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Events
Past Events
The chapter presented two prestigious awards at its June 23 Spring Dinner in Syracuse.
Police Lt. Grace Pruitt - Utica's highest-ranking female officer - received the Kharas Award for Distinguished Service in Civil Liberties and Syracuse City Court Judge Langston McKinney was presented with the Faith Seidenberg Award, named in honor of the noted civil rights attorney.
Click here to read more.
17th Annual Student and Faculty Banned Book Reading at Utica College
Come honor Banned Books Week on Thursday Oct. 7 at Utica College's annual banned book reading marathon.
Established by the American Library Association in 1982, Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to express ideas and opinions, even if they are unorthodox or unpopular. It highlights the importance of ensuring that controversial viewpoints are available to anyone who wishes to study them.
The reading runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Strebel Student Center at Utica College
Annual Meeting and Board Election
Thursday, September 23, 2010 at the home of Karen DeCrow, 7599 Brown Gulf Road in Jamesville.
Event is free and focused on informal social & educational exchange.
Bring a side dish, salad or dessert to share. Cold cuts and sandwich fixings, coffee, soda, and juice provided.
6:00 pm -- Potluck Dinner and Social Time
7:15 pm -- Brief Annual Meeting and Board Member Elections (Board Nominations listed below)
7:45 pm –- Interactive Program featuring the questioning of immigrant Boris Krasnikov by the Ellis Island Board of Special Inquiry – You are requested to assist the Board during the interview to determine if he will be allowed to enter the U.S.
Directions to the Home of Karen DeCrow: From the center of village in Jamesville, head east on Route 173 for 3.5 miles (towards Manlius). Turn right on Henneberry Road (look for small sign for Pratt’s Falls). Continue south for 2.8 miles. Turn left on Brown Gulf Road. 7599 is 1st driveway on the left. (Look for white signs & balloons)
Join Us! Socialize with fellow Civil Libertarians. Learn About the Work of the NYCLU in CNY.
For More Information Call the Chapter Office at 315-471-2821 or email katwater@nyclu.org or bgewanter@nyclu.org .
Current and Continuing Board Members (from Onondaga County unless indicated otherwise):
Dennis Heaphy – Board Chair
Marilyn Smith
Edgar Galson
Jim Simonis
Joseph Leonard
Robert Sarason
Polly Ginsberg (Utica) – Board Secretary
Sam Young – Legal Committee Chair
Lloyd Perkins
Kathleen Rumpf
Joyce Smith
Christine Waters
Utica Alternate: Sunithi Bajekal
Officers positions to be designated after Annual Meeting: Vice Chair and Treasurer
Nominated for a second, three-year term:
Diane Berry (Utica)
Nominated for a first three-year term:
Warren Popp (SU Law School)
Clarence Martin (Oswego County)
Note:
Additional Nominations for full, three-year term still open from the floor at the annual meeting this Thursday. We are also seeking additional ongoing suggestions for board appointment to a one-year term.
Syracuse March and Rally for Reform at the Justice Center
The recent deaths of two people housed at the Ononaga County Justice Center raise grave concerns about inhumane conditions and neglect at the facility. Join the NYCLU and its allies at a march and rally in Syracuse on Saturday, Sept. 4 to demand accountability and reform at the jail.
Noon, Sept. 4
Kirk Park football field, Syracuse
Please invite friends, family and co-workers to join us in demanding human treatment for those in the Justice Center. For more information, e-mail syracuse@answercoalition.org or call 315.491.6987.
Past Events
Central New York Chapter honors two local champions of civil liberties at its annual Spring Dinner.
Marsha Weissman, executive director of the Center for Community Alternatives received the Kharas Award for Distinguished Service in Civil Liberties, which the chapter presents annually to an individual who has taken direct action to protect or promote civil liberties. Previous winners of the Kharas Award have included Jerry Berrigan, Alan Rosenthal, Karen DeCrow, Vivian Moore, Joseph Heath, Bill Cuddy, Kathleen Rumpf, Magda Bayoumi, Michael Schwartz, Donna Reese and Beth Broadway.
