When the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 happened, Anthony Romero had just started his new job as executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union. As security measures veered into infringement on civil rights, Romero had to prove himself to the people who doubted him.

All these years later, Anthony Romero and the ACLU continue to fight for basic civil rights for all. Romero is the first openly gay man and the first Latino to head the ACLU. He joins Maria Hinojosa to talk about his career, what it is about being Latino that never leaves you, and lessons he learned from his father.

Romero is the ACLU’s sixth executive director, and the first Latino and openly gay man to serve in that capacity. In 2005, Romero was named one of Time Magazine’s 25 Most Influential Hispanics in America, and has received dozens of public service awards and an honorary doctorate from the City University of New York School of Law.

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