Media Advisory: Thurs. 6/1: Sister Unity to Host ACLU Advocates for Justice Event
Kendrick Sampson, activists and legal champions to be honored at The Grammy Museum
IRVINE, Calif. (May 31, 2023) — WHAT: The ACLU Foundation of Southern California will honor individuals, community groups and law firms, who have directly contributed to the organization's legal and advocacy efforts across the southland, at its 2023 Advocates for Justice reception on Thursday, June 1 at 5:30 p.m. at The Grammy Museum in downtown Los Angeles.
Sister Unity of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will host the event.
Among the honorees is actor and activist Kendrick Sampson, who will be honored for his work to shine a light on issues of inequity and mobilize action locally and statewide. Honorees include law firms and individuals who have fought for equitable redistricting, immigrants’ rights, and sheriff accountability.
The event is open to the public. Tickets are available at https://aclusocal.org/advocatesforjustice.
WHEN: Thursday, June 1 at 5:30 p.m. PT
WHERE: The Grammy Museum, 800 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015
WHO: ACLU SoCal supporters will join ACLU SoCal Executive Director Hector Villagra and staff members in presenting awards to the following honorees:
- Kendrick Sampson will receive the Advocate for Justice Award for being a stalwart champion of the ACLU SoCal’s mission and harnessing the influence of culture and entertainment to build power and catalyze change.
- Lauren Keller, Shane M. Shelley, and the law firm Morrison & Foerster LLP will receive the Pro Bono Award for their unstinting support in a myriad of ways to the work of the ACLU SoCal, and for providing tax consultation to our clients in settlement negotiations.
- Moe Keshavarzi and the law firm Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP will receive the Voting Rights Award for their expertise and avid partnership in our redistricting litigation in Riverside County.
- Inland Empire United will receive the Voting Rights Award for their work throughout Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, ensuring the adoption of more representative and equitable maps this past redistricting cycle.
- Hunter V. Armour, Madelyn Chen, Anjan Choudhury, Jacob Kreilkamp, Giovanni Saarman González, Brandon R. Teachout, the law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, UC Irvine School of Law Immigrant Rights Clinic, Annie Lai, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) and the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice (ICIJ) will receive the Immigrants’ Rights Award for the extraordinary time and effort that counsel and plaintiffs have dedicated to Kidd v. Mayorkas, securing important legal victories, collecting and disclosing substantial information, and for developing an innovative “know your rights” campaign to educate and empower communities.
- Osny Sorto-Vasquez Kidd will receive the Advocate for Justice Award for being the plaintiff and public face of Kidd v Mayorkas, the ICE police impersonation case, recounting his story and trauma countless times, and for willingly investing his time in the pursuit of an end to this unscrupulous practice.
- Stephanie Luna and Helen Jones Phillips will receive the Advocate for Justice Award for their powerful and dedicated commitment to the campaign to “Check the Sheriff” and for Measure A, strengthening sheriff accountability in Los Angeles and serving as a model for other counties statewide.
- Evan Minton will receive the Advocate for Justice Award for his time and energy invested as a plaintiff in more than four years of litigation, for the unique contributions he has made to the conversation about fighting the use of religious beliefs as an excuse to discriminate in health care, and for his service as a community leader, always encouraging colleagues to focus on the intersectional needs of the most marginalized members of the TGI community.
Members of the press interested in attending the event, please contact communications@aclusocal.org.