ACLU
“We the People”
_SECTOR: SOCIAL JUSTICEThe American Civil Liberties Union has been fighting for the rights of all Americans since 1919. From abortion bans to legislation against trans people, ACLU plays a major role in defending every American through advocacy, legislation, and education.
In 2016, Emergence added to the ACLU’s incredible legacy with the “We The People” campaign. “We The People” fought against the onslaught of racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and prejudice from far right Donald Trump supporters.
Campaign Development | Copywriting | Graphic Design | OOH | Public Relations | Strategy _THE CHALLENGE
Donald Trump’s election and proposed Muslim ban, as well as the corresponding wave of anti-immigrant sentiment, forced millions of Americans to feel unsafe and unwelcome in their own country.
Trump’s actions eroded a fundamentally American idea that our strengths lie in diversity and differences of background.
_SEARCHING FOR THE SIGNAL
The First Amendment applies to everyone, and the principles it upholds mean the same thing in every language.
Freedom of religion, speech, press, and protest are core American values that Trump and his supporters have repeatedly trampled. To push back against this sentiment, we wanted to remind all Americans of the simple principles on which the country was founded.
_EMERGENCE
The campaign features the First Amendment in Arabic, Spanish, and English. Large-scale installations in iconic locations like Times Square increased visibility and provoked conversation.
“We The People” highlighted the universality of these rights in a simple, memorable way, by leveraging the power of the original text itself. Coming at a time when the freedoms of religion, speech, press, and protest were under direct threat from Donald Trump and his supporters, the campaign sent a powerful message and sparked deep conversations around freedom from discrimination and the promise of equal rights.
_EVOLUTION
The campaign gained significant media attention—over 30 million impressions and hundreds of thousands of social media engagements.
“When Emergence approached us with this idea, I knew we had to do it,” said Stacy Sullivan, associate director of strategic communications at the ACLU. “So much of the work we do at the ACLU revolves around the First Amendment. It grants freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to peaceably protest, as well as the right to practice your religion without being discriminated against for doing so. Seeing it translated into other languages, at a time when President Trump’s rhetoric has been so hostile to immigrants, really struck a chord with us.”
