
361
362<div class="py-12">
363            <showmore v-slot="{ toggleVisibleContent, showFullContent }">
364            <div class="expandable_card sizing--two-thirds ">
365                <div class="columns m-none reverse-row-order">
366                    <div class="expandable_card__image column p-none">
367                        <img width="1110" height="740" src="https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-lilac-people-image.jpg" class="is-block" alt="The book cover of Milo Todd&#039;s The Lilac People." decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-lilac-people-image.jpg 1110w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-lilac-people-image-768x512.jpg 768w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-lilac-people-image-400x267.jpg 400w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-lilac-people-image-600x400.jpg 600w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-lilac-people-image-800x533.jpg 800w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-lilac-people-image-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100v
367w, 1110px" />                    </div>
368                    <div class="expandable_card__text column is-5 p-6 px-6-touch py-12-tablet py-10-mobile">
369                        <h2 class="has-font-family-compressed pb-6 text-[36px] max-lg:text-[36px]">Damian Terriquez: “The Lilac People” by Milo Todd </h2>
370                        <div class="has-text-off-black pb-6 text-sm lg:text-sm"><p>In “The Lilac People,” Milo Todd writes about Bertie, a trans man who works to improve queer rights in 1932 Germany and beyond.</p>
371</div>
372                        <button
373                            class="hp__expandable_card_view_more expandable_card__button is-light has-text-link"
374                            :aria-expanded="`${showFullContent}`"
375                            aria-controls="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d21"
376                            @click="toggleVisibleContent"
377                        >
378                            <span v-if="!showFullContent">View more<span class="icon caret is-blue-5 down"></span></span>
379                            <span v-else>View less<span class="icon caret is-blue-5 up"></span></span>
380                        </button>
381                        <div v-show="showFullContent" id="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d21_touch" role="region" class="is-hidden-desktop is-hidden-tablet py-8">
382                            <div class="hp__expandable_card_content content has-text-off-black"><p>He lives in the thriving queer community of Berlin. But everything changes when Hitler rises to power. Bertie’s workplace, the Institute of Sexual Science, is raided. The Eldorado Club, the hub for Berlin’s queer community, is closed. As queer people are rounded up, Bertie escapes with his girlfriend. What follows is life in isolation during the war, the continued persecution of queer people after the war, and Bertie’s eventual journey to the United States.</p>
383<p><b>In Damian’s Words: </b>“‘The Lilac People’ by Milo Todd is a powerful reminder that queer and trans people have always been here — and have always had to fight for the right to exist safely and openly. This book reminds us that our community has survived persecution, erasure, and attempts to rewrite our history before, and it reminds us that we are not walking this path alone.”</p>
384<p><b>Vibe:</b> Melancholic with interwoven moments of queer joy. For fans of “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr.</p>
385</div>
386                                                    </div>
387                    </div>
388                </div>
389                <div
390                    v-show="showFullContent"
391                    id="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d21_desktop"
392                    role="region"
393                    class="is-hidden-mobile column is-full expandable_card__text text-md py-12 px-6"
394                >
395                    <div class="hp__expandable_card_content has-text-off-black content column p-none "><p>He lives in the thriving queer community of Berlin. But everything changes when Hitler rises to power. Bertie’s workplace, the Institute of Sexual Science, is raided. The Eldorado Club, the hub for Berlin’s queer community, is closed. As queer people are rounded up, Bertie escapes with his girlfriend. What follows is life in isolation during the war, the continued persecution of queer people after the war, and Bertie’s eventual journey to the United States.</p>
396<p><b>In Damian’s Words: </b>“‘The Lilac People’ by Milo Todd is a powerful reminder that queer and trans people have always been here — and have always had to fight for the right to exist safely and openly. This book reminds us that our community has survived persecution, erasure, and attempts to rewrite our history before, and it reminds us that we are not walking this path alone.”</p>
397<p><b>Vibe:</b> Melancholic with interwoven moments of queer joy. For fans of “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr.</p>
398</div>
399                                    </div>
400            </div>
401        </showmore>
402    </div>
403
404
405<div class="py-12">
406            <showmore v-slot="{ toggleVisibleContent, showFullContent }">
407            <div class="expandable_card sizing--two-thirds ">
408                <div class="columns m-none reverse-row-order">
409                    <div class="expandable_card__image column p-none">
410                        <img width="1000" height="1000" src="https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-art-of-saving-democracy-square-2.jpg" class="is-block" alt="The book cover of Na Eng&#039;s The Art of Saving Democracy." decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-art-of-saving-democracy-square-2.jpg 1000w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-art-of-saving-democracy-square-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-art-of-saving-democracy-square-2-768x768.jpg 768w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-art-of-saving-democracy-square-2-400x400.jpg 400w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-art-of-saving-democracy-square-2-600x600.jpg 600w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-art-of-saving-democracy-square-2-800x800.jpg 800w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-art-of-saving-democracy-square-2-300x300.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100v
410w, 1000px" />                    </div>
411                    <div class="expandable_card__text column is-5 p-6 px-6-touch py-12-tablet py-10-mobile">
412                        <h2 class="has-font-family-compressed pb-6 text-[36px] max-lg:text-[36px]">Na Eng: “The Art of Saving Democracy: An Action Kit for Making Change” by Na Eng </h2>
413                        <div class="has-text-off-black pb-6 text-sm lg:text-sm"><p>In this toolkit, advocacy organization People For the American Way share their wisdom and empower all of us to actively participate in our democracy.</p>
414</div>
415                        <button
416                            class="hp__expandable_card_view_more expandable_card__button is-light has-text-link"
417                            :aria-expanded="`${showFullContent}`"
418                            aria-controls="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d23"
419                            @click="toggleVisibleContent"
420                        >
421                            <span v-if="!showFullContent">View more<span class="icon caret is-blue-5 down"></span></span>
422                            <span v-else>View less<span class="icon caret is-blue-5 up"></span></span>
423                        </button>
