The national ACLU and the ACLU of Georgia will be stopping in Athens on Thursday as a part of the organizations Know Your Rights Bus Tour. The tour is comprised of a series of stops across several states. Sarah Hunt-Blackwell is the first amendment policy advocate for ACLU Georgia. She says the tour is aimed at getting voters out for the upcoming presidential election.
“There are a lot of rights that are on the line with us coming in November, and this bus tour is the ACLU’s attempt to get people out to the polls, excited about voting, and aware of some of the rights that are on the line for us,” according to Hunt-Blackwell.
Hunt-Blackwell says there are key issues they want voters to be aware of that could be impacted this election.
“We’re going to be in Athens talking about book banning and censorship. It’s the ability for our students, young people, and really everyone to have access to books that want to read, even if those books include themes or are written by authors that may not fit the status quo.
The meeting will also include discussion on reproductive rights.
“We are also very concerned about abortion access and the plans that could be coming after November, depending on the outcome of the election and what access would look like after November,” Hunt-Blackwell said.
The Athens tour stop gets underway at 4 pm at Avid Bookshop. It will feature a reading by author Dr. Seema Yasmin as well as community discussion about books that have been banned.
