ACLU Elects First Black President in Its 101-Year History

Katie Campione
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The American Civil Liberties Union has elected Deborah Archer, a professor at New York University School of Law, to be its next president.

Archer will be the first Black woman to serve as president in the ACLU's 101-year history, according to the organization.

Archer replaces Susan Herman, who has stepped down after 12 years at the head of the organization. Archer, who was elected by the group's 69-person board in a virtual meeting on Saturday, will be the eighth president since the ACLU's conception in 1920.

"After beginning my career as an ACLU fellow, it is an honor to come full circle and now lead the organization as board president," Archer said in a statement. "The ACLU has proven itself as an invaluable voice in the fight for civil rights in the last four years of the Trump era, and we are better positioned than ever to face the work ahead."

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The ACLU filed hundreds of lawsuits against the Trump administration while he was in office.

Archer continued in her statement, "This organization has been part of every important battle for civil liberties during our first century, and we are committed to continuing that legacy as we enter our second. I could not be more excited to get to work."

Archer began her work with the ACLU in 1997 when she served as a legal fellow, the Associated Press reported. She has been a member of the ACLU's board since 2009, and a general counsel and member of the board's executive committee since 2017.

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A graduate of Yale Law School, Archer specializes in civil rights and racial justice. At NYU Law School, she is a professor of clinical law and director of its Civil Rights Clinic, according to the ACLU.

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She has also served as chair of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, which investigates alleged police misconduct, and was assistant counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the organization said.

"As the country enters the post-Trump era, it is essential that those in leadership intimately understand the history that brought us to this inflection point, and the work ahead," Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU, said in a statement.

"There is no one better equipped, who best personifies or is more capable to helm the future battles for civil rights, civil liberties, and systemic equality than Deborah Archer," Romero added.

Originally published

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