ACLU of Kentucky (2014)

Cunningham credits her Catholic education for her affinity to social justice issues. After a brief stint in Chicago, she returns to Louisville in 1968 and becomes involved in the “coffee house movement” and eventually begins working for the Kentucky Civil Liberties Union (KCLU). In the interview, Cunningham offers an insider’s view into the organization’s activities related to school desegregation, improving jail conditions and assisting conscientious objectors. The bulk of the interview deals with the work of the Women’s Right Committee, a new effort at the time within the KCLU that focused on the intersection of civil liberties and women’s concerns and bringing those discussion to the forefront, both in the public arena and in the priorities of the KCLU. Topics include reproductive freedom, the Anaconda Aluminum case, and the growing recognition among women and the general public that gender discrimination existed and that the KCLU sought to be involved in changing the status quo. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, raised in the city’s South End, Cunningham attended Catherine Spalding College, now Spalding University, and graduated in 1967 with a degree in English. She attended the University of Louisville Law School and graduated in 1978. Her first job after college was in Chicago in 1968 at a market research firm. From 1971 to 1976, served as the office manager for the Kentucky Civil Liberties Union (KCLU), now called the ACLU of Kentucky. Cunningham was KCLU’s only staff person for three of those five years. Archival materials at the University of Louisville indicate that Cunningham was instrumental in the daily workings of the organization, and particularly with the KCLU’s Women’s Rights Committee.

Friedman began working with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kentucky in 1983 as a volunteer cooperating attorney. A year later (1984), Friedman became the group’s general counsel and served in that position for 25 years often taking the lead on cases that dealt with reproductive freedom, separation of church and state, freedom of speech and other civil liberties issues. In 2005, he successfully argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the ACLU of Kentucky that the display of the Ten Commandments in a courthouse violated constitutional principles. Friedman talks about his great pride in the ACLU’s mission, a genuine and personal passion for the legal work, the importance of educating the public on civil liberties and how media relations played a role in that work. He also discusses how Kentucky’s politics and culture have placed it on front line of efforts to protect reproductive freedom and the separation of church and state.

Born in Flushing (Queens), New York City, N.Y., Friedman attended the University at Buffalo (SUNY) as an undergraduate and Boston University School of Law, graduated in 1977. His first work after law school was in legal services. He began working with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kentucky in 1983 as a volunteer cooperating attorney. A year later (1984), Friedman became the group’s general counsel and served in that position for 25 years often taking the lead on cases that dealt with reproductive freedom, separation of church and state, freedom of speech and other civil liberties issues. In 2005, he successfully argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the ACLU of Kentucky that the display of the Ten Commandments in a courthouse violated constitutional principles. This is the second interview with David Friedman for this organizational history project. The previous interview was conducted by Mary Pace on March 10, 2011. That interview and its index are on deposit at the Oral History Center of the University of Louisville. In this second interview, Friedman revisits some of the same themes from his first interview: great pride in the ACLU’s mission, a genuine and personal passion for the legal work, the importance of educating the public on civil liberties and how media relations played a role in that work. Friedman discusses how Kentucky’s politics and culture have placed it on frontline of efforts to protect reproductive freedom and the separation of church and state.

This is the second interview with Jessica Loving for this organizational history project. The previous interview was conducted by Mary Pace on March 2, 2011, and is often referenced in the 2013 interview. The 2011 interview and a full transcript are on deposit at the Oral History Center of the University of Louisville. In this second interview, Loving revisits some of the same themes from her first interview: reproductive freedom, separation of church and state, and free speech. Loving also describes her role as a supporter, staff person and board member with the ACLU. In her discussion of specific events or cases, Loving offers an insider’s perspective on the actions of the time and how the scope of civil liberties has expanded over the course of nearly five decades, particularly in issues dealing with the rights of women and LGBT persons.

Interview regarding the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Interview regarding the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Pratt’s professional concentration has been on fair housing and civil rights issues. After law school, she worked for the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, practiced law, and served with many organizations as a social justice advocate. She moved to Washington, D.C. in 1991, to begin working for the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development primarily focusing on the enforcement of fair housing law and policy development. Pratt discusses her early attraction to social justice advocacy and her decision to find a vocation that would provide her with the tools to “take on issues.” Much of the interview deals with her partnership with her husband, Charlie, in addressing disability rights issues. She discusses an ongoing debate within the ACLU-KY when faced with first amendment cases that impacted fourteenth amendment principles. Pratt recalls the bravery of plaintiffs and the motivation of attorneys to engage in civil liberties lawsuits. She describes the 1980s as a period in which the ACLU-KY grew in size, visibility and improved its fundraising efforts.

Sands discusses his childhood in Massachusetts. He credits access to quality educational opportunities as formative to his worldview. Although a member of the ACLU since 1967, Sands took on an active leadership role with the Central Kentucky Civil Liberties Union in 1997 and helped revive the chapter through a program of public forums. In the interview, he discusses those efforts and the relationship of the Lexington-based chapter to the Louisville-based affiliate. Unfortunately, the interview ends abruptly due to a full memory card and no replacement.

Segal talks about the work of the women’s rights committee of the Kentucky Civil Liberties Union (KCLU), now the ACLU-KY. The committee was formed in the early 1970s as part of the Second Wave of Feminism brought attention to women’s issues in the wake of the civil rights movement of the previous decade. Segal discusses the evolution of women’s rights within the context of civil liberties and in the broader society through consciousness-raising groups, public events, and legislative efforts. For the most part, Segal’s interview describes the five-year period in which women’s issues were brought to the forefront and became recognized as important to the KCLU mission.

Vessels talks about his personal experiences with discrimination. He joins the ACLU in about 1983, later establishing activities in his hometown of Owensboro, KY, and then serving on the state board of directors. He was the executive director for the ACLU-KY, from 1999 to 2003. During his tenure, the organization expanded its fundraising program becoming a model for other affiliates. Additionally, the group tackled several key cases regarding the posting of the Ten Commandments on government property, guided the legal efforts to establish laws protecting the rights of LGBT persons, and took an active role in raising concerns about governmental infringement on individual rights following the attacks of September 11, 2001. During the interview, Vessels offers several poignant stories about the people who have stood up for civil liberties, including his own journey towards understating the power of the individual to make a difference in people’s lives. His remembrances of September 11, 2001 are especially moving. Fundraising is also a featured topic.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Wilson received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Eastern Kentucky University and worked as a newspaper reporter in Kentucky and Tennessee. She received a master’s degree in social work from the University of Tennessee. Wilson worked as a reproductive rights advocate and counselor before becoming the director of the Reproductive Freedom Project at the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky in 1993. She became the executive director of the ACLU-KY in 2003. Four years later (2007), she became the deputy director of the ACLU of Florida. Wilson talks about her transition from journalism to advocacy and social justice work. Her 14 years with the ACLU-KY (1993 to 2007) include important episodes concerning reproductive rights and separation of church and state. She also discusses changes that took place in organization’s management structure, expanded public outreach, and additional staffing. Wilson discusses legislative lobbying and public education efforts. Much of the interview focuses on reproductive freedom issues as she directed that program for 10 of her 14 years with the ACLU-KY. Wilson recalls the establishment of a youth leadership program as being particularly meaningful, as was hearing ane ACLU-KY attorney argue before the U.S. Supreme Court. She gives much credit is to the people who taught her about civil liberties.