Kerry Washington, Rocker Tom Morello Named 2015 ACLU Honorees

Kerry Washington, Rocker Tom Morello Named 2015 ACLU Honorees

The Southern California chapter of the ACLU will honor “Scandal” star Kerry Washington and guitarist Tom Morello this year for its annual Bill of Rights Awards Dinner, the organization announced Tuesday.

Come Nov. 8, the SoCal ACLU will celebrate its 92nd year by honoring leaders in entertainment, politics and civil rights in Los Angeles at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Additionally, attorneys James Obergefell and Mary L. Bonauto will receive the Ramona Ripston Liberty, Justice & Equality Award for their work on marriage equality.

“The Bill of Rights Dinner provides the ACLU SoCal an opportunity to recognize those individuals who have worked to improve the lives of all Americans by ensuring our law and culture reflect the precious principles of liberty, justice and equality for all,” Hector Villagra, executive director of the ACLU SoCal, said.

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The Bill of Rights Award recognizes exceptional people who have worked to promote civil liberties, with honorees have included Barbara Streisand, Dustin Hoffman, Martin Scorsese, and Hans Zimmer.

“The… dinner provides the ACLU SoCal an opportunity to recognize those individuals who have worked to improve the lives of all Americans by ensuring our law and culture reflect the precious principles of liberty, justice and equality for all,” said Hector Villagra, executive director of the ACLU SoCal.

Washington, star of ABC’s “Scandal,” is a noted activist supporting “issues central to the ACLU’s work such as LGBTQ rights, choice, affirmative action, voting rights, education, discrimination and women’s rights,” they said in a statement.

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Morello, a founding member of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, is no stranger to causes either.

“He joined musicians in suing the U.S. government for using music in interrogations at Guantanamo Bay, and has advocated for workers’ rights and immigrants’ rights. He opposed the exclusion of third party candidates from nationally televised debates, supported the Occupy Movement, and appeared in a video supporting Chelsea Manning, a soldier who disclosed sensitive military and diplomatic documents,” the organization said.

The ACLU is currently investigating gender discrimination against female directors in Hollywood.