ACLU Next Generation Society

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ACLU Next Generation Society

The ACLU has fought to uphold our rights for nearly 100 years. It is up to the next generation of Americans to step up and continue leading that fight.

The Next Generation Society was founded in Chicago in 2015 to help the ACLU make a difference! The Next Generation Society brings together young professionals, emerging leaders, artists, and others who are engaged in the key issues that will shape our nation’s future. The Society and its Members help support the ACLU’s essential work in Illinois and throughout the nation, including its efforts to

end mass incarceration, reform the criminal justice system, legalize ma*****na, defend reproductive freedom, promote LGBTQ rights, protect privacy in the digital age, and more.

02/28/2026

The Next Generation Society Happy Hour is a wonderful opportunity to meet and connect with others who share a passion for protecting civil liberties.

We hope you can join us on Tuesday, March 3rd from 5:30 – 8:00 PM at SPIN Ping Pong Club (344 N. State St.) for an evening of fun, connection, and celebration of the work of the Next Generation Society.

Tickets start at $45 and include a selection of craft beer and wine, hors d’oeuvres, and all the ping pong you can handle! We also have a special offer: all Next Generation Society membership purchases include Happy Hour ticket(s) at no additional cost!

02/23/2026

Welcome to Week 4 of the Next Gen Membership Drive. This week, we’re highlighting the ’s work to protect bodily autonomy in Illinois – the fundamental right to make decisions about your own body, your health, and your future.

This past legislative session, advocates successfully made IL the twelfth state to allow access to affirming that end-of-life medications, bringing this decision to individuals and their families, not the government.

The ACLU of Illinois is also pushing back against policies that prohibit transgender federal employees from using restrooms aligned with their gender, because dignity and equal treatment in the workplace are non-negotiable. And through recent litigation such as Hicks v. IDOC, we are fighting to ensure that people in state custody retain the reproductive autonomy enshrined within the Illinois Reproductive Rights Act.

Bodily autonomy means freedom from political interference in our most personal decisions. It means trusting people to know what is best for their own lives. And it means showing up, organizing, and building power together to defend that freedom. Please join us to support this work!

02/18/2026

Our third Membership Drive Spotlight features Next Generation Society Board Member, Isabel Robertson! Learn more about Isabel below:

Q: Why do you support the ACLU and Next Gen?
A: I support the ACLU because of their integrity and commitment to the long game. They’re determined to make this country better and they make me believe that that’s possible, even when it feels far away!

Q: What is bringing you hope at this moment?
A: All acts of community and solidarity bring me hope: things like friends delivering meals to strangers through mutual aid networks and showing up in subzero weather to protect their neighbors. Every time someone chooses to show their humanity, it’s a spark of hope.

Q: Why is it so important for people to take action on the issues they care about right now?
A: It’s always important to take action for what you believe in! This moment is not unprecedented. Humanity has always been cruel and unjust, but it has also always been resilient and brave and beautiful. We have roadmaps for how to get through moments like this one and all of those roadmaps are stories of action.

Get to know our amazing Next Gen board members at our upcoming Next Generation Society Happy Hour! For more information on tickets and memberships, visit the link in our bio.

02/17/2026

Welcome to Week 3 of the 2026 Next Gen Membership Drive. This week we are highlighting the ’s work to protect youth and families in the face of efforts to dismantle critical access to the Head Start program that often provides stability and support.

For nearly 60 years, Head Start has helped millions of children and families access early childhood education, health screenings, nutritious meals, and family support services. Efforts to dismantle or weaken this vital program put vulnerable children and working families at risk. Protecting equal opportunity means standing up when essential programs are at risk. Join the ACLU and help defend the rights and resources families count on.

02/11/2026

Our second Membership Drive Spotlight features Next Generation Society Board Member, Sarah Yi! Learn more about Sarah below:

Q: Why do you support the ACLU and Next Gen?
A: I support the ACLU and The Next Generation Society because it is so important, now more than ever, to support organizations that are doing the work to safeguard our civil liberties. Being part of a larger advocacy group helps me feel connected, understood, and instills in me a sense of belonging and community during these unprecedented times. For decades, the ACLU has worked tirelessly to fight back against injustice of all forms, and I’m proud to stand in solidarity with this organization.

Q: What is bringing you hope at this moment?
A: I’ve noticed that so many more brands, influential public figures, and corporations have started to vocalize their contempt for this current administration, even at the expense of alienating their audience/customer base. This is giving me hope knowing that more and more people are starting to feel compelled to speak out, which will only continue to galvanize the community at-large. Additionally, I feel reassured knowing that nothing lasts forever (not even tyrannical governments), and I do truly believe that there are brighter days ahead.

Q: Why is it so important for people to take action on the issues they care about right now?
A: It is so important for people to take action on the issues that they care about because it empowers others to speak up and get involved. It also helps connect you with others who are just as passionate about the topics that are near and dear to your heart.

Get to know Sarah and other Next Gen members at our upcoming Next Generation Society Happy Hour! For more information on tickets and memberships, visit the link in our bio.

02/10/2026

Welcome to Week 2 of the 2026 Next Gen Membership Drive. This week we are highlighting the ’s work defending the right to protest and a free press. Through Chicago Headline Club v. Noem, the ACLU of Illinois is challenging federal officials’ violent suppression of journalists, legal observers, clergy, and peaceful demonstrators during protests at the Broadview ICE facility.

