About Us

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas is a leading civil rights organization in the Lone Star State.

Our Vision

From Amarillo to Brownsville and Beaumont to El Paso, we believe in a Texas that works for all of us — a Texas where each person has an equal say in the decisions that shape our future and where everyone can build a good life.

Our Mission

The ACLU of Texas works with communities, at the State Capitol, and in the courts to protect and advance civil rights and civil liberties for every Texan, no exceptions.

Black and white photo of pecan shellers striking in front of Southern Pecan Shelling Company in 1938.

Our Story

We began our work in Texas with the San Antonio pecan sheller’s strike of 1938, where laborers who tried to exercise their rights to free speech and free association in order to improve their working conditions were met with a brutal response by law enforcement. With our help, the shellers ultimately won their battle, and the ACLU of Texas has remained on the front lines of the struggle for civil rights and civil liberties ever since.

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