State and federal constitutions spell out many liberties and rights, but it is people who challenge prejudice and discrimination and transform those lofty ideals into practical realities. In the era of the Patriot Act and polarizing issues such as immigration reform and gay marriage, an appreciation for and defense of civil liberties is as important as ever. 

Wherever There’s a Fight captures the sweeping story of how freedom and equality have grown in California, from the gold rush right up to the precarious post-9/11 era. The book tells the often hidden stories of brave individuals who have stood up for their rights in the face of social hostility, physical violence, economic hardship, and political stonewalling. It connects the experiences of early Chinese immigrants subjected to discriminatory laws to those of professionals who challenged McCarthyism and those of people who have fought to gain equal rights in California schools: people of color, people with disabilities, and people standing up for their religious freedom. Elinson and Yogi also follow the ongoing struggles for workers’ rights and same-sex marriage. And they bring a special focus to the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans, including the infamous Korematsu decision, which was foreshadowed by a century of civil liberties violations and reverberates in issues we continue to grapple with today: dissent, racism, immigration, and the meaning of national security. 

Join the authors for a virtual tour of significant sites in Southern California in civil rights history. 

About the Authors:
Elaine Elinson was the communications director of the ACLU of Northern California and editor of the ACLU News for more than two decades. She is a coauthor ofDevelopment Debacle: The World Bank in the Philippines, which was banned by the Marcos regime. Her articles have been published in the Los Angeles Daily Journal, theSan Francisco Chronicle, The Nation, Poets and Writers, and numerous other periodicals. She is married to journalist Rene CiriaCruz and they have one son. 

Stan Yogi has managed development programs for the ACLU of Northern California since 1997. He is the coeditor of two books, Highway 99: A Literary Journey through California's Great Central Valley and Asian American Literature: An Annotated Bibliography. His work has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, MELUS, Los Angeles Daily Journal, and several anthologies. He is married to nonprofit administrator David Carroll and lives in Oakland.

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