Attorney Susan Horn, president and CEO of the Hiscock Legal Aid Society, was the first-ever recipient of the Seidenberg Award, a new honor named after noted civil rights attorney Faith Seidenberg. This new award was created to recognize members of the legal community who have furthered the cause of civil rights and civil liberties.
Under Weissman’s leadership, the Center for Community Alternatives has become a powerful statewide advocate for fairness and equity in the justice system on behalf of criminal defendants, at-risk youth and those returning to society from prison. Weissman has worked tirelessly to promote humane and sensible alternatives to incarceration and to identify the damaging consequences of harsh discipline in public schools. She was also a leader in the successful statewide campaign to reform the state’s draconian Rockefeller Drug Laws.
Horn has devoted her life to assisting underserved and marginalized members of society. She has defended inmates implicated in the Attica prison riots as well as activists arrested after protesting against nuclear weapons and cruise missiles at Griffiss Air Force Base and the Seneca Army Depot. As leader of the Hiscock Legal Aid Society, she has proven herself a steadfast champion of the right of poor defendants to constitutional guarantees of due process and effective legal counsel. She has steered the Legal Aid Society through many challenges, upholding and preserving its mission to ensure fairness in the court system and to balance the scales of justice.
Click here to read Chapter Director Barrie Gewanter’s report on chapter’s work over the past year.
Banned Book Read-a-Thon in Syracuse
Wednesday, September 30
Join us at the Banned Book Read-a-Thon on Wednesday, Sept. 30 in the Galleries of the Central Onondaga County Public Library in Downtown Syracuse.
The reading runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A reception will follow at 5:30 p.m. featuring a keynote address by Sondra Sones, author of four acclaimed novels.
Established by the American Library Association in 1982, Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to express ideas and opinions, even if they are unorthodox or unpopular. It highlights the importance of ensuring that controversial viewpoints are available to anyone who wishes to study them.
For more information, call 315-435-1938 or e-mail gmcox@onlib.org.
16th Annual Student and Faculty Banned Book Reading at Utica College
Wednesday, September 30
Come honor Banned Books Week on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at Utica College's annual banned book reading marathon.
Established by the American Library Association in 1982, Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to express ideas and opinions, even if they are unorthodox or unpopular. It highlights the importance of ensuring that controversial viewpoints are available to anyone who wishes to study them.
The reading runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Strebel Student Center. For more information, e-mail klandon@utica.edu.
Dirty Words and Dangerous Ideas: Selected Readings from Banned and Challenged Books -- Auburn Event
Friday, October 2
Join the NYCLU's Central New York Chapter in celebrating the freedom to read on Friday, Oct. 2 at a reading of banned and challenged books at the Unitarian Church of Auburn.
Established by the American Library Association in 1982, Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to express ideas and opinions, even if they are unorthodox or unpopular. It highlights the importance of ensuring that controversial viewpoints are available to anyone who wishes to study them.
The reading runs from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Unitarian Church, which is located at 607 N. Seward Ave.
For more information, please contact the chapter at 315-471-2821.
Dirty Words and Dangerous Ideas: Selected Reading from Banned and Challenged Books -- Syracuse Event
Saturday, October 3
Join the NYCLU's Central New York Chapter in celebrating the freedom to read on Saturday, Oct. 3 at a reading of banned and challenged books in Syracuse.
Established by the American Library Association in 1982, Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to express ideas and opinions, even if they are unorthodox or unpopular. It highlights the importance of ensuring that controversial viewpoints are available to anyone who wishes to study them.
The reading runs from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Sugar Pearl Espresso Bar and Lounge, located at 600 Burnett Ave.
For more information, please contact the chapter at 315-471-2821.
Annual Meeting
The Central New York Chapter’s annual meeting and potluck dinner took place on Thursday, Sept. 17.
Annual Spring Dinner and Kharas Award Presentation, June 25, 2009
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