424                        <div v-show="showFullContent" id="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d23_touch" role="region" class="is-hidden-desktop is-hidden-tablet py-8">
425                            <div class="hp__expandable_card_content content has-text-off-black"><p>The Art of Saving Democracy features the work of 20 renowned American artists, such as Roy Lichtenstein, Shepard Fairey, Carrie Mae Weems, Vincent Valdez, and Deborah Kass. Whether you’re taking to the streets or taking up a pen, The Art of Saving Democracy can help you be more effective when you express yourself, champion our shared rights and freedoms, and resist hate and authoritarianism.</p>
426<p><b>In Na’s Words: </b>“While social media feeds and news alerts barrage us with a relentless series of crises, ‘The Art of Saving Democracy’ offers welcome relief and a strong bias toward action. Beautifully presented, the kit is full of hope, inspiration, and practical advice on how to rally for a more just America.”</p>
427<p><b>Vibe: </b>Interactive yet accessible. For readers looking for ways to take action.</p>
428</div>
429                                                    </div>
430                    </div>
431                </div>
432                <div
433                    v-show="showFullContent"
434                    id="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d23_desktop"
435                    role="region"
436                    class="is-hidden-mobile column is-full expandable_card__text text-md py-12 px-6"
437                >
438                    <div class="hp__expandable_card_content has-text-off-black content column p-none "><p>The Art of Saving Democracy features the work of 20 renowned American artists, such as Roy Lichtenstein, Shepard Fairey, Carrie Mae Weems, Vincent Valdez, and Deborah Kass. Whether you’re taking to the streets or taking up a pen, The Art of Saving Democracy can help you be more effective when you express yourself, champion our shared rights and freedoms, and resist hate and authoritarianism.</p>
439<p><b>In Na’s Words: </b>“While social media feeds and news alerts barrage us with a relentless series of crises, ‘The Art of Saving Democracy’ offers welcome relief and a strong bias toward action. Beautifully presented, the kit is full of hope, inspiration, and practical advice on how to rally for a more just America.”</p>
440<p><b>Vibe: </b>Interactive yet accessible. For readers looking for ways to take action.</p>
441</div>
442                                    </div>
443            </div>
444        </showmore>
445    </div>
446
447
448<div class="py-12">
449            <showmore v-slot="{ toggleVisibleContent, showFullContent }">
450            <div class="expandable_card sizing--two-thirds ">
451                <div class="columns m-none reverse-row-order">
452                    <div class="expandable_card__image column p-none">
453                        <img width="1110" height="740" src="https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/black-freedom-images.jpg" class="is-block" alt="The book cover of Black Freedom: A Visual History of Juneteenth and Emancipation Days by Blair LM Kelley." decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/black-freedom-images.jpg 1110w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/black-freedom-images-768x512.jpg 768w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/black-freedom-images-400x267.jpg 400w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/black-freedom-images-600x400.jpg 600w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/black-freedom-images-800x533.jpg 800w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/black-freedom-images-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100v
453w, 1110px" />                    </div>
454                    <div class="expandable_card__text column is-5 p-6 px-6-touch py-12-tablet py-10-mobile">
455                        <h2 class="has-font-family-compressed pb-6 text-[36px] max-lg:text-[36px]">Blair Kelley: “Black Freedom” by Blair Kelley </h2>
456                        <div class="has-text-off-black pb-6 text-sm lg:text-sm"><p>“Black Freedom” is the first fully illustrated history of Juneteenth and other Emancipation Day celebrations created by an award-winning historian.</p>
457</div>
458                        <button
459                            class="hp__expandable_card_view_more expandable_card__button is-light has-text-link"
460                            :aria-expanded="`${showFullContent}`"
461                            aria-controls="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d25"
462                            @click="toggleVisibleContent"
463                        >
464                            <span v-if="!showFullContent">View more<span class="icon caret is-blue-5 down"></span></span>
465                            <span v-else>View less<span class="icon caret is-blue-5 up"></span></span>
466                        </button>
467                        <div v-show="showFullContent" id="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d25_touch" role="region" class="is-hidden-desktop is-hidden-tablet py-8">
468                            <div class="hp__expandable_card_content content has-text-off-black"><p>For more than 150 years, Black communities have gathered on Juneteenth to honor the ongoing struggle for liberation. The holiday has since become more widely observed across the United States. The book brings together essays, photographs, and art to show how Black people have created and sustained Juneteenth traditions as rituals of remembrance.</p>
469<p><b>In Blair’s Words: </b>“I’d recommend ‘Black Freedom’ because it explores a history that feels particularly urgent right now. At a moment when the honest explorations of Black history are under attack in our museums and in our schools, I wanted to do more to remind the nation how generations of Black people claimed their freedom and then continued to celebrate their history. Their vision of emancipation pushed the nation to live up to its promises. That history feels essential to understanding what we have survived and what is at stake now.”</p>
470<p><b>Vibe: </b>For readers interested in a deep dive through the archives.</p>
471</div>
472                                                    </div>
473                    </div>
474                </div>
475                <div
476                    v-show="showFullContent"
477                    id="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d25_desktop"
478                    role="region"
479                    class="is-hidden-mobile column is-full expandable_card__text text-md py-12 px-6"
480                >
481                    <div class="hp__expandable_card_content has-text-off-black content column p-none "><p>For more than 150 years, Black communities have gathered on Juneteenth to honor the ongoing struggle for liberation. The holiday has since become more widely observed across the United States. The book brings together essays, photographs, and art to show how Black people have created and sustained Juneteenth traditions as rituals of remembrance.</p>
482<p><b>In Blair’s Words: </b>“I’d recommend ‘Black Freedom’ because it explores a history that feels particularly urgent right now. At a moment when the honest explorations of Black history are under attack in our museums and in our schools, I wanted to do more to remind the nation how generations of Black people claimed their freedom and then continued to celebrate their history. Their vision of emancipation pushed the nation to live up to its promises. That history feels essential to understanding what we have survived and what is at stake now.”</p>
483<p><b>Vibe: </b>For readers interested in a deep dive through the archives.</p>
484</div>
485                                    </div>
486            </div>
