drop shadow decoration
Card-Carrying Member? Join ... Donate
Home → News → Release

ACLU of Southern California Honors Civil Liberties Champions At Annual Bill of Rights Awards Dinner Monday, December 13, 2004

Monday, December 13, 2004

LOS ANGELES – On Monday, December 13, 2004, at 6:00 P.M., the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California will host its annual Bill of Rights Dinner at the Beverly Hilton. The event honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of civil liberties.

This year's event will honor Dustin Hoffman, Academy Award winning actor, and Lava Records Senior Vice President and Head of A&R Andy Karp. Lifetime activist couple Lou and Irma Colen will receive the Eason Monroe Courageous Advocate Award. Throughout his career, Dustin Hoffman has participated in films that address core ACLU issues including disability rights, political corruption, the First Amendment, women's rights, criminal justice reform, prisoners' rights and censorship. The challenges faced by autistic adults was portrayed with great sensitivity in Rain Man. Hoffman pointedly exposed political corruption in the political satire, Wag the Dog, and provoked the public to wonder what is real news and what is merely promotion. With a powerful use of humor, Hoffman brought attention to the gender inequities in America's workforce in Tootsie. In Sleepers, he addressed abuse in the juvenile justice system, a perennial issue for the ACLU. In Lenny and in Outbreak, the issues of censorship and the abuse of military power, both very current issues, were vividly portrayed. In addition to his film work, Hoffman, with his wife Lisa and others, co-founded Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, and has supported numerous other charitable organizations including: Rob Reiner's foundation to raise public awareness about the need for early childhood development programs; MusiCares, the Recording Academy`s charitable foundation, focusing on health and human services for the music community; the Brady Institute, named for former White House Press Secretary James Brady; to prevent gun violence; the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) and the ACLU of Southern California.

Andy Karp is the Senior Vice President and Head of A&R at Lava Records. ACLU issues close to his heart include free speech, artists' rights, children's rights, social justice and voters' rights. Raised in an extremely progressive family, Karp has supported a number of organizations. He will shortly join the board of directors of LIFT (Legal Information for Families Today), which empowers children and families involved in the Family Court and child welfare systems and provides community outreach and information regarding family law and child welfare issues. In addition to the ACLU of Southern California, he has supported Children of the Night, dedicated to assisting children forced into prostitution; The Innocence Project, a legal clinic working to exonerate the wrongfully convicted through postconviction DNA testing; Rock the Vote, an effective leader in youth voter education and motivation; Families Against Mandatory Minimums, addressing the many problems in the judicial system created by mandatory minimum sentencing. The work of each of these organizations complements the work of the ACLU. During his career, he has signed a variety of artists, including multi-platinum artist Kid Rock, Uncle Kracker, Simple Plan, Smile Empty Soul and others. Karp has been essential to Lava's diversity of artists and the signing of bold new acts. He joined Atlantic Records in 1989, and then, in 1995, transferred to the start-up sister label Lava Records as an A&R Representative.

Both longtime ACLU Foundation Board members and well known philanthropists, Irma and Lou Colen are lifetime activists committed to civil rights and civil liberties. The words that most accurately describe this couple are active, involved and extremely generous. They have the unique ability to rally their friends for support and have raised funds for vital causes for decades. They are important members of the ACLU family, both serving as board members and as officers of the ACLU Foundation Board. Lou has dedicated himself to making sure that the ACLU is financially sound and fiscally prudent, serving on the budget committee and investment committee. Lou was also instrumental in the successful transition of the ACLU to its building on Beverly Blvd. Dubbed the "first lady of volunteerism," Irma was a founder of Women For. She became involved with the Venice Family Clinic in 1978 and created the successful Venice Art Walk, which enjoyed its 25th anniversary this year. In 1990, the Venice Family Clinic dedicated the Irma and Lou Colen Administration Building. Lou also chaired the Building Committee for the clinic's administration building. Other organizations that the Colens are actively involved with include the Constitutional Rights Foundation, University of Judaism, and Temple Beth Am. They will be presented with the 2004 Eason Monroe Courageous Advocate Award, given in memory of former ACLU Executive Director Eason Monroe who was fired from San Francisco State University for refusing to sign the so-called "loyalty oath."

"The Bill of Rights Award was created to acknowledge the contributions made by individuals whose creative and committed work affirms the democratic principles embedded in the Bill of Rights,'" said Ramona Ripston, executive director of the ACLU/SC. "This year's honorees truly exemplify the spirit of the award. The work of Dustin Hoffman, Andy Karp, and Irma and Lou Colen has had an immeasurable impact on civil liberties in this country and beyond."

Samuel L. Jackson will emcee. Actor Ben Stiller and Jason Flom, CEO of the Atlantic Records Group, will participate. Individuals expected to attend include Larry Flynt, Sharon Osbourne, actors James Whitmore and Red Buttons, and past honorees Paula Weinstein, Danny Goldberg, Stanley K. Sheinbaum, Simon Renshaw, Fred Davis, and Antonio Villaraigosa.

The event takes place Monday, December 13, 2004 at 6:00 p.m., and will be held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, 9876 Wilshire Blvd. Tickets start at $150, and all proceeds contribute to the ACLU's watchdog efforts. For additional ticket information call toll free: 877/225-8487.

home | contact us | jobs | privacy policy | user agreement | legal intake | chapter calendar | RSS/feeds

This is the web site of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and the ACLU Foundation of Southern California.
Learn more about the distinction between these two components of the ACLU. Copyright 2007 The ACLU of Southern California.