The Lifetime Learning Institute of Northern Virginia, https://llinova.org/, a learning group for adults over 50, will hold its next virtual Forum on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, from 10:00 am to 11:30 am. The speaker will be Mary Bauer, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia.

Ms. Bauer joined the ACLU of VA in 2021 after serving as the legal director for Muslim Advocates.  She previously served as legal director for the Southern Poverty Law Center and the ACLU of Virginia, as well as general counsel for Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc.  Ms. Bauer has had a long and varied relationship with the Legal Aid Justice Center, serving as legal director of its Immigrant Advocacy Program, director of advocacy, and, for five years, its executive director.  She has authored many reports on the conditions of immigrants and migrant workers in the U.S. and testified before a number of U.S. congressional committees.  This election cycle, the ACLU of Virginia, under the leadership of Mary Bauer, launched a voter education drive focused on educating VA voters about the candidates’ positions on civil rights and civil liberties issues that matter most to Virginians. Ms. Bauer is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and the University of Virginia School of Law.

This LLI  lecture is free and open to the public by registering on the LLI website https://llinova.org/, clicking on Classes and Events, and scrolling down to January 7, 2026. Or clicking directly on https://llinova.org/courses/event-calendar/#!event/2026/1/7/january-7-forum-executive-director-mary-bauer-of-american-civil-liberties-union-of-virginia-zoom. Those registered will receive a link to Zoom.  This program is part of the LLI’s monthly Forum Series held the first Wednesday of each month.  LLI also provides more than 130 classes, programs and excursions a year to its members.  More information on membership in LLI is available on LLI's website https://llinova.org/.  Any questions, please e-mail LLI at [email protected].