LOUISVILLE, KY – The Fairness Campaign and the American Civil Liberties Union today announced that lifelong civil rights and social justice activist Henry F. Wallace, who died April 19, has left each organization a gift of nearly $1 million to support their work for equality and justice.

Today, which would have been Mr. Wallace’s 91st birthday, the two long-time ally organizations, along with many of their supporters and coalition partners, joined together at a news conference to celebrate Mr. Wallace’s life and dedication to defending freedom and equality for everyone.

“Henry was there to protest racism in all its forms - housing discrimination, police brutality, lack of minority contracts, environmental hazards and war,” said Darnell Johnson, organizational manager of the Fairness Campaign.  “He was there in support of living wages and economic justice.  He was there protesting the death penalty and lobbying for equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.  Whenever his sisters and brothers called, Henry was there."

"With these gifts, Henry's legacy will forever be there calling for fairness, working for equality and demanding justice," added Aletha Fields, co-coordinator of the Fairness Campaign.

“We are proud and honored that Henry Wallace chose these organizations as the recipients of such generous gifts to carry on his commitment to social justice and civil liberties,” said Beth Wilson, executive director of the ACLU of Kentucky. “Henry’s gifts will help all of us continue to protect our civil liberties at a time when our fundamental rights are under attack by the government every day. We pledge to carry on Henry’s legacy as a fierce champion for civil rights.”

Throughout his life, Mr. Wallace was a steadfast supporter of equality and freedom, and he spent many hours attending demonstrations, writing letters-to-the editor, and working for a variety of causes.

Henry's landmark contributions to the ACLU and the Fairness Campaign will allow the organizations to continue the grassroots, community empowering work that Mr. Wallace cared so much about and will mean his dream of freedom for everyone will be carried on for generations to come.

"Henry Wallace was a man of giving and I am glad that I can count him as one of my dearest friends.  His gifts will truly benefit this entire community,” said civil rights activist Bob Cunningham. “We in the social justice community know that by working together side-by-side in the trenches, we can expand justice and equality for all."

The ACLU said its $1 million gift will be split among the national ACLU, the ACLU of Kentucky, and a fund that supports grassroots civil liberties work at ACLU affiliates around the country.  The ACLU was founded in 1920 and is now the nation's largest civil liberties organization with more than 550,000 members. The ACLU works daily in courts, legislature, and communities to protect the individual liberties, rights and freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution and the laws of the United States.

The Fairness Campaign, a broad-based community effort dedicated to equal rights and ending discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, announced that Mr. Wallace's gift will be used to establish an endowment fund to permanently support the Campaign's coalition-based work for equality through public education, legislative efforts, community building and reciprocal alliances with others in the social justice community.

The Fairness Campaign and the ACLU of Kentucky will host a celebration of Mr. Wallace’s life and contributions this evening from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Fairness Campaign office, 2263 Frankfort Ave., Louisville.

For more information on the Fairness Campaign, go to www.fairness.org For more information on the ACLU, go to www.aclu.org