487        </showmore>
488    </div>
489
490
491<div class="py-12">
492            <showmore v-slot="{ toggleVisibleContent, showFullContent }">
493            <div class="expandable_card sizing--two-thirds ">
494                <div class="columns m-none reverse-row-order">
495                    <div class="expandable_card__image column p-none">
496                        <img width="1110" height="740" src="https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-house-of-spirits-image.jpg" class="is-block" alt="The book cover of Isabel Allende&#039;s The House of Spirits." decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-house-of-spirits-image.jpg 1110w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-house-of-spirits-image-768x512.jpg 768w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-house-of-spirits-image-400x267.jpg 400w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-house-of-spirits-image-600x400.jpg 600w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-house-of-spirits-image-800x533.jpg 800w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/the-house-of-spirits-image-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100v
496w, 1110px" />                    </div>
497                    <div class="expandable_card__text column is-5 p-6 px-6-touch py-12-tablet py-10-mobile">
498                        <h2 class="has-font-family-compressed pb-6 text-[36px] max-lg:text-[36px]">Nhora Lucía Serrano: “The House of the Spirits (La Casa De Los Espíritus)” by Isabel Allende </h2>
499                        <div class="has-text-off-black pb-6 text-sm lg:text-sm"><p>In one of the most important Latin American works of the 20th century, Isabel Allende writes about multiple generations of the Trueba family in Chile.</p>
500</div>
501                        <button
502                            class="hp__expandable_card_view_more expandable_card__button is-light has-text-link"
503                            :aria-expanded="`${showFullContent}`"
504                            aria-controls="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d26"
505                            @click="toggleVisibleContent"
506                        >
507                            <span v-if="!showFullContent">View more<span class="icon caret is-blue-5 down"></span></span>
508                            <span v-else>View less<span class="icon caret is-blue-5 up"></span></span>
509                        </button>
510                        <div v-show="showFullContent" id="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d26_touch" role="region" class="is-hidden-desktop is-hidden-tablet py-8">
511                            <div class="hp__expandable_card_content content has-text-off-black"><p>It explores the impact of political power, social inequality, and authoritarianism on their lives. “The House of the Spirits” translated from “La Casa De Los Espíritus” is an epic family saga blending magical realism with historical turmoil. The book has faced numerous challenges in local school districts across the country and the world.</p>
512<p><b>In Nhora’s Words: </b>“Through the intertwined stories of Clara, Blanca, and Alba, Allende centers women’s voices and their remarkable acts of resistance, showing how memory, storytelling, and solidarity can become forms of survival and defiance. Originally banned in Chile under General Augusto Pinochet and later challenged in U.S. schools, The House of the Spirits reminds us why the freedom to read — and the freedom to tell difficult stories — matters.”</p>
513<p><b>Vibe: </b>For fans of magical realism and the supernatural.</p>
514</div>
515                                                    </div>
516                    </div>
517                </div>
518                <div
519                    v-show="showFullContent"
520                    id="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d26_desktop"
521                    role="region"
522                    class="is-hidden-mobile column is-full expandable_card__text text-md py-12 px-6"
523                >
524                    <div class="hp__expandable_card_content has-text-off-black content column p-none "><p>It explores the impact of political power, social inequality, and authoritarianism on their lives. “The House of the Spirits” translated from “La Casa De Los Espíritus” is an epic family saga blending magical realism with historical turmoil. The book has faced numerous challenges in local school districts across the country and the world.</p>
525<p><b>In Nhora’s Words: </b>“Through the intertwined stories of Clara, Blanca, and Alba, Allende centers women’s voices and their remarkable acts of resistance, showing how memory, storytelling, and solidarity can become forms of survival and defiance. Originally banned in Chile under General Augusto Pinochet and later challenged in U.S. schools, The House of the Spirits reminds us why the freedom to read — and the freedom to tell difficult stories — matters.”</p>
526<p><b>Vibe: </b>For fans of magical realism and the supernatural.</p>
527</div>
528                                    </div>
529            </div>
530        </showmore>
531    </div>
532
533
534<div class="py-12">
535            <showmore v-slot="{ toggleVisibleContent, showFullContent }">
536            <div class="expandable_card sizing--two-thirds ">
537                <div class="columns m-none reverse-row-order">
538                    <div class="expandable_card__image column p-none">
539                        <img width="1110" height="740" src="https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/march-image.jpg" class="is-block" alt="The book cover of John Lewis and Andrew Aydin&#039;s March Book One." decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/march-image.jpg 1110w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/march-image-768x512.jpg 768w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/march-image-400x267.jpg 400w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/march-image-600x400.jpg 600w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/march-image-800x533.jpg 800w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/march-image-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100v
539w, 1110px" />                    </div>
540                    <div class="expandable_card__text column is-5 p-6 px-6-touch py-12-tablet py-10-mobile">
541                        <h2 class="has-font-family-compressed pb-6 text-[36px] max-lg:text-[36px]">Susan Kirtley: “March” by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell</h2>
542                        <div class="has-text-off-black pb-6 text-sm lg:text-sm"><p>“March” is a trilogy of nonfiction graphic novels that portrays the civil rights movement through the perspective of legendary civil rights icon and member of Congress John Lewis.</p>
543</div>
544                        <button
545                            class="hp__expandable_card_view_more expandable_card__button is-light has-text-link"
546                            :aria-expanded="`${showFullContent}`"
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549                        >
550                            <span v-if="!showFullContent">View more<span class="icon caret is-blue-5 down"></span></span>
551                            <span v-else>View less<span class="icon caret is-blue-5 up"></span></span>
552                        </button>
553                        <div v-show="showFullContent" id="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d28_touch" role="region" class="is-hidden-desktop is-hidden-tablet py-8">
554                            <div class="hp__expandable_card_content content has-text-off-black"><p>It starts with Lewis’s childhood living on a family farm in Alabama and continues through the Bloody Sunday march in 1965. The graphic novels even portray key moments in more recent history, such as Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration in 2009. The trilogy has been challenged or banned in some school districts, and has even been banned from some prisons and jails.</p>
