On April 4 Illinois will hold elections for local elected offices – like school board, city council, mayor and more. In this episode we were joined by Khadine Bennett, Director of Advocacy and Intergovernmental Affairs at the ACLU of Illinois t

Episode 39: Innocent Until Proven Guilty

Dec 15th, 2022 35m 3s

In 2023 Illinois will end the use of a money bond system - a system that prioritizes wealth when making decisions about who awaits trial in county jail. The new system relies on individualized assessments about public safety to make this critic

Episode 38: Civil Liberties Down the Ballot

Nov 1st, 2022 42m 9s

As the 2022 Midterm Election approaches on November 8 many voters are still deciding on whom to vote for – or whether to vote at all. The reality is that our civil liberties are on the ballot at every level and in every race. In this episode we

Episode 37: Fighting Against Book Bans

Sep 20th, 2022 37m 39s

Efforts to ban books in public and school libraries across the country has more than doubled in the past year. In this episode we were joined by Deborah Stone-Caldwell, director of the Office of Intellectual Freedom at the American Library Asso

Episode 36: ICE Enforcement In Our Communities

Apr 14th, 2022 34m 9s

In 2018, ICE conducted a series of controversial raids across the Chicago area using traffic stops and other techniques to detain hundreds of individuals for immigration violations. In this episode, we are joined by Antonio Gutierrez, an organi

Episode 35: Banned From Changing Your Name

Oct 1st, 2021 31m 14s

Illinois currently has one of the most restrictive laws name change laws in the country – a law that bans people from being able to change their names for at least ten years. On this episode we discussed the harms that this law imposes and effo

Episode 34: "It's Always Except Abortion"

Sep 9th, 2021 43m 52s

Even as Roe hangs by a thread, there are countless barriers to make abortions difficult, even impossible for people to access. On this episode we were joined by Representative Jan Schakowsky, Megan Jeyifo and Aalap Bommaraju from the Chicago Ab

Episode 33: Improving Sex Education in Illinois

Aug 23rd, 2021 29m 27s

Illinois has a new law updating and adding to the standards for how personal health and sexual health education is taught in this state. We sat down with Scout Bratt, Outreach & Education Director at Chicago Women's Health Center and Chelsea D

Episode 32: "I Got To Go Home."

Jun 29th, 2021 28m 7s

In 2019, Jaylan Butler – an innocent college student returning from a swim meet on his team’s bus – was taken to the ground and had a gun held to his head by police officers in Illinois. Jaylan bravely filed a lawsuit against those officers to

Episode 31: It's Time to Repeal PNA

May 14th, 2021 33m 55s

We all want young people to be able to talk to their parents about important life decisions. However, the idea that the government can force healthy family interactions ignores reality for many youth and the lasting injuries that result from en

Episode 30: The War on Drugs & Reducing Barriers to Recovery

May 5th, 2021 34m 38s

From 2016 to 2018, 20,000 people in Illinois were convicted of felonies for possessing small amounts of drugs, and 7,500 were imprisoned. On this episode of Talking Liberties, we are joined by a panel of experts and survivors to discuss why it

Episode 29: 2021 Legislative Agenda in Springfield

Apr 13th, 2021 33m 38s

We are joined by ACLU of Illinois Advocacy and Intergovernmental Affairs Director Khadine Bennett to talk through the initiatives we are advancing in Springfield in 2021, including ending qualified immunity, reforming drug sentencing and protec

Episode 28: How to Make Your Voice Heard in Springfield

Apr 5th, 2021 28m

Passionate about a public issue that affects you, your family, or friends? Looking to make your voice heard with the most impact? We have got you covered! This episode, we are joined by ACLU of Illinois Advocacy Associate Chelsea Diaz to talk t

Episode 27: "The Only People It Really Affects Are The People It Hurts"

Mar 11th, 2021 30m 35s

Human Rights Watch and the ACLU of Illinois recently collaborated on a report - "The Only People It Really Affects Are the People It Hurts: The Human Rights Impacts of Parental Notice of Abortion in Illinois” -which concluded that PNA is danger

Episode 26: Celebrating 100 Years of the ACLU

Dec 14th, 2020 47m 58s

For a century, the American Civil Liberties Union has fought to keep Americans in touch with the founding values of the Constitution. In this episode of Talking Liberties, we speak with Ellis Cose, the author who literally wrote the book on the

Episode 25: The Fight to Protect Transgender Rights

Nov 22nd, 2020 26m 13s

As #TransgenderAwarenessWeek comes to a close, we sat down with ACLU of Illinois LGBTQ and HIV Project Director John Knight to look at the big picture regarding the fight for transgender rights here at home and across the country. We also discu

Episode 24: Voting in the 2020 Election

Oct 14th, 2020 33m 5s

Got questions about voting in Illinois ahead of November 3rd? We've got answers! In this episode, we speak with Matt Dietrich, Public Information Officer at the Illinois State Board of Elections, and Michelle Hernandez, ACLU of Illinois Advoca

Episode 23: Prisons Are Failing Transgender People

Sep 29th, 2020 29m 55s

Transgender people are too often exposed to horrific abuse in prison, facing physical and sexual assault at much higher rates than other prisoners. And experts recognize that denying someone the health care they need for gender dysphoria causes

Episode 22: Protecting the Post Office

Aug 26th, 2020 13m 53s

The U.S. Postal Service is a pillar of our democracy - and it's currently under siege. Protecting our right to vote-by-mail will be essential this November, as millions of Americans from all 50 states use this option as the safest way to vote d

Episode 21: Reimagining Policing in Illinois

Jul 16th, 2020 31m 13s

Americans are reimagining our fundamental notions about policing, especially in response to the continued killings of Black and Brown people by police officers. For too long, we have prioritized policing over other community resources. We speak

Episode 20: Civil Liberties During the Pandemic

May 27th, 2020 28m 19s

Talking Liberties with the ACLU of Illinois returns with our 20th episode, recording from our own homes during the COVID-19 outbreak. We speak with our Executive Director Colleen Connell about how the pandemic has touched all areas of our work

Episode 19: Live at the Cook County State's Attorney Candidate Forum

Mar 8th, 2020 1h 22m

Welcome to a bonus episode of Talking Liberties. On Saturday, February 29th, the ACLU hosted a candidate’s forum for the office of Cook County State’s Attorney. We were pleased to be joined by Bill Conway, former Chicago City Alderman Bob Fiore

Episode 18: Fired for Being Transgender

Dec 20th, 2019 34m 28s

More than one in four transgender people have lost a job due to bias, and more than three-fourths have experienced some form of workplace discrimination. Refusal to hire, privacy violations, harassment, and even physical and sexual violence on

Episode 17: Enforcing the TRUST Act

Nov 22nd, 2019 31m 59s

In 2017, the Illinois legislature passed the TRUST Act, which prohibits local law enforcement from holding a person based on a “detainer” issued by immigration authorities unless presented with a signed judicial warrant. However, three men rece

Episode 16: Protecting Your Biometric Information

Oct 17th, 2019 26m 7s

Concerns about protecting your personal information online continue to grow, especially from its use by corporations and the government. Emerging technologies – including facial recognition and mobile fingerprinting software – are making our ab