The ACLU of Southern California’s annual Bill of Rights Awards on Sunday night honored Mark Ruffalo, “Will & Harper” stars Harper Steele and Will Ferrell, “The Sympathizer” author Viet Thanh Nguyen and sports legend Brittney Griner and her wife Cherelle Griner for Variety
Nguyen, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Sympathizer,” talked to Variety on the red carpet about the impact of a second Trump presidency may have on artists. “I’m sure there is a chilling effect, and it’s going be hard to say what that chilling effect is, because when people don’t speak, how do we know what is actually going on?” said Nguyen, whose award was presented by Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan. “But I think there has been a good incitement for writers and other artists to speak out going on for quite a while, with the current stresses, obviously, since Oct. 7. Shortly before the election, we did have more than 7,000 writers sign on to a petition to boycott Israel, for example. I think there’s a movement of solidarity globally among writers and artists, so I think there will be many who will feel compelled to speak out.”
Viet Thanh Nguyen flanked by his partner, poet Lan Duong, and Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan.
Ke Huy Quan presents a Bill of Rights award to author Viet Thanh Nguyen.
On his instagram, Viet Thanh Nguyen (@viet_t_nguyen) writes:
It was surprisingly moving to receive the Bill of Rights Award from @aclu_socal last night. All the ACLU staff who spoke and the awardees (Harper Steele, speaking on behalf of herself and Will Ferrell, @markruffalo, and Brittany Griner speaking on behalf of herself and her partner Cherelle Griner) spoke powerfully about themselves and their work and how it pertained to the causes of all our rights.
Turns out I, and maybe we all, needed to hear that solidarity, love, and justice for all still matter to so many. I took heart knowing that I was in a roomful of people (at the fancy Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills—this was a very LA event with celebrity presenters Kerry Washington and Zoe Saldana) who were committed to equality. And that an organization like the ACLU exists to fight for that equality. The different speakers brought up refugees, undocumented migrants, prisoners, Palestine, trans and queer identities and rights, fracking, water rights, the environment, and more, as well as defending people of all backgrounds against the incoming administration.
We all need to find these moments of public solidarity and encouragement to help steel us for the battles to come.
I am grateful that @kehuyquan was my presenter,someone who impacted me at a young age when I saw him in the movies and thought that maybe there could be a future for someone like me in the arts. I am also grateful that my partner Lan Duong was there, as well as a table full of friends. And. As you can hear in the excerpt, I was able to dedicate the award to my parents, who were and are my heroes.
I hope you can support the ACLU cause, either by donating outright or bidding on one of their auction items. I’m contributing two copies of the limited Pulitzer edition of The Sympathizer (only 500 exist — these are among the last two left). There are other items you can bid on too (and mine is one of the chepeast ones!). We’ll need the ACLU even more in the coming years.
Links in bio for donations and auction, ending in less than 36 hours.
Photos by @bucci_photos and video by @baomnguyen
