DIRECTOR'S LETTER: We're ready for the Morrisey and Trump administrations
We've faced down authoritarianism before; at Blair Mountain, during Japanese internment, with Freedom Riders. Now we're taking on Trump's second term with a bold new strategic plan. Here's how we're protecting West Virginia's civil liberties over the next four years.
Dear ACLU-WV Family,
As I write this, the second Trump presidency is less than five months old. In this short window, we are already witnessing an assault on civil liberties, the rule of law, and democracy itself that rivals the worst periods of American history. Here in the Mountain State, our Legislature and many other elected officials are taking this moment as a blank check to mirror and even amplify the worst of what we're seeing at the national level.
Make no mistake: President Trump is a threat to our most fundamental freedoms. When I wrote to you in this space last spring, I said the ACLU was ready to take on a second Trump administration and I meant it. We have a plan because the American Civil Liberties Union was built for moments like this.
As dark and difficult as things may seem, I remain confident and optimistic.
The ACLU showed up at Blair Mountain when miners were being bombed. We showed up when Japanese-Americans were being locked up in prison camps. We showed up when Freedom Riders were being beaten in Selma, and we showed up the first time Donald Trump tried to ban people from coming into this country because of how they worshipped.
I don't know about you, but I've never been more grateful for the existence of the ACLU.
In his first 100 days in office, the ACLU has already brought 110 legal actions President Trump's administration. Dozens of lawsuits have been filed across the country at the state level, including West Virginia, scoring legal victory after legal victory and standing in the way of authoritarianism's march.
Since Inauguration Day, the ACLU has showed up to protect birthright citizenship, due process for immigrants, the right to seek asylum, gender-affirming care, accurate passports for trans and nonbinary people, data privacy, attorneys who have brought cases the president didn't like, the integrity of our elections, and more.
But this moment won't be won by lawsuits alone.
We need all of you to show up, too.
To preserve our civil liberties, and to protect our government of the people and for the people, we must build strong and resilient communities. We must support our partners who are carrying on the struggle on different fronts. We must build and develop leaders, and we must continue to engage and demand accountability from our political system.
I am encouraged by the groundswell of protests sweeping the country, and I am moved by how many of you are reaching out to ACLU-WV to ask how you can help. This is not the moment to hide or bury our figurative heads in the sand.
We have been at this for over 105 years, from the shadows of Blair Mountain, to the Textbook Wars, to today.
We aren't going anywhere and we couldn't be more thankful for your support.
A Look Ahead:
Much has changed since ACLU-WV adopted our last strategic plan in 2017. The state's political climate has grown more hostile, our staff has doubled in size, and our leadership has changed.
So, as we entered 2025, the ACLU-WV began adopting a new strategic plan.
It's a culmination of months of work with our partners, board members, and most importantly, our staff.
We know we're entering trying times and that we'll be called to the struggle on multiple fronts. We know we need to be strategic in order to be effective. We also know our mission is to advance civil liberties, not just slow their erosion.
With these thoughts in mind, we crafted our new plan that will guide ACLU-WV through the next four years.
Criminal legal reform -- We will look to build bipartisan consensus around humane, commonsense, and cost-saving measures to reform our brutal criminal legal system. We will work to ensure safe and sanitary conditions and to expand mental and behavioral health for everyone impacted by the criminal legal system, giving at-risk people more support before they wind up on the wrong side of the law. We will support reentry initiatives to help reduce recidivism and to expand civic awareness and participation among people who have been harmed by the system.
Immigrants' rights -- Immigrants are the administration's favorite scapegoat, and are already facing dangerous persecution, but we know the truth: Immigrants have always made West Virginia better. We remain committed to protecting immigrant's rights, pushing back on regressive policies and fostering community supports.
Democracy -- Unlike ever before, democracy in the United States is under attack. It's not bad enough that the institutions that protect civil liberties are being attacked. The very foundation of public participation in our government is under threat. ACLU-WV is committed to transparency and accessibility of our political systems. We also will continue to work to educate communities, and to encourage robust civic engagement and participation.
The ACLU-WV is also committed to recognizing that economic justice is at the root of civil liberties. When systems keep people and communities in poverty, when they exploit and inequitably allocate wealth, people do not have the ability to fully realize or enjoy rights and liberties. We will emphasize assisting communities in growing their power and advocating for themselves in the institutions that can do the greatest to serve or to harm communities.
Achieving these goals while responding to the many threats to civil liberties that we anticipate over the next four years will be a challenge. It will be a challenge to protect the civil liberties that are most under threat, and it will be a challenge to build a state where people want to see justice for all. The ACLU-WV is up to the challenge, but we won't do it alone.
This will take strong, collaborative partnerships. It will take empowering local leaders, and it will take building robust, supportive, intersectional communities. We are looking forward to helping build this vision.
Our rights depend on it