Words You Can Use: The BAVC BLOG

by Carol Varney, BAVC Director of Development

On a recent trip to New York City, and thanks to my friend Rachel who works in media relations at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), I had the pleasure of meeting with Constance DeCherney, Media Relations Liaison at the ACLU, and the person who is behind the ACLU’s presence in Second Life.

Anticipating the 6th anniversary of prisoners arriving at Guantanamo Bay Detention Center in Cuba, the ACLU hooked up with the Producers Institute-developers Nonny de la Peña and Peggy Weil, creators of Gone Gitmo. Gone Gitmo is a Second Life experience of rendition and Camp X-Ray, the now-defunct arrival center at Gitmo, developed as a virtual world companion piece to the documentary Unconstitutional. Gone Gitmo allows SL avatars to experience being hooded, handcuffed, verbally abused and detained.

The ACLU was interested in the project as a way to draw further attention to the human rights abuses that continue to take place at Guantánamo Bay. Gone Gitmo allows the ACLU to use a “virtual microphone” for their call to close Gitmo.

The ACLU held an event in Second Life (look for them on Progressive Island - SL coordinates 133, 146, 35) on January 11 in conjunction with their “Close Guantanamo” campaign and I wanted to follow-up with Constance about the ACLU in Second Life. I asked her what she thinks the possibilities for virtual activism are.

Here is a brief Q+A with Constance to give you an idea of what the ACLU is up to in the virtual world:

What was the ACLU’s first event in Second Life like?

Constance: On January 11 the ACLU held its second event in Second Life on Progressive Island and placed the Gone Gitmo experience on our site. Nonny and Peggy were on hand to guide avatars. There were approximately 40 residents at our concert and we’re planning additional events over the course of the year.

Sidenote: As we mentioned on the ACLU blog, the day after this event in Second Life, Reuters reported that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen stated “I’d like to see it shut down. I believe that from the standpoint of how it reflects on us that it’s been pretty damaging.”

What do you hope the ACLU in Second Life will accomplish?

Constance: We hope the ACLU can motivate legislative action through SL activism. People can sign petitions and send letters to their Senators and Congressmen while visiting our plot. We also see an opportunity for public education; we can reach audiences in SL that are sometimes out of range otherwise. It’s an audience from all over the world coming together “in-world.”

Additionally, and eventually, we hope the ACLU will be able to work collaboratively with other groups to bring people from different constituencies together through issues rather than membership. We see real possibilities in Second Life for gaining ground on real world issues that span advocacy groups’ missions.

What’s next for the ACLU in Second Life?

Constance: The ACLU is planning events in Second Life almost every six weeks, with a speaker, a concert or a rally. Our next event is March 18 at 1 p.m. SL time (that’s PST), and will include ACLU attorney Ben Wizner, who is currently observing military tribunal hearings back at Gitmo. A SLURL to Progressive Island.