From Olopua to Olive

November 21, 2024 @ 1:15 pm

Executive Director of ACLU Hawaiʻi, Salmah Y. Rizvi, presented the following poem: “The Freedom of Speech is Dying in our Hands; In this Fight for Justice, Where Will You Stand?", in response to a number of dangerous bills pending before the federal legislature, while advocating for the safegaurding of constitutional rights of activists, protestors, and nonprofit organizations. 

Click the link to view the poem: https://vimeo.com/1031789640?share=copy

Update: (11/21/24) The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 9495 - a dangerous bill (discussed in the poem) that would limit free speech, giving the executive branch the authority to effectively dismantle any nonprofit organization it deems to have provided “material support” to terrorist groups. The bill, however, is not likely to move in the Senate.