FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kirsten Bokenkamp, Communications Coordinator, ACLU of Texas, (713) 942-8146 x 109 or (832) 691-7013; [email protected]
HOUSTON – On November 5, the ACLU of Texas conference on community activism will teach people how they can effectively create change in their own communities. The conference is part of a larger ACLU of Texas effort, the Community Action Network, which is charged with training and working with activists in different communities throughout Texas in order to protect the civil liberties of Texans.
“Working to maintain our freedoms takes sustained effort from community members all over Texas. It is hard work, and, to be most successful, campaigns need to be highly organized and messaged in a fashion that grab peoples’ attention,” said Terri Burke, Executive Director of the ACLU of Texas. “That is what this conference is all about – giving organizers and activists the tools they need to be more effective in their work.”
The afternoon’s first training, “How to Develop an Effective Campaign Strategy,” will feature Nsombi Lambright, Executive Director with the ACLU of Mississippi, and Chandra Bhatnagar, Senior Staff Attorney with the national office of the ACLU. Participants will also learn from longtime Austin-area community activist Debbie Russell; Grassroots Leadership Organizer Bob Libal; Messaging Audience and Presentation President James Aldrete; and ACLU of Texas Legal Director Lisa Graybill in the second workshop, “Organizing 101 and How to Conduct Public Education Events.”
The luncheon keynote speaker will be the Rev. William Lawson, well-known community leader in Houston. Renowned civil rights attorney Al Bronstein will also discuss “Ethical Issues When Your Client Is a Worthy Cause.” Attorneys will be eligible for one hour of ethics credit.
Interested people can sign up for the conference at www.aclutx.org/annualmeeting. The full schedule follows.
ACLU Conference on Community Activism
Schedule of Events
Saturday, November 5
| 11:45am - 12:50pm | Lunch Award presentations Keynote speaker, the Rev. William Lawson: noted community leaderand founding pastor of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church |
| 1:00pm - 2:20pm | “How to Develop an Effective Campaign Strategy” Chandra Bhatnagar, Senior Staff Attorney, Human Rights Program, ACLU Nsombi Lambright, Executive Director, ACLU of Mississippi |
| 2:30pm - 3:50pm | “Organizing 101 and How to Conduct Public Education Events” James Aldrete, President, Messaging Audience & Presentation Lisa Graybill, Legal Director, ACLU of Texas Bob Libal, Senior Organizer, Grassroots Leadership Debbie Russell, ACLU of Texas Volunteer |
| 4:00pm - 5:00pm | “Ethical Issues When Your Client is a Worthy Cause” (CLE) Al Bronstein, Civil Rights Attorney and Former Attorney to Martin Luther King Jr. |
| 5:00pm Closing remarks |
| 5:15pm - 6:30pm Social Hour | At the Hilton Garden Inn, 3201 Sage Road, Houston, TX – the Great American Grill |
