ACLU of Southern California is prepping an in-person return for its Bill of Rights Awards dinner, the first since 2019. Set for Oct. 16 at the Beverly Hilton, the program will see awards doled out to legendary songwriter Diane Warren, civil rights lawyer Ahilan Arulanantham and Berlanti Prods. partners Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter.
Emmy winning superstar RuPaul, actor Jason George, writer-director Rachel Lee Goldenberg, actress Nicole Maines and actress Azie Tesfai are also confirmed for the event which will feature performances by singer Jennifer Lee Warren and poet Alyesha Wise. The Bill of Rights Awards are designed to shine a spotlight “on those who have meaningfully challenged the status quo.”
Per the org, Warren is being lauded for using her songwriting to advance social justice, bringing attention to issues of equity and fairness and for lending her music to causes she supports. “I’m Standing With You,” “Somehow You Do,” “I’ll Fight,” and “Stand Up For Something,” are just a few of those tracks.
Arulanantham, a lawyer, activist, professor from practice and co-director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law, served as an attorney at the ACLU SoCal for nearly two decades and was once named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow. He’s being singled out for “innovative legal strategies and unrelenting advocacy to protect and expand the rights of immigrant communities.”
As for prolific producers and Hollywood moguls Berlanti and Schechter, they will make their way to the podium for a “commitment to producing inclusive and diverse stories and hiring casts that reflect that diversity, advancing equity and telling stories that highlight social justice.” They have long championed diverse casting and inclusive and boundary-breaking storylines on such projects as Arrowverse, Unpregnant and All American, among many others.
“Since our founding nearly a century ago, the Southern California affiliate of the ACLU has dared to create a world where all people can thrive and enjoy their civil liberties and civil rights,” said Hector Villagra, executive director of the ACLU SoCal. “We are proud to honor those who break the mold when rights or representation are at stake.”