A longtime civil rights advocate. A courageous English teacher. Nine families who shared personal stories to help defeat a discriminatory law. A pair of lawyers who have saved people from executions. And a devoted volunteer who has given many hours of his time to the ACLU-NC.

These are the civil liberties heroes who will be honored at the ACLU-NC’s 2015 Frank Porter Graham Awards Dinner in Chapel Hill on Saturday, February 28, featuring our keynote speaker, national ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero.

This year’s Frank Porter Graham Award, our highest honor awarded for longstanding and significant contributions to the fight for individual freedom and civil liberties in North Carolina, is being presented to Jim Grant, who has worked to advance and defend civil liberties in North Carolina for nearly as long as the ACLU of North Carolina has existed.

Grant.pngBeginning with his involvement in the fight against school segregation in Hyde County in 1968, Grant committed his life to working for social justice, workers’ rights, and equality. Grant was incarcerated for nearly four years in the 1970s after being arrested and charged as a “political terrorist” in a case in which the government paid witnesses against him and two other African American men, known collectively as the “Charlotte Three.” Grant received the longest sentence of 25 years. The many injustices around the case
garnered national attention, and their sentences were eventually commuted.

In 2009, the ACLU of North Carolina successfully defended Grant after he was wrongfully arrested for trespassing at an apartment complex where he and another member of the Human Justice Coalition were helping low-income residents after raw sewage backed up into apartments and management refused to help.

A Wilson resident, Grant has worked or held leadership positions with the Human Justice Coalition, Black Workers for Justice, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, the Pitt County Coalition Against Racism, North Carolina Prisoners’ Labor Union, NC Fair Share, and Legal Aid of NC Client Counsel.

The ACLU-NC Award, for deep commitment to preserving and defending civil liberties in North Carolina, will be presented to Watauga High School English teacher Mary Kent Whitaker, who defended the freedom to read by successfully leading a campaign to keep Isabel Allende's acclaimed novel, "The House of the Spirits," in her sophomore honors English class after a challenge was brought.

Whitaker.pngThe novel was abruptly removed from Watauga classrooms after a parent submitted an official book challenge.  Whitaker defended the book to school and district committees, both of which voted unanimously to keep the book.  Following parent appeals, Whitaker continued to defend her Students’ Right to Read, as she led students, parents, and community members in the fight for Academic Freedom. The local school board ultimately voted 3-2 to fully retain the book after Whitaker’s final compelling presentation at the county courthouse.

Ms. Whitaker has been a teacher for 38 years and was recently named the state’s 2014-15 Outstanding English Teacher by the North Carolina English Teachers Association. She is currently Watauga County Schools District Teacher of the Year, the only two-time winner in the history of Watauga County Schools. Ms. Whitaker holds National Board Certification, the highest professional credential available in the teaching profession. The National Coalition Against Censorship has named Ms. Whitaker as one of their Top 40 Free Speech Defenders of 2014.

TOzer_Massengale.pnghe Paul Green Award, for extraordinary efforts to abolish or limit the death penalty in North Carolina, will be presented to Chapel Hill-based attorneys Bill Massengale and Marilyn Ozer, who have been representing capital defendants on appeal since 1991. With extraordinary compassion for their clients and a relentless pursuit of justice, Massengale and Ozer have saved at least six individuals from execution and worked to increase public awareness of capital punishment’s many injustices.

In July 2014, Massengale and Ozer reached a settlement with North Carolina to convert the twice-issued death sentence of Eric Call to life in prison after it was discovered the state lost evidence that may have exonerated Call. Last year, Massengale and Ozer took on their 25th client facing the death penalty.

NC plaintiffs composite for web.jpglennie_pearl.pngThe Sharon Thompson Award, for exemplary efforts toward advancing equal rights for LGBT persons in North Carolina, will be presented to the nine courageous families who served as plaintiffs in the ACLU's two successful federal lawsuits that helped topple North Carolina’s discriminatory ban on marriage for same-sex couples.

jane_and_lyn.pngBy volunteering to share their personal lives and struggles with the public, the families in Fisher-Borne et al. v. Smith and Gerber and Berlin et al. v. Cooper became the face of the fight for the freedom to marry in North Carolina. Their efforts helped countless couples across the state who now have the freedom to marry and adopt their partner’s children.

mejia.pngThe plaintiffs are: Marcie and Chantelle Fisher-Borne, of Durham, and their children Mileyand Elijah; Shana Carignan and Megan Parker, of Greensboro, and their son Jax; Shawn Long and Craig Johnson, of Wake Forest, and their son Isaiah; Crystal Hendrix and Leigh Smith, of Asheville, and their children Quinn and Joe; Lee Knight Caffery and Dana Draa, of Charlotte, and their children Miller and Margot; Leslie Zanaglio and Terri Beck, of Morrisville, and their two sons; Ellen "Lennie" Gerber and Pearl Berlin, of High Point; Jane Blackburn and Lyn McCoy, of Greensboro; Esmeralda Mejia and Christina Ginter-Mejia, of Hickory, and their son Julian.

Finally, the Norman Smith Award, for volunteering extraordinary time and effort in service to the ACLU of North Carolina, will be presented to Josh McIntyre, a longtime ACLU-NC volunteer who currently serves as treasurer for the ACLU-NC's Wake County chapter.mcintyre.png

As treasurer of the ACLU of North Carolina’s Wake County chapter, McIntyre manages the group’s finances and helps organize the chapter’s annual W.W. Finlator Awards Dinner and other events. He has helped the ACLU-NC on innumerable occasions, tabling at events, volunteering at the Frank Porter Graham Awards, marching in demonstrations carrying an ACLU-NC banner, and more.

A committed civil libertarian, McIntyre also has volunteer leadership roles with NC Stop Torture Now, the Human Rights Coalition of North Carolina, and Amnesty International – Group 213, Raleigh.