Local ACLU’s 8 Civil Rights Resolutions for 2024

By Norma Chávez-Peterson, Executive Director, ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties

Winding down the first month of the new year, I find myself at the crossroads of hope and apprehension. The challenges to people’s civil rights and freedoms are real, relentless and widespread. From a rise in xenophobic rhetoric and accompanying anti-immigrant proposals in federal budget negotiations, to continued voter suppression and gerrymandering attempts that threaten our democracy and aim to minimize the clout of communities of color, to the grave threats on transgender rights, to ongoing incidents of police violence, there is much at stake in 2024.

Even so, there are very real opportunities for meaningful social change – if we are resolute that justice, equity and human dignity are our collective responsibility. Through our combined efforts of advocacy, organizing, education and litigation, we can attain the change we seek in San Diego County. However, we must resolve to be diligent and unwavering in the face of adversity.

As we recommit to our values of equity and justice, our new year’s resolutions must include addressing critical issues such as voter participation, systemic racism, racist policing, and immigrants’ rights, including the right to seek asylum. This year, my resolutions seek to dismantle the framework of our society’s inequalities and defend the hard-fought rights that are at risk.

Resolution 1 – Defend the Constitution

The objective of the ACLU is to defend and preserve the rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States and U.S. laws. Our organization was founded in 1920 to expand the promise of the Bill of Rights to reach people historically denied its protections. Now, more than 100 years later, many long-established rights have either been stripped away by extremist lawmakers or are under grave threat of eradication. Our social progress is completely impermanent if “We the People” are not united in our determination to defend and fulfill the promise of equal justice embedded in the Constitution.

Resolution 2 – Demand Equitable Governance

Our governments must do better to prioritize the needs of the people they are entrusted to protect. Our government leaders must invest in solutions that advance equity – ensuring that people have access to a living wage, affordable housing, quality education and health care – rather than perpetuate systems that isolate or criminalize people on the margins. Together with our Invest in San Diego Families (ISDF) coalition partners, the ACLU-SDIC achieved a breakthrough victory in 2021 when the San Diego County Board of Supervisors passed a $7.23 billion county budget that better reflected residents’ shared values and priorities. With a new Board in place, we must resolve to maintain this forward momentum for the benefit of all. We are committed to the continuous fight for equitable governance in our region.

Resolution 3 – Protect Voting Rights and Expand Voter Participation

The foundation of our democratic society is the people’s ability to participate in fair and accessible elections. Efforts to restrict voting access disproportionately impact marginalized communities, silencing their voices and undermining the very essence of a representative democracy. In this election year, the ACLU is unwavering in our commitment to protect people’s fundamental right to vote their values and have their votes counted.

Resolution 4 – Confront Systemic Racism and Bigotry 

Despite the progress we have made, deeply entrenched prejudices continue to manifest in various facets of our lives. The year ahead demands a renewed focus on dismantling these systems and fostering a region where every individual, regardless of their background, can thrive. Justice and equity must be woven into the fabric of our institutions. We must dissent and collectively demand accountability when those structures are inequitable or unjust.

Resolution 5 – Protect the Right to Asylum 

The right to seek asylum in the United States is a cornerstone of compassion and humanity. However, the past year has seen an alarming erosion of this fundamental human right, with new and recycled policies that erect barriers against people fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries. The ACLU-SDIC will continue to fight, alongside our local partners at the California Welcoming Task Force and our colleagues in the ACLU Border Humanity Project, against anti-immigrant, anti-asylum policies. We resolve to advocate for a more humane approach that treats newcomers with human dignity and respect.

Resolution 6 – Invest in Community-Based Responses to End Criminalization of Marginalized Groups

Black, Latine, Indigenous and Asian/Pacific Islander communities, the LGBTQ community, people with disabilities, and people from other marginalized groups are disproportionately impacted by police encounters. Working with partners such as the Coalition for Police Accountability and Transparency (CPAT), the ACLU-SDIC advocates to reimagine what public safety means by ending the criminalization of marginalized groups, addressing systemic biases, holding those who abuse their power accountable, and investing in community-based responses to harm. We must resolve to adopt a transformative approach that prioritizes the safety of everyone in our region.

Resolution 7 – Defend the Right to Bodily Autonomy

Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the nearly 50-year-old landmark case of Roe v. Wade, which established a federal constitutional right to abortion. This disastrous decision triggered a cascade of abortion bans across the country, and anti-abortion lawmakers continue to introduce a slew of oppressive bills attempting to stymy or completely block access to this essential and sometimes life-saving procedure. This decision also opened the door to a range of attacks on people’s right to make choices about their own bodies. This year, we must be resolute in our position that bodily autonomy is a fundamental human and civil right.

Resolution 8 – Seek Collective Action on Intersectional Issues

In this new year, we must redouble our efforts to forge alliances and mobilize collective action to achieve lasting change. Today’s heightened awareness of the intersectionality of social justice issues provides a platform for tangible action on multiple fronts. Asylum, for example, is not only an “immigrants’ issue,” it is also an issue that impacts the LGBTQ community, Black and brown communities and people with disabilities. Abortion is more than a “women’s issue,” it’s about reproductive justice, bodily autonomy, racial and economic justice and trans rights. The impacts of harmful policing far extend the racist targeting that Black, Latine, Asian/Pacific Islander and Indigenous communities experience, as members of our communities experiencing homelessness, low-income communities, LGBTQ communities, and our youth and school-aged children are impacted as well. When we identify and come together to address intersectional social justice issues, we build power. There are more than enough of us to win these fights if we resolve to embrace solidarity and collective action to further our shared values.

Standing at the crossroads of hope and dread, I chose the path toward hope and urge you to do the same. I’m confident that grassroots engagement and strategic advocacy, rooted in hope, will dismantle the systems that hinder social progress. In this new year, I am resolved in this work to expand the circle of human concern to include everyone, so that “We the People” truly means all of us.

Happy New Year, San Diego County!