Pod Squad: A Chat With ACLU Hawaii’s Very Busy Executive Director

In the Trump era, "liberty has never been so fragile," says Vanessa Chong, who has been on the job in the islands since 1989.
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Vanessa Chong has been sticking up for the rights of the disenfranchised as executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii since 1989, frequently focusing on issues such as prison overcrowding and police misconduct.

The Trump administration is presenting a whole new set of challenges to civil libertarians, but it’s also resulting in unprecedented support for the ACLU, Chong tells Pod Squad host Chad Blair. She says her organization is hearing from “students, retirees, teachers” and even people in law enforcement.

Vanessa Chong ACLU Chad Blair podcast portrait
Pod Squad host Chad Blair welcomes Vanessa Chong, ACLU Hawaii executive director. Cory Lum/Civil Beat

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