ACLU SoCal to Honor Ava DuVernay With Bill of Rights Award

By Daniel Okafor

Ava DuVernay receives the ACLU SoCal Bill of Rights Award on Dec. 9. The venue is the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. The date is deliberate: the eve of Human Rights Day.

The award recognizes her contributions to civil rights, civil liberties and social justice through storytelling. In short, the ACLU is thanking a filmmaker for doing civic work with a camera.

Chandra Bhatnagar, executive director of ACLU SoCal, said: "Ava has helped millions engage with the ongoing work of protecting civil rights, expanding opportunity and strengthening democratic participation. It is especially fitting that we will honor Ava on the eve of Human Rights Day. For more than a decade, her eye-opening work has challenged audiences to confront injustice while deepening public understanding of the constitutional principles that underpin our democracy."

What does the evening include?

Guests get a screening of DuVernay's new Netflix documentary, "14th," followed by a conversation with the filmmaker and a private reception. It's a private event, so don't check your inbox.

"14th" traces the history of the Fourteenth Amendment — the constitutional guarantee of citizenship, equal protection and due process — and its continued relevance amid present-day challenges. Through interviews with historians, legal scholars, elected leaders, advocates and cultural commentators, the film ties contemporary fights over civil rights, immigration, voting rights and government power back to the amendment.

The guest list reads like a bipartisan dinner party assembled by a very ambitious host:

• 14th Amendment Center Founder Sherrilyn Ifill
• ACLU President Deborah Archer
• ACLU Deputy Executive Director Yasmin Cader
• ACLU SoCal Senior Policy Counsel Andrés Dae Keun Kown
• California Senator Alex Padilla
• Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass
• Political Strategist Steve Schmidt
• Ambassador Jeff Flake
• Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez
• Stacey Abrams
• Van Lathan
• Historians Dr. Donald T. Critchlow and Dr. David Blight
• Illinois Governor JB Pritzker
• Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna
• UC Irvine Professor of Law Robert Chang
• TikTok/YouTube influencer Dean Withers

AOC and Pritzker alongside Flake and Luna. That range is the film's thesis in casting form.

What did DuVernay say?

"To be recognized by the ACLU of Southern California, here in the city that raised me, is a deep honor," DuVernay said. "From '13th' to '14th' and beyond, I have been attracted to stories that live at the heart of our democracy's unfinished work. I accept this honor as a reminder that the rights we cherish require more than our admiration. They require our participation. And I intend to keep giving mine."

Speaking with Variety before the film's New York Film Festival premiere, she framed participation in practical terms: "One of the things I learned through making this is you can vote, but then you've got to follow up on what those people do. Attend council meetings, monitor their records and know the details beyond more than what they're saying in a campaign. But beyond that, forget the politicians. What are you doing at the community level? Do you know your neighbor? Are you talking to people about views? Do you know someone in your life who doesn't watch the news? How can you keep them informed?"

The Bill of Rights Awards have run for decades, honoring civil rights leaders, advocates, artists and community members who advance freedom, equality, justice and democratic participation.

For everyone without a Dec. 9 invitation, "14th" starts streaming on Netflix on Dec. 4 — five days before the ceremony, and the cheaper ticket.