As part of our conversation on the 2025 Georgia Legislative session, I reached out to the ACLU and their Policy & Advocacy Director attorney Christopher Bruce about local and national challenges that his organization is focusing on in 2025.
I asked Bruce about the organization’s focus for this year. He spoke about our state legislators working for forty days, this year the session ends on April 4th. He speaks about everyone contacting their representative to speak to the issues they think are important. Click here to find your representative at the Georgia State Capitol.
He specifies that their focus is on:
Opposing Censorship in education where the fight to erase American History is ongoing
- Protecting Maternal Mortality Rights. In our state Black women are twice as likely as white women to die from pregnancy-related causes.
- LBGTQ Rights are under fire. The first bill out of the Georgia Senate SB1 is a bill impacting trans youth in our community.
- Immigration and Racial Profiling being done under new ICE directives
- Justice Reform not only mass incarceration but also over-policing in some communities.
Bruce mentions that these are the same challenges that the ACLU is also fighting on a national/federal level.
I asked how average citizens who see their and other's rights being stripped away can make their desires known. Bruce invites any citizen who wants to visit the capitol and speak to their representative to get in touch with him via email (cbruce@acluga.org) or phone (470.279.0421). He promises to not only walk you into the capitol but take you to your representatives. He continued to say for change to come “It all starts at the local level” where you have real power.
Bruce brings up that there is an upcoming election in Atlanta this year and encourages people to get involved and vote. One issue on the ballot is surveillance. Bruce explains that after China and London, Atlanta has the most cameras turned on citizens than any other municipality in the world. Something to consider when folks say voting doesn’t matter.
#ListenLearnAct