Shadowing the ACLU of Tennessee
by Arjun Dasari '19
A three-day visit to the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee was "eye opening."
A three-day visit to the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee was "eye opening."
For my shadowing experience, I had the pleasure of shadowing Eric Lee Sirignano, who is the administrative and technology manager of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee.TThe ACLU's mission is to protect and promote the constitutional guarantees of the Bill of Rights and translate them into realities for Tennesseans.
My three days at the Tennessee affiliate office were incredible. The first day I met all the staff and followed Eric as he described how servers work and are key to privacy, as well as watched an online lecture about how technology is key to social change.
The second day was a day in the life of an intern. ACLU has been a monumental factor historically for social change. The ACLU was involved in multiple key fights for freedom, including the Scopes trial, Brown v. Board of Education, and they even defended the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when the city denied him the right to stage a march in support of sanitation work strike. With its rich history, there are countless historical documents, newspapers, and articles that have involved the ACLU. These documents needed to be scanned into a database, rechecked, and then the hard copies needed to be re-organized. I had to be diligent and persistent in organizing the documents by year, by month, and even by day.
The final day, I got to search for authors that could potentially be willing to donate signed copies for the large yearly ACLU fundraiser called Constitution Uncorked. I also was able to talk with the affiliate’s legal director, who shared with me what specifically his job at ACLU entails, as well as the general process of how the law and courts operate. My experience was unforgettable and it was eye opening to meet the passionate, caring employees who have only one inspiring goal, which is to protect the rights of all Tennesseans.
My three days at the Tennessee affiliate office were incredible. The first day I met all the staff and followed Eric as he described how servers work and are key to privacy, as well as watched an online lecture about how technology is key to social change.
The second day was a day in the life of an intern. ACLU has been a monumental factor historically for social change. The ACLU was involved in multiple key fights for freedom, including the Scopes trial, Brown v. Board of Education, and they even defended the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when the city denied him the right to stage a march in support of sanitation work strike. With its rich history, there are countless historical documents, newspapers, and articles that have involved the ACLU. These documents needed to be scanned into a database, rechecked, and then the hard copies needed to be re-organized. I had to be diligent and persistent in organizing the documents by year, by month, and even by day.
The final day, I got to search for authors that could potentially be willing to donate signed copies for the large yearly ACLU fundraiser called Constitution Uncorked. I also was able to talk with the affiliate’s legal director, who shared with me what specifically his job at ACLU entails, as well as the general process of how the law and courts operate. My experience was unforgettable and it was eye opening to meet the passionate, caring employees who have only one inspiring goal, which is to protect the rights of all Tennesseans.
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