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Anthony Romero from the American Civil Liberties Union gives a lecture Thursday evening in the Council Fire Room of Davies Center.

ACLU director visits Eau Claire

Romero emphasizes fighting for justice, equality on local level

By: Caitlin Heidbrink

Posted: 2/11/08

Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), addressed a passionate and attentive audience Thursday in the Council Fire Room in Davies Center.

His speech, titled "Leadership: Stand Up for What You Believe In No Matter What the Difficulty," was presented as an overview of the injustices the ACLU has fought.

In addition, his speech, part of UW-Eau Claire's Forum series, gave listeners an understanding of what has become of civil liberties since Sept. 11 and the optimistic changes Romero sees for the nation's future.

Senior Collin Hawkins has been a member of the ACLU for 12 years and introduced Romero at the Forum. Hawkins said Romero has done an outstanding job as leader of the organization.

"It's hard to compare him to someone else because he's blazing new territory," Hawkins said.

Romero is the first openly gay and Latino man to hold this position and attended the Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton, Hawkins said. In addition, Time magazine named Romero one of the 25 most influential Hispanics in America.

One of the major points Romero made in his speech was that the ACLU does not support any political candidate, nor does it side with a particular party.

"(We have been) invariably and wrongly lumped with Democrats," Romero said. "We cannot and must never be pegged for carrying the water of any political party."

He emphasized the importance of fighting for justice and equality on a local level and that civil liberties are an issue for everyone.

"If you violate these values, you are a foe no matter what," Romero said.

He reminded the audience that the ACLU is an optimistic organization and that the nation's core values are its greatest strengths. Romero urged that as American people, we should not fear these rights.

"When decisions are made based on fear, those decisions tend to be bad ones," he said.

Romero also touched on a vast array of political and social hot topics, spanning from wiretapping, habeas corpus and voter rights.

Romero recently published a book, "In Defense of Our America: The Fight for Civil Liberties." He described his book as a collection of testimonials by ordinary people, who help to explain the rights they have through their stories.

Senior Claire Couillard didn't know about Romero prior to the discussion. She said Romero's influence is a valuable one, especially during a time of elections.

"Students are getting facts from so many sources. It's nice to get information from someone who's not on one side (of the political spectrum), who stands for all people. I think that's important," she said.

Hawkins said he thinks the university is politically passive compared to many campuses. While there is a committed and passionate few, he said, there are a great number who are not tuned into the current political environment.

Hawkins said Romero is an instrument of inspiration for students on campus during the upcoming elections.

"It's our future and he's representing that," Hawkins said. "It's a scary world to come into and students have to be involved and aware because it's the world we're inheriting."