April 15, 2015

OKLAHOMA CITY-- The American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma has announced that the University of Oklahoma student group, Unheard, will receive the prestigious Angie Debo Civil Liberties Award for their leadership and constructive criticism of a problematic racial environment at the University of Oklahoma.

The award will be presented to members of Unheard in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the ACLU of Oklahoma. In addition the presentation of the Angie Debo Award, ACLU members and attendees will hear an address from keynote speaker Justin Jones. Jones is the former Director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and a leading national expert in the areas of corrections and criminal justice reform.

“Oklahoma has been and continues to be at the center of the civil rights movement in the United States,” said Ryan Kiesel, Executive Director of the ACLU of Oklahoma. “Our annual meeting is an opportunity for us to reflect on where we have been, how far we have come, and to reaffirm our commitment to realizing greater liberty, freedom, and justice for all Oklahomans. We invite attendees to come celebrate the well deserved recognition of Unheard and to join us in the long, but necessary, march forward.”

The reception and annual meeting will be held in the Bell Court Room at the University of Oklahoma Law School in Norman on April 18 at noon. The event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited. Please RSVP to Allie Shinn at ashinn@acluok.org or call 405.524.8511.

The award is named in honor of the writer, historian, and civil rights advocate Angie Debo, who relentlessly pursued justice in cooperation with the ACLU of Oklahoma during the late 1960's and 1970's. It is the highest award presented by the ACLU of Oklahoma and has been presented annually since 1971 for outstanding achievement in the fight for civil rights and civil liberties.