Peaceful protesters and members of the press were met with excessive force simply for exercising their First Amendment rights. The Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, assembly, and the press –protections that are essential to holding the government accountable and exposing abuses of power.

When protest is treated as a threat instead of a right, democracy itself is weakened. Stand with the ACLU as we fight to protect dissent, defend constitutional freedoms, and ensure that no one is punished for speaking out.

02/06/2026

We hope you can join us on Tuesday, March 3rd from 5:30 – 8:00 PM at SPIN Ping Pong Club (344 N. State St.) for an evening of fun, connection, and celebration of the work of the Next Generation Society.

Tickets start at $45 and include a selection of craft beer and wine, hors d’oeuvres, and all the ping pong you can handle! We also have a special offer: all Next Generation Society membership purchases include Happy Hour ticket(s) at no additional cost!

The Next Generation Society Happy Hour is a wonderful opportunity to meet and connect with others who share a passion for protecting civil liberties.

02/04/2026

Our first Membership Drive Spotlight features Next Generation Society Board Member, Brendan Chan! Learn more about Brendan below:

Q: Why do you support the ACLU and Next Gen?
A: I’ve found a lot of power in Mariame Kaba’s teachings on how hope is a discipline. Time and time again, when things are bad (and they’re pretty bad right now), I find hope in community and the power of people showing up for others. I support the ACLU of Illinois because the work they do is vital to bringing about the kind of state and country I want to exist.

Q: What is bringing you hope at this moment?
A: Young people. Educators. Community members and volunteers. My friends running for office. People I know, and people I don’t. The fact that for every person I see that shows up, there are thousands more that I don’t see. That around the country and the world, people are showing up.

Q: Why is it so important for people to take action on the issues they care about right now?
A: It’s easy to feel helpless and overwhelmed, particularly in light of what we’ve experienced and witnessed since 2016. But none of us are powerless, and I think it’s important for people to take action - big and small - to help build a country and world that they’re proud of.

Get to know Brendan and other Next Gen members at our upcoming Next Generation Society Happy Hour! For more information on tickets and memberships, visit the link in our bio.

02/02/2026

Today marks the kickoff of the ACLU’s 2026 Next Generation Society Membership Drive! Now is the moment to either purchase or renew your Next Gen membership and be part of a community committed to defending civil liberties and supporting the ACLU’s work across Illinois and beyond.

Here in Illinois, we are challenging the inhumane and unconstitutional conditions at the Broadview ICE Facility and enforcing the ACLU’s consent decree with the Department of Homeland Security to stop federal officials from making warrantless arrests of immigrants. The Constitution guarantees due process, equal protection, and freedom from unlawful searches and seizures—rights that apply to everyone in this country, regardless of immigration status. When these protections are ignored, the rule of law is weakened for all of us. Stand with the ACLU as we work to hold the government accountable, protect fundamental constitutional rights, and demand humane treatment. Learn more, share this message, and support the fight for justice.

10/20/2025

We’re thrilled to welcome Mykela Collins as our featured speaker for this year’s Next Generation Society Fall Fundraiser!

A former Head Start parent turned advocate, Mykela knows firsthand what’s at stake when those in power try to strip away programs that lift up working families. Her story is a reminder that protecting opportunity for every child means standing up and speaking out when our communities are under attack.

The ACLU and ACLU of Illinois are proud to represent the Illinois Head Start Association in our lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s unlawful efforts to dismantle this essential program that provides early education, health, nutritional, and social services to millions of children and families across the country.

We can’t wait for guests to hear Mykela’s story and her reflections on why protecting programs like Head Start matters now more than ever.

10/01/2025

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the ACLU Power to the People event at Pilot Project Brewing! It was so inspiring to gather with our community to hear updates about the ACLU’s work, including challenges to federal abuse of power.

Let’s keep the momentum going! Join us at the Next Gen Fall Fundraiser on October 23 at the Ivy Room. Together we’ll continue the conversation by taking action on the issues that matter most, building protest kits, and fueling the fight for civil rights and civil liberties. Tickets & sponsorships are available at the link in our bio!

02/26/2025

10 years of Next Gen, 10 years of fighting for Justice. Last night, our community came together to show what we fight for — let’s keep that momentum going!

Check the link in our bio for recent ACLU-IL actions and upcoming events. And don’t forget to purchase or renew your Next Generation Society Membership before the end of our membership drive!

Address

344 N. State St.
Chicago, IL
60654

Website

http://aclu-il.org/join-nextgen, https://linktr.ee/nextgenaclu

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Our Story

The Next Generation Society brings together professionals, artists, emerging leaders, and engaged citizens committed to supporting the essential work of the ACLU: protecting the civil liberties of all people. Our focus is to engage the “next generation” of ACLU supporters in ways that reflect modern and contemporary needs of the next generation – in other words, providing our members with an assortment of dynamic and different ways to support the work of the ACLU, however they can. If you want to help, contact us at [email protected] and we will find a way!

The Society and its Members help support the ACLU’s essential work in Illinois and throughout the nation, including its efforts to end mass incarceration, reform the criminal justice system, legalize ma*****na, defend reproductive freedom, promote LGBTQ rights, protect privacy in the digital age, and more.