Stories from the ACLU of Washington

With the proliferation of social networks, Twitter, reality shows, YouTube and blogs, it’s not the easiest thing to get the attention of this media- saturated nation.  High schooler Gaby Rodriguez of Toppenish, WA, has managed to break through with a social experiment for her senior project.  You might have seen Gaby in your local paper or on a major network last week as the “girl who faked being pregnant.”  

In the early 1900s, the Industrial Workers of the World won a reputation for militant organizing and creative tactics in advocating for the rights of workers. Supporters of “One Big Union” for all workers, they were at the center of some of most gripping events in Washington state labor history. Among these was the so-called Centralia Massacre, an outburst of violence involving veterans of the American Legion and IWW members (aka “the Wobblies”).  

University of Washington Law School prof Ronald Collins and coauthor Sam Chaltain have come out with a new book of interest to anyone who cares about freedom of speech. We Must Not Afraid to Be Free: Stories of Free Expression in America (Oxford U. Press) explore some of the challenging issues and colorful individuals involved in important controversies over what free speech means in America.

The study of psychology and addiction behaviors has lost a true pioneer. The recent passing of Professor G. Alan Marlatt has reverberated across the addiction research and drug policy communities. As a Professor of Psychology and Director of the Addictive Behaviors Research Center at the University of Washington, Dr. Marlatt broke new ground in the areas of harm reduction, relapse prevention, and evidence based treatment techniques.

Women's History Month gives us an opportunity to reflect on the great strides women and girls have made toward achieving equal rights and equal treatment. Yet, in some ways we are still stuck in the past — as I was reminded of recently when I had the opportunity to step into classrooms in urban Seattle and hear the stories of pregnant and parenting students who are being pressured to drop out of school. As I stand in front of these young women and share information about their rights under Title IX, jaws drop and hands shoot up with questions.