2021 Annual Report

This was another supremely challenging year for all of us. COVID-19 continued to disrupt—and end—lives, voter suppression, abortion bans and attacks on LGBTQ rights escalated, and insurrectionists came unthinkably close to overturning our free and fair election. Existential threats to our democratic institutions and constitutional ideals called for a powerful response, and the ACLU and NYCLU stepped up, as always, to defend our civil rights and liberties with every means at our disposal.

Despite the resounding defeat of the Trump presidential bid, the perils to our democracy and the threats to our hopes and dreams for a fair and just society persist. And Black and Brown New Yorkers continue to suffer disproportionately from systemic inequality. In the face of this, we came together to achieve a number of hard-won victories, including some that have been decades in the making. These victories advance racial justice and lay the groundwork for even more progress in the future. We have much still to do to restore and strengthen democracy in New York and beyond, and our work has never been more vital—or more promising. Each year, we rededicate ourselves to eradicating inequality and demanding justice, particularly for the most vulnerable among us, while building a better, fairer, more inclusive society.

Throughout this report, you’ll read about our many groundbreaking legal and legislative victories, meet some of our extraordinary partners and staff, and get a look at our ambitious plans for 2022.