Ava DuVernay to Be Honored by ACLU SoCal With Bill of Rights Award for ’14th’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Filmmaker Ava DuVernay will be honored by ACLU SoCal at this year’s Bill of Rights Awards.

Chandra Bhatnagar, executive director of the ACLU SoCal said, “Ava has helped millions engage with the ongoing work of protecting civil rights, expanding opportunity and strengthening democratic participation. It is especially fitting that we will honor Ava on the eve of Human Rights Day. For more than a decade, her eye-opening work has challenged audiences to confront injustice while deepening public understanding of the constitutional principles that underpin our democracy.”

DuVernay will be celebrated on Dec. 9, at a private event at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles on the eve of Human Rights Day.

The award recognizes her extraordinary contributions to advancing civil rights, civil liberties and social justice through storytelling.

DuVernay said, “To be recognized by the ACLU of Southern California, here in the city that raised me, is a deep honor. From ‘13th’ to ‘14th’ and beyond, I have been attracted to stories that live at the heart of our democracy’s unfinished work. I accept this honor as a reminder that the rights we cherish require more than our admiration. They require our participation. And I intend to keep giving mine.”

The evening will feature a special screening of DuVernay’s new Netflix documentary, “14th,” followed by a conversation with the filmmaker and a private reception.

“14th” examines the history and enduring significance of the Fourteenth Amendment, tracing how its guarantees of citizenship, equal protection and due process continue to shape U.S. democracy while facing renewed challenges in the present day. Through interviews with historians, legal scholars, elected leaders, advocates and cultural commentators, the film connects contemporary debates over civil rights, immigration, voting rights and government power to the constitutional amendment.

14th Amendment Center Founder Sherrilyn Ifill, ACLU President Deborah Archer, ACLU Deputy Executive Director for Program, Strategy and Culture Yasmin Cader and ACLU SoCal Senior Policy Counsel and Organizer Andrés Dae Keun Kwon, California Senator Alex Padilla, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Political Strategist Steve Schmidt, Ambassador Jeff Flake, New York Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Stacey Abrams, Van Lathan, Dr. Donald T. Critchlow, Dr. David Blight, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, UC Irvine Professor of Law Robert Chang, TikTok/YouTube influencer Dean Withers, are among many other voices from across law, government, academia and civic life to feature in the doc.

Speaking with Variety, ahead of the film’s New York Film Festival premiere, DuVernay said, “One of the things I learned through making this is you can vote, but then you’ve got to follow up on what those people do. Attend council meetings, monitor their records and know the details beyond more than what they’re saying in a campaign. But beyond that, forget the politicians. What are you doing at the community level? Do you know your neighbor? Are you talking to people about views? Do you know someone in your life who doesn’t watch the news? How can you keep them informed?”

For decades, the ACLU SoCal Bill of Rights Awards has brought together civil rights leaders, advocates, artists and community members to celebrate individuals whose work advances freedom, equality, justice and democratic participation.