October 15 Plaque Unveiling Honors Civil Liberties Hero Arthur Garfield Hays

24 East 10th Street (left) and Hays

Join us for the unveiling of a plaque honoring lawyer and civil liberties champion Arthur Garfield Hays in front of his former home at 24 East 10th Street (between Fifth Avenue and University Place). Hays co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union and litigated groundbreaking cases including the Scopes Monkey Trial, the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti, and the case against the Scottsboro Boys, and wrote the ACLU’s brief in Brown v. Board of Education. We will hear about Hays’ work, legacy, and life in the Village from distinguished law, history, and civil liberties scholars  

This is our 29th plaque unveiling. Our plaque program has honored and marked the homes of local figures from Jane Jacobs to James Baldwin; Allen Ginsberg to Charles Mingus; Frank O’Hara to Frank Stella; and Martha Graham to Lorraine Hansberry, as well as historically significant sites such as the former NAACP headquarters, Julius’ Bar, and the Fillmore East. All unveilings are open to the public, but you must register to attend.

You can learn more about our plaque program and explore all our plaques here.

October 5, 2026