At Liberty

ACLU
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At Liberty

At Liberty is a weekly podcast from the ACLU that explores the biggest civil rights and civil liberties issues of the day. A production of ACLU, Inc.

  1. We Have A Plan: Cecillia Wang and W. Kamau Bell

    NOV 6

    We Have A Plan: Cecillia Wang and W. Kamau Bell

    You may recognize W. Kamau Bell from his multi-Emmy award-winning docuseries United Shades of America, or from his Substack Who’s With Me, or from his commercials for the ACLU. If you're a long-time ACLU supporter, you'll know Bell has worked with us for more than a decade as our artist ambassador for racial justice. We're excited to have him as our interim host for our At Liberty podcast, where he will host conversations with leaders, legal experts, artists, and storytellers dedicated to the fight for civil rights and civil liberties. In this episode, the ACLU’s newly-appointed National Legal Director Cecillia Wang joins Bell in a special post-election episode. Cecillia oversees more than 200 lawyers and staff in the ACLU National legal department, supports legal staff at 54 affiliates, and directs the ACLU’s work at the Supreme Court. Before her current role, Cecillia was the deputy legal director for the ACLU, where she helped fight the 2017 Muslim Ban, the border wall, the family separation policy, and the 2020 Census citizenship question. Together, they talk about what was learned from the first Trump administration, and how the ACLU will be ready to respond on day one. https://www.aclu.org/our-47th-president-donald-trump

    39 min
  2. There’s Always Room For Joy: Padma Laskhmi, Punkie Johnson and W. Kamau Bell

    NOV 4

    There’s Always Room For Joy: Padma Laskhmi, Punkie Johnson and W. Kamau Bell

    You may recognize W. Kamau Bell from his multi-Emmy award-winning docuseries United Shades of America, or from his Substack Who’s With Me, or from his commercials for the ACLU. If you're a long-time ACLU supporter, you'll know Bell has worked with us for more than a decade as our Artist Ambassador for Racial Justice. We're excited to have him as our interim host for our At Liberty podcast, where he will host conversations with leaders, legal experts, artists, and storytellers dedicated to the fight for civil rights and civil liberties. In this episode, Emmy-nominated producer, television host, food expert, New York Times best-selling author and ACLU Artist Ambassador for Immigrants’ Rights and Women’s Rights PADMA LAKSHMI joins us with her good friend, comedian and former Saturday Night Live castmember PUNKIE JOHNSON, to discuss the intersection of identity, comedy...and voting. Known for her critically-acclaimed and Emmy-nominated Hulu series “Taste the Nation”, and as host and executive producer for 19 seasons of Bravo’s two-time Emmy-winning series “Top Chef,” Padma tells us how she is exploring stand-up comedy as a storyteller, her meet-cute with Punkie over tacos at Questlove’s house, and why reproductive freedom and immigrants’ rights can also be fought for on the comedy stage. For her part, Punkie talks about what it was like to be on SNL, why she needed to leave, and her text thread with friends asking all the questions about politics she didn’t understand. Through it all, they also talk about joy, which we are looking to bring you on this day before the election.

    33 min
  3. Riffs and Resistance: Tom Morello and W. Kamau Bell

    OCT 31

    Riffs and Resistance: Tom Morello and W. Kamau Bell

    You may recognize W. Kamau Bell from his multi-Emmy award-winning docuseries United Shades of America, or from his Substack Who’s With Me, or from his commercials for the ACLU. If you're a long-time ACLU supporter, you'll know Bell has worked with us for more than a decade as our Artist Ambassador for Racial Justice. We're excited to have him as our interim host for our At Liberty podcast, where he will host conversations with leaders, legal experts, artists, and storytellers dedicated to the fight for civil rights and civil liberties. In this episode, Grammy-winning musician and activist Tom Morello joins us to discuss the intersection of music and social justice. Known for his work with the rock band Rage Against the Machine, Morello is also an ACLU Artist Ambassador. On the podcast, he shares his journey from Harvard student to social justice activism, including how he’s advocated for criminal justice reform and labor rights. He also explores the role of artists in social movements and explains why he believes music is a powerful tool for change.

    42 min
  4. Detroit’s Activist Roots and the Fight for Justice: At Liberty Live with W. Kamau Bell

    OCT 15

    Detroit’s Activist Roots and the Fight for Justice: At Liberty Live with W. Kamau Bell

    You may recognize W. Kamau Bell from his multi-Emmy award-winning docuseries United Shades of America, from his Substack Who’s With Me, or from his commercials for the ACLU. If you're a longtime supporter of the ACLU, you'll know Bell has worked with us for more than a decade as our Artist Ambassador for Racial Justice. We're excited to have him as our interim host for our At Liberty podcast, where he will host conversations with leaders, legal experts, artists, and storytellers dedicated to the fight for civil rights and civil liberties. This episode is a conversation taped live earlier this month on a stop of ACLU’s Know Your Rights Bus Tour. On our tour, we hit the road with artists, influencers, advocates, and community members to host events in six cities to ensure voters know their rights and have a plan to vote. At our stop in Detroit, host W. Kamau Bell sat down with two prominent voices from Michigan's activist community: Loren Khogali, executive director of the ACLU of Michigan, and filmmaker Razi Jafri. Together, they explore the complexities of activism, democracy, and representation in Michigan — a state at the crossroads of pivotal social and political change. This episode delves into the power of coalition building among Black, Arab, and Muslim American communities. Loren and Razi share their insights on being in a battleground state, how communities can leverage grassroots activism to impact national conversations, and the unique challenges and opportunities of engaging underrepresented voters.

