ACLU of Oklahoma Selects ‘Oklahoma Dreamers’ to Receive 2018 Angie Debo Civil Liberties Award
Published: April 21st, 2018
OKLAHOMA CITY– The American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma announced Friday (April 20) that “Oklahoma Dreamers” will be the 2018 recipients of the prestigious Angie Debo Civil Libertian Award as part of Saturday’s annual meeting of the organization.
According to a press release from the civil liberties group, “This award, accepted jointly by Dream Act Oklahoma and Dream Action Oklahoma, is given in recognition and celebration of the courage and tenacity displayed by these groups and individuals in the pursuit of immigration reform.”
The award will be presented to Oklahoma Dreamers at the Annual Meeting of the ACLU of Oklahoma. In addition to the presentation of the Angie Debo Award, ACLU members will vote to elect new board members, and attendees will hear an address from the ACLU of Oklahoma’s Campaign for Smart Justice.
“As fearless advocates for those facing among the most serious threats from the Trump Administration and past administrations, Oklahoma Dreamers have displayed steadfast, bold courage in the face of adversity,” said Melissa Lujan, Board Member for the ACLU of Oklahoma. “Dreamers perfectly capture the fire that drove Ms. Angie Debo to advocate for civil liberties and it is their unyielding resolve to fight for change that has rightfully earned them this honor.”
The reception and annual meeting will be held in the 46th Star Auditorium of the Downtown Oklahoma City Library today (Saturday, April 21) at 10 a.m. The event is free and open to the public. Dues paying members of the ACLU of Oklahoma are eligible to vote to fill board vacancies.
Allie Shinn, external affairs director for ACLU Oklahoma, said in the group’s press release that the Angie Debo Award is named in honor of the writer, historian, and civil rights advocate Angie Debo, who. Shinn wrote that Debo “relentlessly pursued justice in cooperation with the ACLU of Oklahoma during the late 1960s and 1970s. It is the highest award presented by the ACLU of Oklahoma and has been presented annually since 1971 for outstanding achievement in the fight for civil rights and civil liberties.”