Dear Incoming 1Ls,
On behalf of the officers and members of the ACLU-HLS, welcome to Harvard Law School.
From the moment you step on campus, you're going to be faced with an overwhelming array of
opportunities. Journals, student groups and volunteer opportunities (not to mention classes
and jobs) will all be vying for your precious time and energy. But before you commit yourself
to any of them, think, for a second, about why you are coming to Harvard Law School:
For a prestigious, nationally recognized name? A strong commitment to egalitarian principles?
Free booze at cocktail receptions?
Join the group that can give you all of that and more: the Harvard Law School ACLU.
Working closely with the Massachusetts chapter of the ACLU, our members have conducted legal
research on the use of tasers by police and corrections officers; they have lobbied Congress
to revise the Patriot Act; they have investigated the use of improper abstinence-only sex
education materials in local schools; and they have ignited the biggest First Amendment debate
on campus by bringing Larry Flynt to speak about his controversial free speech battles in the
Supreme Court.
Through all that hard work, we've made sure to toast our success every step of the way. We've
had conversation and cocktails with Brenda Feigen, who co-founded the ACLU Women's Rights Project
with Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 1971. We've had wine and cheese with Jeremy Gunn, the director of the
ACLU's Project on Freedom of Religion and Belief. And we've had a keg and a screening of Woody
Harrelson in the People vs. Larry Flynt to check out our speaker's scandalous history.
We look forward to welcoming you all, along with your new ideas, your firm ideals, and your thirst
for civil liberties. Join our legal research team, our women's equality project, or our education
initiative to teach street law in high school classrooms, or just come and enjoy our speakers and
our refreshments. All levels of involvement are welcome, from the passive audience member to the
project chair. This year, we're looking to elect a 1L representative as well as other board positions
from your class -- stop by our table at the activities fair or email aclu@law.harvard.edu to get involved.
We're the Harvard Law School ACLU. And you can be, too.