Firewall for Freedom
We know from experience that a second Trump presidency will come with a host of policies and practices geared to threaten our democracy and civil liberties. This incoming administration has already signaled its intent to erode personal freedoms through initiatives like Project 2025. We believe him when he says he will attack bodily autonomy, target immigrants, and undermine freedom of speech. But the ACLU of North Carolina is ready to counter attacks on our fundamental rights. The ACLU is a national organization that has been around for over a century — through 19 presidencies — and has defended democracy at times of greatest threat. Here in North Carolina, we have a 60-year history of safeguarding civil rights and liberties in our home state.
Our mission remains consistent and unwavering. We will continue to challenge any initiative that aims to take away our rights. But we need you with us.
The Firewall for Freedom is all of us — including organizations, community members, businesses, and elected government leaders who are committed to protecting the rights of all North Carolinians against an aggressive anti-civil rights and civil liberties agenda. We know that the work to fight against both federal and state level threats to our freedoms will happen at this hyper-local level and the ACLU-NC is committed to this fight. Even in legislatures and city councils where they are in the minority, individual elected leaders have powerful voices. We urge them to stand alongside impacted community members, bear witness to abuses, and speak out. This will be vital to pushing back on the xenophobia, racism, and bigotry that we have unfortunately seen in far too many of our communities.
On this page, you will find a summary of the most pressing political threats facing our state and what we’ve done thus far to fight back. This page will continue to be updated as new threats to the rights of North Carolinians arise, including with links to specific calls to action for these issue areas. We invite you to join us in our efforts to defend the civil rights of all North Carolinians and work alongside us as we rise to meet the challenges ahead.
WHAT CAN YOU DO
Each of us has a role to play in protecting our civil rights and liberties. The work doesn’t start and stop in election season. We have to remain vigilant and engaged. One of the most important ways to do that is to learn more about the threats and you can do that by reading the materials in the ‘read more’ sections.