Thinking Freely

Este año, el Día de los Presidentes, celebramos un Día de Acción centrado en los derechos de los niños en Annapolis para aprobar algunas buenas decisiones para que nuestros funcionarios electos rindan cuentas de sus palabras. Alrededor de 200 activistas, estudiantes y líderes comunitarios marcharon hacia la Asamblea General para hacer oír sus voces durante el Día de Acción

This year on President’s Day, we held a children’s rights focused Day of Action in Annapolis to pass some good bills and hold our elected officials accountable to their words. Around 200 activists, students, and community leaders marched into the General Assembly to make their voices heard during the 2024 Day of Action: Justice for Children and Incarcerated Marylanders. On this

Life in prison was the verdict for teenagers Ransom Watkins, Andrew Stewart and Alfred Chestnut in 1983 when they were wrongfully intimidated and interrogated by police and sentenced for a crime they did not commit. The three were eventually exonerated, but were effectively robbed of 36 years of life, in addition to the ever-present trauma that comes with incarceration. A devastati

El acuerdo 287(g) con ICE en el condado de Frederick debe finalizar. En julio, la ACLU de Maryland se unió a la ACLU nacional para presentar una queja administrativa federal pidiendo al Departamento de Seguridad Nacional de los EE. UU. que investigue al alguacil del condado de Frederick, Charles Jenkins, para poner fin al peligroso acuerdo que promueve el odio contra los inmigrant

Half a decade ago, Dana Vickers Shelley walked into the ACLU of Maryland as the new executive director ready to make "good trouble" in the name of working to guarantee the promise of Maryland’s constitution for all Marylanders. 5 years have gone by, but the mission remains the same. Listen as Dana reflects on her 5th year anniversary as executive director and how the ACLU of Mary

This June, the Human Rights Campaign declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people for the first time in the organization’s 40-year history. And unfortunately, students are not immune to the dangerous anti-queer assaults, legislatively or physically. Because of the seriousness of these attacks, we've published a Know Your Rights guide on LGBTQ+ students' rights on gender, dress

Starting on July 1st, 2023, marijuana will officially become legalized for recreational use in Maryland for adults 21 and up. This also includes a new law that bans police stops and searches based on the alleged smell of marijuana. But is that enough for Maryland to become a model for marijuana and racial justice? On this episode you'll hear from Michele Hall, who is an assistant p

What's being called a modern day Indian Removal, The Wild Turkey Clan of the Cedarville Band of Piscataway Indians in Maryland are being forced off their land by the Charles County government - the very land that belongs to the Piscataway Conoy People and that the Band has taken care of for decades. On this episode we speak with Tribal Chairwoman Natalie Standingontherock Proctor o

Finalmente, el uso legal de la marihuana en Maryland se está convirtiendo en una realidad, pero eso no significa que sea oficialmente legal todavía. Aquí hay una cronología que le dice todo lo que necesita saber sobre esta próxima fase de las leyes sobre la marihuana. Lea la cronología completa aquí: https://www.aclu-md.org/es/news/el-camino-hacia-la-legalizacion-de-marihuan

Finally, legal use marijuana in Maryland is becoming a reality - but that doesn't mean that it's officially legal just yet. Here's a timeline breaking down everything you need to know around this next phase of marijuana laws. Read the full timeline here: https://www.aclu-md.org/en/news/road-marijuana-legalization-timeline-so-far