555<p><b>In Susan’s Words: </b> “Powell’s compelling, black-and-white art pairs perfectly with the recollections of Lewis to create an unforgettable text, inviting readers to enter into the legacy of ‘good trouble’ that changed the United States for the better.”</p>
556<p><b>Vibe: </b>Grounded and honest. For fans of graphic novels.</p>
557</div>
558                                                    </div>
559                    </div>
560                </div>
561                <div
562                    v-show="showFullContent"
563                    id="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d28_desktop"
564                    role="region"
565                    class="is-hidden-mobile column is-full expandable_card__text text-md py-12 px-6"
566                >
567                    <div class="hp__expandable_card_content has-text-off-black content column p-none "><p>It starts with Lewis’s childhood living on a family farm in Alabama and continues through the Bloody Sunday march in 1965. The graphic novels even portray key moments in more recent history, such as Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration in 2009. The trilogy has been challenged or banned in some school districts, and has even been banned from some prisons and jails.</p>
568<p><b>In Susan’s Words: </b> “Powell’s compelling, black-and-white art pairs perfectly with the recollections of Lewis to create an unforgettable text, inviting readers to enter into the legacy of ‘good trouble’ that changed the United States for the better.”</p>
569<p><b>Vibe: </b>Grounded and honest. For fans of graphic novels.</p>
570</div>
571                                    </div>
572            </div>
573        </showmore>
574    </div>
575
576
577<div class="py-12">
578            <showmore v-slot="{ toggleVisibleContent, showFullContent }">
579            <div class="expandable_card sizing--two-thirds ">
580                <div class="columns m-none reverse-row-order">
581                    <div class="expandable_card__image column p-none">
582                        <img width="1110" height="740" src="https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/a-knock-at-midnight.jpg" class="is-block" alt="The Book cover for Brittany K. Barnett&#039;s A knock at Midnight." decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/a-knock-at-midnight.jpg 1110w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/a-knock-at-midnight-768x512.jpg 768w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/a-knock-at-midnight-400x267.jpg 400w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/a-knock-at-midnight-600x400.jpg 600w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/a-knock-at-midnight-800x533.jpg 800w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/a-knock-at-midnight-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100v
582w, 1110px" />                    </div>
583                    <div class="expandable_card__text column is-5 p-6 px-6-touch py-12-tablet py-10-mobile">
584                        <h2 class="has-font-family-compressed pb-6 text-[36px] max-lg:text-[36px]">Chris Young: “A Knock at Midnight:  A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom” by Brittany K. Barnett </h2>
585                        <div class="has-text-off-black pb-6 text-sm lg:text-sm"><p>Written from the perspective of a lawyer, “A Knock at Midnight” follows the case of Sharanda Jones, single mother, business owner, and a Black woman in the rural South, who was serving a life sentence without parole for a first-time drug offense.</p>
586</div>
587                        <button
588                            class="hp__expandable_card_view_more expandable_card__button is-light has-text-link"
589                            :aria-expanded="`${showFullContent}`"
590                            aria-controls="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d2a"
591                            @click="toggleVisibleContent"
592                        >
593                            <span v-if="!showFullContent">View more<span class="icon caret is-blue-5 down"></span></span>
594                            <span v-else>View less<span class="icon caret is-blue-5 up"></span></span>
595                        </button>
596                        <div v-show="showFullContent" id="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d2a_touch" role="region" class="is-hidden-desktop is-hidden-tablet py-8">
597                            <div class="hp__expandable_card_content content has-text-off-black"><p>While working in corporate law during the day, Brittany K. Barnett became moved by Jones's story and worked to help gain her freedom. This book follows a harrowing course through the criminal justice system. This book is both Barnett’s memoir, coming-of-age story, and a powerful account of bringing justice to those impacted by America’s legal system.</p>
598<p><b>In Chris’s Words:</b> “‘A Knock at Midnight’ is more than a book about injustice — it is about the human cost of laws that sends people to prison for decades, and sometimes for life, for drug offenses. Brittany K. Barnett takes us inside the lives of people buried beneath America’s federal drug laws, and inside her own work to bring them home despite being a corporate attorney by trade, showing what love, courage, and refusing to give up can make possible. I recommend this book because it reminds us that civil liberties are promises that only mean something if they belong to everyone.”</p>
599<p><b>Vibe: </b>For fans of “The New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander looking to dive deeper into the stories of people impacted by the American justice system.</p>
600</div>
601                                                    </div>
602                    </div>
603                </div>
604                <div
605                    v-show="showFullContent"
606                    id="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d2a_desktop"
607                    role="region"
608                    class="is-hidden-mobile column is-full expandable_card__text text-md py-12 px-6"
609                >
610                    <div class="hp__expandable_card_content has-text-off-black content column p-none "><p>While working in corporate law during the day, Brittany K. Barnett became moved by Jones's story and worked to help gain her freedom. This book follows a harrowing course through the criminal justice system. This book is both Barnett’s memoir, coming-of-age story, and a powerful account of bringing justice to those impacted by America’s legal system.</p>
611<p><b>In Chris’s Words:</b> “‘A Knock at Midnight’ is more than a book about injustice — it is about the human cost of laws that sends people to prison for decades, and sometimes for life, for drug offenses. Brittany K. Barnett takes us inside the lives of people buried beneath America’s federal drug laws, and inside her own work to bring them home despite being a corporate attorney by trade, showing what love, courage, and refusing to give up can make possible. I recommend this book because it reminds us that civil liberties are promises that only mean something if they belong to everyone.”</p>
612<p><b>Vibe: </b>For fans of “The New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander looking to dive deeper into the stories of people impacted by the American justice system.</p>
613</div>
614                                    </div>
615            </div>
616        </showmore>
617    </div>
618
619
620<div class="py-12">
621            <showmore v-slot="{ toggleVisibleContent, showFullContent }">
