Maine Civil Liberties Union Changes Name to the "ACLU of Maine"

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CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org

Portland – In 1968, a handful of visionaries founded the “Maine Civil Liberties Union,” a chartered affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union. This year, as part of a nationwide effort to create a shared visual identity among the national organization and its more than 50 affiliates, the MCLU Board of Directors and our full membership voted to change the organization’s name to the “American Civil Liberties Union of Maine,” or “ACLU of Maine.”

The Maine Civil Liberties Union Foundation, a separate corporation under which the affiliate’s legal and public education programs operate, now will be known as the “American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Maine,” or “ACLU of Maine Foundation.”

“We, in Maine, are part of a much larger community who support civil liberties and civil rights for all people. The name change reflects our affiliation with an important nationwide movement to defend and advance the Constitution and the Bill of Rights,” said Shenna Bellows, Executive Director of the ACLU of Maine. “While our name has changed, our 40+ year tradition of dedication to the defense of civil liberties in Maine remains the same. The ACLU of Maine is an integral, vital part of a powerful national ACLU, united in principle and purpose to the defense of our Constitution and the Bill of Rights.”

50 other affiliates now identify as the ACLU of _____ in a nationwide effort to establish unified branding. In 2010, the ACLU celebrated its 90th anniversary with an exhibit documenting the ACLU’s historic victories in cases like Loving v. Virginia and Gideon v. Wainwright as well as some of our important losses like the Scopes evolution trial and Korematsu v. United States.

“This name change to the ACLU of Maine recognizes the reality that all of our members are, in fact, members of the both the ACLU and the Maine affiliate. Further, the new name continues to convey our commitment to the state of Maine by keeping Maine in our organization’s name and logo,” said Shenna Bellows, Executive Director of the ACLU of Maine. “Sharing a common name, but providing for each affiliate’s distinct identity, will convey stature and stability. The new shared visual identity will convey a unified image for the entire ACLU organization.”