ACLU Artist & Entertainment Partners
ACLU Artist & Entertainment Partners
Over the years, the ACLU has partnered with many members of the entertainment industry on film screenings, panel discussions, documentary films, delegations, and awareness campaigns. The ACLU Ambassador Project is an exciting next step in the ACLU's longtime collaboration with the entertainment community, in an effort to use celebrity for the greater good.
The ACLU Ambassador Project ties influential creative artists in film, television, music and comedy with public education and advocacy for key ACLU issues. Each Ambassador works with the ACLU on specific civil liberties issues, which include: immigrants’ rights, voting rights, rights of LGBTQ people and people living with HIV, women’s rights, abortion/reproductive rights, reducing mass incarceration, racial justice, and privacy and security.
Last updated on October 30, 2024
Artist Ambassador for Voting Rights
he/him/his
Ike Barinholtz, an ACLU Artist Ambassador for Voting Rights, is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after comedians, writers and actors in the comedy world. He currently stars in FOX’s “Bless the Harts,” alongside Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph. He also recently marked his feature directorial debut with The Oath and starred alongside John Cena…
Ike Barinholtz
Artist Ambassador for Juvenile Justice
he/him/his
Harry Belafonte exposed America to world music and spent his life challenging and overturning racial barriers across the globe. Recently, Belafonte founded the Sankofa Justice & Equity Fund, a non-profit social justice organization that utilizes the power of culture and celebrity in partnership with activism. It is a space for artists to contribute their talents…
Harry Belafonte*
Artist Ambassador for Racial Justice
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W. Kamau Bell, an ACLU Artist Ambassador for racial justice, is a sociopolitical comedian and the host of the Emmy Award winning CNN docu-series United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell. He recently made his Netflix debut with the stand-up comedy special, Private School Negro. Kamau has a book with the easy-to-remember title The…
W. Kamau Bell
Ambassador for Immigrants' Rights, ACLU
he/him/his
Demián Bichir serves as an ACLU Artist Ambassador for immigrants' rights. Bichir is one of the most well-known and well-respected actors in his home of Mexico and the U.S. He received a 2012 Academy Award, SAG Award and Independent Spirit Award nomination for his portrayal of an undocumented gardener trying to connect with his estranged…
Demián Bichir
Artist Ambassador for Voting Rights
he/him/his
Lewis Black is an ACLU Artist Ambassador for voting rights. Black has been a fixture on The Daily Show segment, "Back in Black," since the show's debut in 1996. He won a Grammy for comedy album, The Carnegie Hall Performance (2006), has starred in numerous HBO Comedy and Comedy Central specials. In addition to his…
Lewis Black
Artist Ambassador for Voting Rights
Ariana DeBose is an award winning actress known for her varying roles onstage and in film and television. DeBose is best known for her groundbreaking performance in Steven Spielberg’s reimagining of WEST SIDE STORY, for which she received an Academy Award in addition to BAFTA, Critics Choice and SAG Awards for her star turning role…
Ariana DeBose
Artist Ambassador for LGBTQ Rights
he/him/his
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, an ACLU Artist Ambassador for LGBT rights, currently stars as “Mitchell Pritchett” on the Award-winning ABC comedy MODERN FAMILY. Currently, in its tenth season, the show has earned five Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series, a Golden Globe Award for Outstanding Comedy Series and four Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance…
Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Artist Ambassador for Privacy, Security & Surveillance
she/her/hers
Maggie Gyllenhaal is an ACLU Artist Ambassador for immigrants’ rights and privacy & technology. She is an award-winning actress and star of the HBO series “The Deuce.” Her film work has included, “Secretary,” “Crazy Heart,” “Dark Knight,” “Stranger Than Fiction,” “Sherrybaby,” and many more. She has starred in the BBC/SundanceTV original series “The Honorable Woman,”…
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Artist Ambassador Immigrants’ & Women’s Rights
she/her/hers
Emmy-nominated Padma Lakshmi, an ACLU Artist Ambassador for immigrants’ rights and women’s rights, is internationally known as a food expert, model, actress, and best-selling author, as well as the recipient of the 2016 NECO Ellis Island Medal of Honor and Variety’s 2018 Karma award. Lakshmi serves as host and an executive producer of Bravo’s Emmy…
Padma Lakshmi
Artist Ambassador for Reproductive Freedom
she/her/hers
Actress and Activist Alyssa Milano has been in the spotlight for most of her life. She chooses to shine that spotlight on causes that matter deeply to her. Her advancement of #MeToo sparked a viral movement of women fighting against sexual harassment and assault and she has been involved in TimesUp since its inception. She…
Alyssa Milano
Artist Ambassador for Smart Justice
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Grammy-winning, Harvard-educated, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted artist, songwriter, and activist Tom Morello is living proof of the transformative power of rock’n’roll. Known for his innovative guitar solos and thunderous chords, Morello is a groundbreaking artist both in his solo career and as an original member of the rock bands Rage Against the…
Tom Morello
ACLU’s Artist Ambassador for Transgender Justice
she/her/hers
Peppermint is the ACLU’s Artist Ambassador for Transgender Justice. Her star has continued to rise since her smashing success as first runner-up on Season 9 of "Rupaul’s Drag Race." Soon after, she became the first trans woman to originate a principal role on Broadway when she was cast as Pythio in the groundbreaking Broadway musical…
Peppermint
Artist Ambassador for Reproductive Freedom
she/her/hers
Busy Philipps is a New York Times Best-Selling author, actor, activist, writer and previous late-night talk show host of BUSY TONIGHT. Philipps served as executive producer on the show, alongside Tina Fey. In 2018, Philipps released a collection of humorous autobiographical essays in her book THIS WILL ONLY HURT A LITTLE that was immediately a…
Busy Philipps
Michael K. Williams, Artist Ambassador for Smart Justice (deceased)
he/him/his
Michael Kenneth Williams (1966-2021) was an ACLU Artist Ambassador for ending mass incarceration. Williams was best known for his remarkable work on The Wire, which ran for five seasons on HBO. The wit and humor that Williams brought to Omar, the whistle-happy, profanity-averse, dealer-robbing stickup man, earned him high praise and made Omar one of…
Michael K. Williams*
Artist Ambassador for Women’s Rights
she/her/hers
Sasheer Zamata is an ACLU Artist Ambassador for women’s rights. She is a comedian, actress, writer and former Saturday Night Live cast member for 4 seasons. Sasheer starred in NBC’s pilot SO CLOSE. In 2018, she starred in the independent feature “The Weekend,” opposite Tone Bell and Dewanda Wise and recently released her first one-hour…
Sasheer Zamata
How Artists Show Up for the ACLU
Artists on 'At Liberty'