622            <div class="expandable_card sizing--two-thirds ">
623                <div class="columns m-none reverse-row-order">
624                    <div class="expandable_card__image column p-none">
625                        <img width="1000" height="1000" src="https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/i-am-an-american-square-2.jpg" class="is-block" alt="The book cover of Martha Brockenbrough, Grace Lin, Julia Kuo&#039;s &quot;I Am an American: The Wong Kim Ark Story.&quot;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/i-am-an-american-square-2.jpg 1000w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/i-am-an-american-square-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/i-am-an-american-square-2-768x768.jpg 768w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/i-am-an-american-square-2-400x400.jpg 400w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/i-am-an-american-square-2-600x600.jpg 600w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/i-am-an-american-square-2-800x800.jpg 800w, https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/i-am-an-american-square-2-300x300.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100v
625w, 1000px" />                    </div>
626                    <div class="expandable_card__text column is-5 p-6 px-6-touch py-12-tablet py-10-mobile">
627                        <h2 class="has-font-family-compressed pb-6 text-[36px] max-lg:text-[36px]">Grace Lin: “I Am an American: The Wong Kim Ark Story” by Martha Brockenbrough, Grace Lin, Julia Kuo (Illustrator) </h2>
628                        <div class="has-text-off-black pb-6 text-sm lg:text-sm"><p>This picture book tells the true historical story of Wong Kim Ark, who fought the U.S. government to prove his birthright citizenship — and won.</p>
629</div>
630                        <button
631                            class="hp__expandable_card_view_more expandable_card__button is-light has-text-link"
632                            :aria-expanded="`${showFullContent}`"
633                            aria-controls="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d2c"
634                            @click="toggleVisibleContent"
635                        >
636                            <span v-if="!showFullContent">View more<span class="icon caret is-blue-5 down"></span></span>
637                            <span v-else>View less<span class="icon caret is-blue-5 up"></span></span>
638                        </button>
639                        <div v-show="showFullContent" id="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d2c_touch" role="region" class="is-hidden-desktop is-hidden-tablet py-8">
640                            <div class="hp__expandable_card_content content has-text-off-black"><p>His fight against the Supreme Court affirmed access to birthright citizenship for children who were born on U.S. soil. His fight remains relevant today as the ACLU recently challenged President Donald Trump’s executive order attempting to get rid of birthright citizenship. As a result, the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s executive order attacking birthright citizenship in June.</p>
641<p><b>In Grace’s Words:</b> “Almost everyone knows that if you are born in the United States, you are a U.S. citizen, regardless of your parents’ country of origin. But most people don’t know that it almost wasn’t that way. Wong Kim Ark, an American with parents of Chinese origin, had to fight all the way to the Supreme Court to establish birthright citizenship. This book tells this often overlooked but so important piece of history to children (and adults) and shows how Asian Americans are truly a part of American history; but I personally like how it shows how one can make great change simply by standing up for what you know to be true.”</p>
642<p><b>Vibe: </b>For young readers ages 4-8 years old.</p>
643</div>
644                                                    </div>
645                    </div>
646                </div>
647                <div
648                    v-show="showFullContent"
649                    id="expandable_card_text_6ab4296391d2c_desktop"
650                    role="region"
651                    class="is-hidden-mobile column is-full expandable_card__text text-md py-12 px-6"
652                >
653                    <div class="hp__expandable_card_content has-text-off-black content column p-none "><p>His fight against the Supreme Court affirmed access to birthright citizenship for children who were born on U.S. soil. His fight remains relevant today as the ACLU recently challenged President Donald Trump’s executive order attempting to get rid of birthright citizenship. As a result, the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s executive order attacking birthright citizenship in June.</p>
654<p><b>In Grace’s Words:</b> “Almost everyone knows that if you are born in the United States, you are a U.S. citizen, regardless of your parents’ country of origin. But most people don’t know that it almost wasn’t that way. Wong Kim Ark, an American with parents of Chinese origin, had to fight all the way to the Supreme Court to establish birthright citizenship. This book tells this often overlooked but so important piece of history to children (and adults) and shows how Asian Americans are truly a part of American history; but I personally like how it shows how one can make great change simply by standing up for what you know to be true.”</p>
655<p><b>Vibe: </b>For young readers ages 4-8 years old.</p>
656</div>
657                                    </div>
658            </div>
659        </showmore>
660    </div>
661
662							</div>
663						</div>
664					</div>
665				</div>
666			</div>
667
668      							<dynamiccta
669					:cta='{"cta_type":"email_signup"}'
670					:issue='{"name":"Civil Liberties","image_tag":"<img width=\"1110\" height=\"740\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.aclu.org\/live\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ACLU_header.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"ACLU logo and Statue of Liberty torch in blue overlay\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.aclu.org\/live\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ACLU_header.jpg 1110w, https:\/\/assets.aclu.org\/live\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ACLU_header-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/assets.aclu.org\/live\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ACLU_header-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/assets.aclu.org\/live\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ACLU_header-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/assets.aclu.org\/live\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ACLU_header-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/assets.aclu.org\/live\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ACLU_header-1000x667.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" \/>"}'
671					class="hp__dynamic_article_cta"
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673							
674			<!-- Issue Tags Section -->
675			
676    <section class="learn-more__issues container pt-8-mobile pt-12-tablet pb-12-mobile pb-16-tablet">
677        
678<div class="mb-6" >
679            <div class="w-full lg:w-auto grow">
680                            <h2 class="font-aclu-sans-condensed font-bold text-xl md:text-2xl leading-extra-tight dark:text-white">Related Issues</h2>
681                                        <hr class="bg-gray-2 dark:bg-gray-7 h-px mt-4 mb-2 border-0" />
682                    </div>
683
684        
685    </div>        <ul class="related-issues flex flex-wrap gap-4 md:gap-6">
686                            <li>
687				<!--Tag-->
688
689<a
690	href="https://www.aclu.org/issues/civil-liberties"
