Group Calls For Submissions Depicting The Restoration Of Civil Liberties In America

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org

NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties has issued a call for poster design submissions that depict the transformation of America into a country that holds its leaders accountable, strives to restore civil liberties and works to fix unconstitutional policies. The winning designer will be awarded $500 and the poster will be used as part of the ACLU's national campaign to renew America's commitment to the Constitution.

The following can be attributed to Jameel Jaffer, Director of the ACLU National Security Project:

"January 11, 2009 will mark seven years since the first detainees were brought to the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Since then, Guantánamo and the military commissions that take place there have become a symbol for the Bush administration's worst excesses – including indefinite detention and torture. Guantánamo is only one example of what has been an 8-year campaign against the Constitution. We have also seen warrantless wiretapping, sweeping arrests of immigrants and unconscionable racial profiling.

"With the new administration, we have an opportunity to end these policies. President-elect Obama has said that we need to renew our commitment to the Constitution and 'regain America's moral stature in the world.' We're hoping that artists can help us convey to President-elect Obama and the new administration how important it is that they fulfill this pledge."

The deadline for submitting entries is Sunday, January 4, 2009. Designs should be 11" x 17", or 17" x 11". Entries should be submitted in JPG or PDF format under 3 MB to posters@aclu.org. The winner should be prepared to provide a high-resolution PDF of the design.

More information about the contest and the ACLU's "Actions for Restoring America" is available online at: www.aclu.org/restoreamerica