ACLU unveils “Vision 2030” plan to address inequity in Alabama

The ACLU of Alabama on Thursday announced its comprehensive “Vision 2030” plan to increase Black voter turnout, combat healthcare discrimination, and reform Alabama’s criminal legal system

Vision 2030 outlines ACLU’s goals, values, and intended impact for the next five years. In addition to continuing to defend all Alabamians’ First Amendment rights, the affiliate plans to increase its focus on voting rights, gender justice, and criminal legal reform.

“We have been laying the foundation of Vision 2030, not only over the past three years of concentrated effort but over my last decade with the affiliate, and throughout its 60 years of existence,” said JaTaune Bosby Gilchrist, the ACLU of Alabama’s Executive Director. “We are ready. We have the talent, the vision, the strategy, and the integrity to accomplish our ambitious goals, and we will not stop until we have succeeded in making Alabama a fairer and more equitable place for all.”

The plan emphasizes three particular goals:

• Uplift and amplify the voices of historically marginalized Black voters by increasing Black voter turnout to a consistent 55 percent-60 percent by the 2028 general election through targeted community education, engagement, and legal actions. This includes working to flip an additional Congressional seat to represent Alabama’s Black constituency.
• Eliminate discriminatory healthcare laws and promote medical and bodily autonomy for reproductive care, maternal healthcare, and trans rights by advocating for expanded Medicaid coverage, including coverage for midwifery services, out-of-hospital births, and contraception; increasing access to prenatal, natal, and postnatal care; restoring gender-affirming care and abortion access; and providing clear legal guidance and support for those impacted by restrictive laws.
• Increase the number of individuals released from prison and remove the 33 individuals from death row who had jury life verdicts through direct legal representation, continued advocacy for parole reform, and supporting efforts to give incarcerated individuals and their families an increased role in their own parole proceedings and, if granted, while on parole.

2025 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the ACLU of Alabama’s formal establishment in 1965. However, its presence in the state stretches back decades earlier. In the 1930s, ACLU officials defended the Scottsboro Boys; in the 1940s, they represented striking coal miners; and in the 1950s and 60s, they collaborated with local black leaders to secure civil and voting rights.

Since officially establishing its office in Alabama, the affiliate has won several cases improving conditions in mental health facilities and fought against state efforts to delay integration and deny students—regardless of race or gender identity—a fair and equitable education.

“Established to defend against the State’s assaults on civil rights and liberties, the ACLU of Alabama has upheld this legacy while evolving to meet contemporary challenges,” said Glory McLaughlin, chair of the ACLU of Alabama’s Board of Directors. “In Alabama, we are never short on challenges. Luckily, the affiliate is never short on creative solutions.”