In 1978, ACLU executive director Ira Glasser had to explain to the press and to the public the ACLU’s choice to defend the free speech rights of neo-Nazi protestors marching in Skokie, Illinois. Over 40 years later, the new documentary “Mighty Ira” shows Glasser looking back on that choice in the light of similar protests and riots that rocked Charlottesville, Virginia.
“Mighty Ira,” for which TheWrap has the exclusive first look trailer, profiles Glasser and explains how he is one of the unsung champions of civil rights and liberties. As the executive director of the ACLU between 1978-2001, becoming the director in the immediate fallout of the Skokie case, Glasser helped expand the organization from being on the verge of bankruptcy into the civil liberties juggernaut it is today.