Miriam Aukerman of ACLU to speak in Grand Rapids

Miriam Aukerman, Staff Attorney for the West Michigan Regional Office of the American Civil Liberties Union, will speak at a meeting of the Progressive Women’s Alliance of West Michigan on Wednesday, May 16. Her topic will be “Protecting Civil Liberties in a Time of Economic Crisis.” She will discuss current trends in constitutional interpretation as well as the relationship between civil liberties and poverty. Aukerman will focus on government policies that criminalize poverty, restrict the reproductive rights of low-income women and marginalize poor communities of color.

The American Civil Liberties Union’s mission is “to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.” ACLU West Michigan has its office in Grand Rapids and serves Barry, Ionia, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Osceola and Ottawa Counties.

Aukerman joined the ACLU of Michigan in December 2010, where she is responsible for building a robust legal program in West Michigan as well as conducting outreach work to increase the understanding of constitutional rights and the ACLU's work. Before joining the ACLU, she worked for Legal Aid of Western Michigan. She has litigated numerous high impact cases challenging the legal barriers preventing individuals with criminal records from obtaining housing, employment and education. She has served as a cooperating attorney on many important issues, including racial profiling in Grand Rapids. She also led the ACLU's election protection efforts in Grand Rapids in 2004 and 2008.

The program will be held at the Women's City Club, 254 E. Fulton, on Wednesday, May 16, with social time from 5:00 - 5:30 p.m. and program with Q & A from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. It is free and open to the public.