Michigan ACLU to host annual dinner

The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan is celebrating its 50th anniversary and will commemorate this milestone during its 2009 Annual Dinner on Saturday, Nov. 7. It will be held at the Westin Book Cadillac, 1114 Washington Boulevard in Detroit. The keynote speaker is Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor in chief of The Huffington Post.
The event begins at 6 p.m. with a cocktail reception and silent auction. The dinner and program follow at 7 p.m., with a special tribute to the organization's founders.
"We are thrilled to have Ariana Huffington as the keynote speaker at this pivotal event in our organization's history," said Kary L. Moss, ACLU of Michigan executive director.
"She truly understands the need to speak up and not stand idly by when civil liberties are in jeopardy. She is able to articulate her ideas in a multitude of media platforms, from newspapers and the Internet to radio and television, and is passionately involved in community issues and social activism."
Huffington launched The Huffington Post, a news and blog site, in 2005. It quickly became one of the most widely read, linked to and frequently cited media brands on the Internet. In 2006, she was named to the Time 100, Time magazine's list of the world's 100 most influential people. She is the author of 12 books, including "Right Is Wrong: How the Lunatic Fringe Hijacked America, Shredded the Constitution, and Made Us All Less Safe," and "The Woman behind the Legend," a biography of Maria Callas that became an international bestseller.
Huffington is the co-host of Left, Right & Center, public radio's popular political roundtable and has made guest appearances on many TV shows, including Charlie Rose, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Nightline, Larry King Live, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Good Morning America, the Today show, Countdown with Keith Olbermann and The O'Reilly Factor. She serves on several boards that promote community solutions to social problems, including A Place Called Home, which works with at-risk children in South Central Los Angeles, and the Archer School for Girls.
Since 1959, the ACLU of Michigan has worked to protect and defend civil liberties of Michigan residents in the courts, through legislation and in communities across the state.
"Our 2009 Annual Dinner will highlight the key issues and initiatives that have challenged and defined us for the past five decades, recognize the contributions of our founders and honor their legacy," said Moss. "These individuals have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the fight to protect the Bill of Rights and advance its principles."
Event chairs are Eric Jirgens, Eric Charles Designs and Rollo O'Hare – an ACLU of Michigan founder.
"The dinner is a fun and inspiring way to get people engaged in the issues," said Jirgens. "Although we will be looking back at our history, the focus of the dinner will be to sustain the work that we do for the next 50 years. We have a great legacy to celebrate, but we also have a very important future. This future will be driven by an expanded statewide presence, including a new office in western Michigan and an increase of our dedicated members across the state, all while mentoring the next generation of civil libertarians."
Tickets are $150 for ACLU members; $200 for non-members; $50 for students and those on fixed incomes. Reservations may be made online at http://www.aclumich.org. Premium table packages are available. For sponsorship information, contact Deb Patrick at [email protected], or 313-578-6827.