691	class="tag-atom inline-block rounded-sm no-underline bg-cream dark:bg-gray-8 focus--outline focus:rounded-sm focus:outline-offset-0 dark:focus:outline-blue-1 max-w-full
692">
693	<span class="flex items-center gap-3 px-4 py-3 hover--underline">
694				<span class="label-3 md:label-2 lg:label-1 font-bold text-offblack dark:text-white truncate">
695			Civil Liberties		</span>
696	</span>
697</a>
698                </li>
699                    </ul>
700    </section>
701
702			<!-- Related Content Section -->
703			
704    <section class="learn-more__related-content container pb-24">
705        
706<div class="mb-6" >
707            <div class="w-full lg:w-auto grow">
708                            <h2 class="font-aclu-sans-condensed font-bold text-xl md:text-2xl leading-extra-tight dark:text-white">Related Content</h2>
709                                        <hr class="bg-gray-2 dark:bg-gray-7 h-px mt-4 mb-2 border-0" />
710                    </div>
711
712        
713    </div>        <ul class="columns__related-content columns is-desktop is-multiline">
714                            <li class="column is-one-quarter-desktop pb-0 pb-4-desktop">
715                    
716
717<div class="card card__vertical is-flex is-flex-direction-column blocklink-container is-relative 
718     
719         
720">
721    
722<div class="card__top is-flex is-flex-direction-row is-justify-content-space-between is-align-items-center has-font-family-standard text-[13px] is-mobile px-4 py-3 mb-none mt-none">
723    <div class="card__top__content-type is-flex pt-none pb-none is-flex-direction-row is-justify-content-flex-start is-align-items-center">
724        <div
725            class="mb-1 
726            has-post-icon has-post-icon__gray-6"
727        ></div>
728        <div class="ml-2">
729            News & Commentary                    </div>
730    </div>
731            <div class="card__top__date has-text-right ml-1 pl-none pt-none pb-none pr-none nowrap">
732            Sep 2026        </div>
733    </div>
734    
735<div class="card__image mb-0 mt-0 ">
736            <img src='https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/09/let_the_record_show_full_bleed-600x300.jpg' alt='A photo of Matthew Beat and Shereen Marisol Meraji.' />
737            </div>
738    
739    <div class="card__issues is-flex is-flex-direction-row nowrap overflow-hidden is-relative text-[13px] py-1 px-4 ">
740                    <p>Civil Liberties</p>
741            </div>
742
743    <div class="card__body pb-6 mb-none 
744        top_padding__with_issues_tag        px-4    ">
745        <div class="is-flex is-flex-direction-row is-justify-content-flex-start is-align-items-center">
746            <h3 class="card__title text-xl has-font-family-compressed line-clamp-3">
747                Meet the Hosts: ACLU Launches New Podcast 'Let the Record Show' 
748            </h3>
749                    </div>
750                    <div class="card__description text-sm mt-3 line-clamp-3 print:line-clamp-none">
751            Hosts Shereen Marisol Meraji and Matthew Beat give a glimpse into the ACLU’s new podcast covering some of the most influential court cases in history.            </div>
752                            <div class="mt-3">
753                            <div class="card__metadata is-flex is-flex-direction-row is-justify-content-flex-start text-[13px] mt-1">
754                    <span class="line-clamp-1"><b>By:</b> Hibah Ansari</span>
755                </div>
756                        </div>
757            </div>
758    	
759<a
760    href="https://www.aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/meet-the-hosts-aclu-launches-new-podcast-let-the-record-show"
761    class="blocklink "
762        aria-label="Meet The Hosts: Aclu Launches New Podcast &#039;let The Record Show&#039;. Explore News &amp; Commentary. "
763>
764    <span class="screenreader-only">Meet The Hosts: Aclu Launches New Podcast 'let The Record Show'. Explore News & Commentary. </span>
765</a>
766</div>                </li>
767                            <li class="column is-one-quarter-desktop pb-0 pb-4-desktop">
768                    
769
770<div class="card card__vertical is-flex is-flex-direction-column blocklink-container is-relative 
771     
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774    
775<div class="card__top is-flex is-flex-direction-row is-justify-content-space-between is-align-items-center has-font-family-standard text-[13px] is-mobile px-4 py-3 mb-none mt-none">
776    <div class="card__top__content-type is-flex pt-none pb-none is-flex-direction-row is-justify-content-flex-start is-align-items-center">
777        <div
778            class="mb-1 
779            has-press-release-icon has-press-release-icon__gray-6"
780        ></div>
781        <div class="ml-2">
782            Press Release                    </div>
783    </div>
784            <div class="card__top__date has-text-right ml-1 pl-none pt-none pb-none pr-none nowrap">
785            Sep 2026        </div>
786    </div>
787    
788<div class="card__image mb-0 mt-0 ">
789     <!-- IMAGE FALLBACK -->
790        <img src='https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/img/content-types/fallback-press-release.jpg' alt='ACLU Debuts New American History Podcast Exploring Rights-Defining Legal Cases' />
791    </div>
792    
793    <div class="card__issues is-flex is-flex-direction-row nowrap overflow-hidden is-relative text-[13px] py-1 px-4 ">
794                    <p>Civil Liberties</p>
795            </div>
796
797    <div class="card__body pb-6 mb-none 
798        top_padding__with_issues_tag        px-4    ">
799        <div class="is-flex is-flex-direction-row is-justify-content-flex-start is-align-items-center">
800            <h3 class="card__title text-xl has-font-family-compressed line-clamp-3">
801                ACLU Debuts New American History Podcast Exploring Rights-Defining Legal Cases 
802            </h3>
803                    </div>
804                    <div class="card__description text-sm mt-3 line-clamp-3 print:line-clamp-none">
805            WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union today launched Let the Record Show, a new, irreverent American history podcast that looks back on the people and places behind defining legal moments for rights and freedoms in the United States. At a time when people are overwhelmed by the threats to our civil rights and civil liberties, Let the Record Show invites listeners to explore legal cases that give us insight into what we faced back then and what we’re facing today.
806Let the Record Show is hosted by schoolteacher and YouTube creator Matthew Beat, also known as Mr. Beat, and professor and audio journalist Shereen Marisol Meraji. On every episode, our hosts explore a major court case from U.S. history. Cases that shape how we live our lives today. And it’s more than just the case and its outcome – it’s about the people and places beyond the courtroom, and the nail-biting moments that came to define our country’s complex system of laws.
807“Let the Record Show is about more than just old court cases. It's about the real people behind the scenes, the stories they told, and the rights that we fought for and won along the way. I've told these stories in the classroom and online for 17 years, and I'm pumped to co-host the ACLU's new podcast to breathe new life into them,” said Matt Beat.
808“The ACLU has been at the center of so many important moments in our country’s history — from fighting for racial and gender justice to defending the rights of immigrants. And right now, there’s so much noise about what is happening to our civil rights and liberties that it can be hard to understand what matters most and why. We need a podcast like Let the Record Show help us decipher what’s at stake and figure out what we can do about it,” said Shereen Marisol Meraji.
