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We are always proud to raise our voices to civil liberties.
But this year, as executive director and Board chair, we have been more honored and humbled than ever before to be the voice for the ever-stronger, more diverse, and more vibrant family of staff, volunteers and supporters that is the New York Civil Liberties Union.

This year the press has followed our work across the state, from the courtrooms to the streets, schools and workplaces. We’ve placed op-eds and editorials in every major newspaper, earning literally hundreds of news clippings. And even as humbled as we feel, we know the NYCLU has earned this attention. Part of what makes our work appealing to the press is that we wage nonpartisan battles on behalf of all New Yorkers—rich and poor, straight and gay, black and white, urban and rural, devout and atheist, American-born and foreign-born, able-bodied and living with disabilities. As we take on each new challenge, the headlines are proof that our state and our country are watching.

The scope and reach of our work also continue to grow. More diverse audiences are being empowered by our Know Your Rights programs. Our Teen Health Initiative and our campaigns to end unregulated military recruitment, overpolicing in schools, and harassment of students because of their race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, sex or gender have touched the lives of thousands of young New Yorkers. And in addition to our work in the courts and at the grassroots, we are increasingly engaged in legislative advocacy, educating lawmakers and opinion leaders about the dangers of racial profiling, the importance of a robust public defense system, and the tragedy of the draconian Rockefeller Drug Laws and drug sentencing disparities.

This report documents the NYCLU’s work in the fiscal year 2007–2008. It was a year full of both struggle and success. The press coverage that organizes this report shows the ways in which we have influenced statewide and national dialogues on the subjects that matter most—whether the issue at stake is national security, freedom of the press, police accountability, or reproductive rights.

But just as the headlines can offer only a distilled version of what really happened, no report can fully capture the extraordinarily wide-ranging and diverse work that the NYCLU does. To get the whole story, you’d need to walk into one of our eight offices statewide, where every day you will find people building coalitions, filing lawsuits, organizing rallies, holding press conferences, and training the next generation of activists and leaders.

As we prepare this report, we do not yet know what the November 2008 elections will bring. What we do know is that the work of civil liberties is never done. But as this report proves, our untiring team of staff, volunteers and supporters is always ready to face the challenges ahead, and for that we are truly grateful.
Thank you for your continued support.

Donna Lieberman
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Thomas Frey
PRESIDENT

• NYCLU Annual Report (2007-2008) (3.22 MB)