The Nevada ACLU celebrated its 50th anniversary in Midtown Reno Thursday with a panel of historians and activists discussing the history of civil rights in the state. Reno Public Radio’s Noah Glick was there and has the details.
Richard Seigel has been with the ACLU of Nevada since 1967, and he spoke about the organization’s humble beginnings.
"Well, the ACLU started as what I refer to as a mom-and-pop store in Reno. We had a fully-professional staff beginning in the 1980's and tremendous growth in the state in 1995 where we grew to 11-13 staff at the time.”
Seigel says he’s worked on a lot of causes in his 45-plus years with the organization.
“We’ve always had the widest agenda of any cause org in the state of Nevada, which is both a curse and a blessing. ACLU expands like an octopus and has projects in about 15 areas from voting rights to racial discrimination to criminal justice.”
Dozens of people packed into the Good Luck Macbeth Theatre for Thursday's event to hear stories from a diverse group of speakers, discussing topics from immigration to voting rights.
The ACLU of Nevada will hold additional events throughout the year, including a gala reception in Las Vegas on June 11.
