Mark Ruffalo, Harper Steele, Brittney Griner and Viet Thanh Nguyen Honored at ACLU SoCal Bill of Rights Awards

variety.com:

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and EventsThe 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.Taking place just days after the election, the evening took on a somber tone with presenters and honorees emphasizing how crucial the ACLU was and will be in legal battles protecting civil rights and fighting for social justice during a Trump administration.

In an eerie coincidence, an SUV adorned with Trump flags and passengers shouting “we won” drove by the Beverly Hilton hotel on Wilshire Boulevard as guests arrived for the gala.Griner, who spent 10 months in a Russian work camp before her release was secured by a prisoner swap negotiated by the Biden administration in 2022, praised the civil rights organization. “My wife and I have a lot of common with the ACLU,” Brittney said after being introduced by Kerry Washington. “We commit to people are on the margins with curiosity.

We do it with love. We share values with ACLU. Above all, patriotism in its truest form, the belief in an America that we yet to see, but continue to dare to build and fight for.”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.