Thinking Freely

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 inmigrantes y la deportación.

En este episodio de Thinking Freely, escuchará a Sergio España, el Director de Compromiso y Movilización de la ACLU de Maryland en una entrevista exclusiva con María Cáceres, la Directora de Asuntos Comunitarios de El Zol 107.9 para discutir el problema y los detalles de la denuncia.

This episode is in Spanish.

Echa un vistazo a El Zol en: www.audacy.com/elzolradio

Una transcripción completa de este episodio está disponible en: https://www.aclu-md.org/es/publications/pensar-libremente-aclu-presenta-una-queja-federal-contra-el-alguacil-del-condado-de

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 Maryland remains committed to empowering Marylanders to exercise their rights so that the law values and uplifts their humanity. This episode was adapted from the keynote speech Dana delivered to the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland’s Standing for Justice Conference in May.

Read the written blog of this episode at: aclu-md.org/en/news/5-years-making-good-trouble

Learn more at: aclu-md.org/en/publications/reading-freely-5-years-making-good-trouble

And follow our guest on social: @DVStrategies

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 codes, self-expression and more.

On this episode you'll hear from Carlos Childs, Regional Community Organizer at the ACLU of Maryland on our updated LGBTQ+ Know Your Rights materials so students are fully aware of their right to be themselves in school.

A full transcript of this episode is available at: aclu-md.org/en/publications/lgbtq-students-have-right-be-themselves-maryland-public-schools#Transcript

Learn more and download your guide here: aclu-md.org/en/know-your-rights/lgbtq-students-rights

Follow our guest @carloschildsmd

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 public defender at the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, Lawrence Grandpre, the director of research for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, and Yanet Amanuel, the director of public policy at the ACLU of Maryland.

Together we examine the cross roads of marijuana and racial justice and see if marijuana reparations are possible for those communities most harmed by the "War on Drugs" - a war whose ramifications are still felt today.

A full transcript of this episode is available at: www.aclu-md.org/en/publications/can-marijuana-and-racial-justice-coexist

Learn more at: www.aclu-md.org/marijuana

And follow our guests on social:

twitter.com/MicheleDHall

twitter.com/Ne0Nubian

twitter.com/TheeAdvocate_

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 on the harmful impact of this removal and how people can get involved to end this eviction.

To learn more and take action visit www.piscatawayindians.com/

and action.aclu.org/send-message/md-cedarville-band-piscataway-indians-2023

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-marihuana-el-cronograma-hasta-ahora

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

Pride is more than a place holder on a calendar - it's protest.

Over 50 years after the Stonewall Uprising, and six months away from the 50th anniversary of the now overruled Roe v. Wade, we can feel the tides changing, pulling us back into the past. The very first sounds of LGBTQ+ freedom and liberation were hundreds of queer folx screaming and chanting "out of the closet and into the streets!"

Decades later, we have returned to the streets desperate and determined not to return to a life of persecution and secrecy. The very core of queerness is radical revolution – existing proudly regardless of others' disdain or the status quo.

Be sure to check out the written version here: https://www.aclu-md.org/en/news/pride-more-month-its-mentality

Know The Facts. Immigrants' rights are more important now than ever. And one pressing issue on the minds of many in Maryland is that the 287(g) program continues to plague us. The program deputizes local and state law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws.

A couple years back, the ACLU of Maryland shared data in Seven Truths Surrounding 287(g) Programs showing just how racist immigration enforcement is in Maryland. Now, we have the latest data showing the same depressing results.

Be sure to check out the written version here: https://www.aclu-md.org/en/news/know-facts-about-racist-anti-immigrant-287g-program

Our vote is a fundamental freedom and our democracy is threatened without real access to everyone. The ACLU of Maryland has long worked to stop voter disenfranchisement in all its forms.

In this audio blog, learn how tactics of ballot exclusion have evolved over the years, and how the path to overcoming this ailment and expanding fundamental suffrage is no modern idea.

Check out the written version at https://www.aclu-md.org/en/news/enfranchising-maryland-during-era-disenfranchisement