809Listeners will be introduced to plaintiffs like Wong Kim Ark, who we can thank for affirming birthright citizenship; lawyers like Pauli Murray, who made it the nation’s business to take both racial and gender equality seriously; and everyday people who spoke up for their rights and the rights of their neighbors, especially when that took a lot of courage.
810Season 1 of the biweekly podcast will feature cases such as White v. Crook (exclusion of women and Black people from juries), Engel v. Vitale (school prayer), and Gitlow v. New York (free speech), and will be available on audio on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and on video on YouTube.
811Let the Record Show pulls from the ACLU’s century-long archive of legal cases to help listeners understand how, throughout history, key figures have stood up to defend their rights and freedoms in the face of brutality and injustice to expand freedoms for us all. Listeners will also hear from guests, including ACLU legal experts, as part of a recurring Sidebar segment where the hosts pause the story to explain a complex legal topic.
812The first episode of the podcast, on J.G.G. v. Trump, is available here: https://www.aclu.org/podcast/what-happens-when-the-president-defies-a-judge            </div>
813                    </div>
814    	
815<a
816    href="https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-debuts-new-american-history-podcast-exploring-rights-defining-legal-cases"
817    class="blocklink "
818        aria-label="Aclu Debuts New American History Podcast Exploring Rights-defining Legal Cases. Explore Press Release. "
819>
820    <span class="screenreader-only">Aclu Debuts New American History Podcast Exploring Rights-defining Legal Cases. Explore Press Release. </span>
821</a>
822</div>                </li>
823                            <li class="column is-one-quarter-desktop pb-0 pb-4-desktop">
824                    
825
826<div class="card card__vertical is-flex is-flex-direction-column blocklink-container is-relative 
827     
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830    
831<div class="card__top is-flex is-flex-direction-row is-justify-content-space-between is-align-items-center has-font-family-standard text-[13px] is-mobile px-4 py-3 mb-none mt-none">
832    <div class="card__top__content-type is-flex pt-none pb-none is-flex-direction-row is-justify-content-flex-start is-align-items-center">
833        <div
834            class="mb-1 
835            has-state-icon has-state-icon__GA"
836        ></div>
837        <div class="ml-2">
838            Georgia Supreme Court                    </div>
839    </div>
840            <div class="card__top__date has-text-right ml-1 pl-none pt-none pb-none pr-none nowrap">
841            Sep 2026        </div>
842    </div>
843    
844<div class="card__image mb-0 mt-0 ">
845     <!-- IMAGE FALLBACK -->
846        <img src='https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/img/content-types/fallback-case.jpg' alt='In the Interest of D.B. et al.' />
847    </div>
848    
849    <div class="card__issues is-flex is-flex-direction-row nowrap overflow-hidden is-relative text-[13px] py-1 px-4 ">
850                    <p>Civil Liberties</p>
851            </div>
852
853    <div class="card__body pb-6 mb-none 
854        top_padding__with_issues_tag        px-4    ">
855        <div class="is-flex is-flex-direction-row is-justify-content-flex-start is-align-items-center">
856            <h3 class="card__title text-xl has-font-family-compressed line-clamp-3">
857                In the Interest of D.B. et al. 
858            </h3>
859                    </div>
860                    <div class="card__description text-sm mt-3 line-clamp-3 print:line-clamp-none">
861            ACLU and ACLU of Georgia have filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court of Georgia supporting a grieving mother challenging the removal of her children without notice, a hearing, or any finding that the children faced danger because one of her children had just died by suicide. A Georgia appellate court found that the State can take children from a parent ex parte—before the parent is ever heard—whenever circumstances are "exceptional," which the court below defined to mean merely "unusual" rather than a genuine emergency. The juvenile court later returned the children, finding no basis for their removal and reprimanded the State for further traumatizing a grieving family. Because these removals are brief and the appeals process is slow, the practice largely evades review, and it falls hardest on the families with the least resources to challenge these kinds of removals. The brief urges the court to require a genuine emergency before the State may remove a child without first hearing from their parent.            </div>
862                            <div class="mt-3">
863                            <div class="card__metadata is-flex is-flex-direction-row is-justify-content-flex-start text-[13px] mt-1">
864                    <span class="line-clamp-1"><b>Status:</b> Ongoing</span>
865                </div>
866                        </div>
867            </div>
868    	
869<a
870    href="https://www.aclu.org/cases/in-the-interest-of-d-b-et-al"
871    class="blocklink "
872        aria-label="In The Interest Of D.b. Et Al.. Explore Case. "
873>
874    <span class="screenreader-only">In The Interest Of D.b. Et Al.. Explore Case. </span>
875</a>
876</div>                </li>
877                            <li class="column is-one-quarter-desktop pb-0 pb-4-desktop">
878                    
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886    <div class="card__top__content-type is-flex pt-none pb-none is-flex-direction-row is-justify-content-flex-start is-align-items-center">
887        <div
888            class="mb-1 
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890        ></div>
891        <div class="ml-2">
892            Press Release                    </div>
893    </div>
894            <div class="card__top__date has-text-right ml-1 pl-none pt-none pb-none pr-none nowrap">
895            Aug 2026        </div>
896    </div>
897    
898<div class="card__image mb-0 mt-0 ">
899     <!-- IMAGE FALLBACK -->
900        <img src='https://www.aclu.org/wp-content/themes/aclu-wp/img/content-types/fallback-press-release.jpg' alt='Kansas And Missouri Voters Protected Civil Liberties – Here&#039;s What Comes Next' />
901    </div>
902    
903    <div class="card__issues is-flex is-flex-direction-row nowrap overflow-hidden is-relative text-[13px] py-1 px-4 ">
904                    <p>Civil Liberties</p>
905            </div>
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910            <h3 class="card__title text-xl has-font-family-compressed line-clamp-3">
911                Kansas And Missouri Voters Protected Civil Liberties – Here's What Comes Next 
912            </h3>
913                    </div>
914                    <div class="card__description text-sm mt-3 line-clamp-3 print:line-clamp-none">
915            On August 4, voters in Kansas and Missouri voted down ballot measures that would have opened the door for attacks on our democracy. In both states, politicians referred measures to the ballot to deceive voters and attempt to diminish the power of the people. But the people struck those efforts down by wide margins: 61% voted No in Kansas, and a striking 80% voted No in Missouri. The Kansas measure would have dismantled the state’s impartial Supreme Court and made it subject to partisan elections, while a measure in Missouri w
915ould have made it next to impossible for voters to use the citizen-initiated ballot process to protect their rights with citizen-led ballot initiatives.