    29 min
  5. At Liberty Live with W. Kamau Bell: Know Your Rights Bus Tour Philly

    SEP 25

    At Liberty Live with W. Kamau Bell: Know Your Rights Bus Tour Philly

    You may recognize W. Kamau Bell from his multi-Emmy award-winning docuseries United Shades of America, from his Substack Who’s With Me, or from his commercials for the ACLU. Bell has worked with us for more than a decade as our Artist Ambassador for Racial Justice. We are fortunate to welcome him as our interim host for our At Liberty podcast over the next few months where he will host conversations with leaders, legal experts, artists and storytellers dedicated to the fight for civil rights and civil liberties. Our first podcast is a conversation taped live earlier this month on a stop of ACLU’s Know Your Rights Bus Tour. On our tour, we hit the road with artists, influencers, advocates and community members to host events in six cities to ensure voters know their rights and have a plan to vote. At our stop in Philly, Bell sat down with Mike Lee, executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania. Lee is Philly born and raised. He has a long history of championing criminal justice reform and challenging discrimination against marginalized communities in Pennsylvania. He knows a thing or two about Philly, and shared how it informs his legal career. We hope you enjoy!

    31 min
  6. How Sue Bird Is Supercharging Women's Sports

    JUL 25

    How Sue Bird Is Supercharging Women's Sports

    This Friday, July 26, the summer Olympics will kick off in Paris, France. From the athletes and storylines, to dreams being made and records being broken, the spirit of the Olympics brings out the inner patriot in many of us. To commemorate this year’s Games, we have a special treat for you. Today, we are joined by a 5-time Olympic gold medalist, Sue Bird. Sue Bird is widely known as one of the greatest basketball players in modern history, with her name often followed or preceded by the word “Legend.” A champion from a young age, Sue was a two time NCAA champion playing for the University of Connecticut. She then went on to the WNBA where she was named a 4-time champion and 13-time all star. Need we remind you that she also has five Olympic Gold medals? Sue retired in 2022 after 21 years in the WNBA. Now, she spends her time working to advance gender equity in women’s sports, be it through her media and commerce company, Togxther, A Touch More, her production company with her partner, soccer-phenom Megan Rapinoe, and her partial ownership of the Seattle Storm (her former WNBA team). A documentary about her career, "Sue Bird: In the Clutch," recently premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and is available now on Netflix. In a very exciting time for women’s sports, Sue joins us to break down all the action.

    41 min
  7. We Owe It to Harriet Tubman to Talk About Her Disability

    JUL 18

    We Owe It to Harriet Tubman to Talk About Her Disability

    How much do you know about Araminta Ross? Her face is slated to start appearing on the twenty dollar bill by 2030. She’s the first American woman in history to lead a military raid that emancipated over 700 people, and one of the most important abolitionists in history. You might know her by another name: Harriet Tubman. But when it comes to Harriet Tubman’s legacy, an important part of her lived experience is often overlooked: her disability. With July being disability pride month, we wanted to celebrate Harriet Tubman as an icon and learn more about her identity from someone who finds her “often rightly celebrated, but seldom understood.” That someone is Tiya Miles, a National Book Award-winner and the Michael Garvey Professor of History at Harvard University. In her latest book, "Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People," Tiya writes about the somewhat unsung aspects of Harriet Tubman’s life—her intertwined relationship with God and nature—which guided her activism and connected her to a collective of other women of her time. Through “Nightflyer,” Tiya proves that even when it comes to the most heralded historical figures, there’s always more to say. And today, she joins us to tell us all about her new book, connect past and present, and offer lessons from Harriet’s life that can help us build a future of collective liberation.

    31 min
  8. The Supreme Court Ruled, What Now?

    JUL 8

    The Supreme Court Ruled, What Now?

    Another Supreme Court term has come to a close. This year, the court delivered major decisions on reproductive freedom, voting rights, free speech, this women's rights, gun rights, and presidential immunity, among other decisions. The ACLU was involved in cases throughout the term, and as far as wins and losses, we're coming out somewhere in the middle. Here to discuss it all and help us reconcile this term's decisions is returning favorite David Cole, the ACLU's national legal director.

    37 min
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4.7
out of 5
551 Ratings

About

At Liberty is a weekly podcast from the ACLU that explores the biggest civil rights and civil liberties issues of the day. A production of ACLU, Inc.

Information

  • Creator
    ACLU
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2024
  • Episodes
    325
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    At Liberty

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