916As the largest institutional player in the ballot measure space, the ACLU, ACLU Foundation, and our affiliates led coalitions that defeated these efforts, organizing hundreds of volunteers to go door to door to talk to their neighbors and spending millions of dollars to educate voters – proving once again that civil liberties voters are a force to be reckoned with. And the results in Kansas and Missouri are bellwethers for what is to come this November, when voters will decide critical down-ballot races and ballot measures affecting abortion access, LGBTQ rights, voting rights, fair courts, and democracy protections.
917Protecting Kansas’s Supreme Court – and Reproductive Freedom, LGBTQ+ Rights, and More Civil Liberties for Future Generations
918Four years ago, Kansans rejected a ballot measure designed to ban abortion. This election, they again rejected an extremist agenda – this time to dismantle what abortion opponents see as their only obstacle to banning abortion in the state: the Kansas Supreme Court.
919Kansas’s Supreme Court has upheld the state’s constitution and in so doing protected Kansans’ reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, voting rights, and other civil liberties. It is no surprise that politicians set their sights on changing it in order to advance their ideological agenda. In fact, immediately after the anti-abortion measure was defeated in 2022, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach said that politicians needed to “slowly and quietly” replace the Kansas Supreme Court so that they could impose their agenda over the will of the people.
920To do this, they proposed a ballot measure that would replace Kansas’s impartial judicial selection process with partisan elections, which would have turned their justices into politicians for sale. They put it on the ballot in August because they hoped a lower turnout election would help them win. But on Tuesday, Kansas voters resoundingly defeated the measure, protecting civil liberties for future generations. Kansas United for Impartial Courts (KUIC) – a broad coalition of civil liberties, health care, labor, and education groups chaired by the ACLU of Kansas’s executive director, Micah Kubic – played a critical role in educating voters on the stakes.
921Stopping a Blatant Power Grab and Defending Ballot Referendums in Missouri
922Missourians passed a citizen-led ballot measure in 2024 which restored and protected abortion rights in the state constitution. In response to this and other citizen-led efforts, the legislature put a measure on the August 2026 primary ballot that attempted to make similar citizen-led efforts virtually impossible to pass. This was a transparent effort to keep Missourians from making direct change in their state – and voters saw right through it, overwhelmingly defeating the measure. The ACLU of Missouri was a key player in the coalition, Protect Majority Rule Missouri, to stop this measure from diluting the power of the people.
923The fight for our civil liberties is far from over in Missouri. To protect abortion access, voters will need to turn out again in November. These same anti-abortion politicians have placed a second measure on the general election ballot – seeking to subvert the will of the people by overturning the 2024 Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment and enshrining a near total abortion ban in the state’s constitution. The measure would also ban gender affirming care for minors. Already, the ACLU, ACLU Foundation, and the ACLU of Missouri are mobilizing to ensure Missourians are ready to turn out and Stop the Ban.
924How the ACLU and its Partners Took on These Threats – and Won
925In both Kansas and Missouri, the ACLU and ACLU Foundation provided critical support that helped these campaigns reach and turn out voters. ACLU affiliates and the coalitions they led trained hundreds of volunteers, showing the power of grassroots organizing to energize the electorate.
926Throughout its campaign, hundreds of volunteers for Kansas United for Impartial Courts held 120 voter events, knocked 60,000 doors, and made 215,000 calls to speak directly with voters about the stakes. These efforts reached every corner of the state, from Kansas city to rural west Kansas. Thousands of grassroots donors contributed to the campaign and raised its momentum.
927Together, the ACLU, ACLU Foundation, and ACLU of Kansas were the largest financial supporters of the No campaign, investing a combined $4.575 million to support a robust voter education program. The result is clear: from Kansas City to rural west Kansas, voters turned out and rejected the latest extremist power grab.
928And in Missouri, the ACLU of Missouri supported Protect Majority Rule with significant contributions and a strong organizing program, reaching thousands of voters in the process.
929What’s Coming Next
930The results in Kansas and Missouri signal that when our democracy is under attack, voters will show up to protect it. But the fight is not over. That is why the ACLU and ACLU Voter Education Fund are focusing their largest ever midterm electoral program – $25.5 million – where others are not: helping voters understand the stakes in down-ballot races that could determine whether constitutional rights are protected in practice.
931Ballot measure priorities for the fall include a citizen-initiated Montana ballot measure that would protect Montana's nonpartisan judicial elections. Like in Kansas, Montana politicians disagree with the state Supreme Court’s recent rulings on abortion rights, LGBTQ+ freedom, and other civil liberties – and they’ve repeatedly attempted to tilt the court in favor of their extreme agenda. Missourians will fight to protect the recent win voters secured when they approved constitutional protections for abortion in 2024. And Virginians will vote on a measure to protect reproductive freedom.
932At the same time, the ACLU, ACLU Voter Education Fund, and our affiliates will work to ensure voters know candidates’ positions on abortion and voting rights so they can make informed decisions at the ballot box in key state supreme court races in Michigan, Montana, and North Carolina; state legislative races in Georgia, Michigan, Montana, and North Carolina; and secretary of state races in Arizona and Nevada.
933In a time of unprecedented attacks on our democracy, the ACLU is committed to using every tool we have to make sure that the people are heard, that our will is respected, and that our civil liberties thrive.            </div>
934                    </div>
935    	
936<a
937    href="https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/kansas-and-missouri-voters-protected-civil-liberties-heres-what-comes-next"
938    class="blocklink "
939        aria-label="Kansas And Missouri Voters Protected Civil Liberties – Here&#039;s What Comes Next. Explore Press Release. "
940>
941    <span class="screenreader-only">Kansas And Missouri Voters Protected Civil Liberties – Here's What Comes Next. Explore Press Release. </span>
942</a>
943</div>                </li>
944                    </ul>
945    </section>
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