Bio
Kendall Ciesemier (@kendallciese) was the host of At Liberty and the Senior Executive Producer of Multimedia at the ACLU.
Previously, Kendall worked as a producer and reporter for The New York Times' Opinion section and Mic, a digital media company. Most notably at Mic, Kendall's interview with Alice Marie Johnson, a woman serving a life without parole sentence for a first-time nonviolent drug offense, inspired Kim Kardashian West to get involved in Johnson's case. Kardashian West then successfully lobbied President Trump to grant Johnson clemency and Kendall produced a series of reported pieces alongside the effort, catapulting the story to make international headlines and result in real-world impact.
Kendall has appeared on The Oprah Show with President Clinton, the TODAY Show, and CBS This Morning. She’s was named the 2014 Glamour Magazine College Woman of the Year, a Chicagoan of the Year by Chicago Magazine, a Zeitgeist Young Mind by Google, and one of Youth Service America’s “Top 25 Most Powerful and Influential Young People.”
Kendall is a graduate of Georgetown University.
Featured work
![Union workers march on Wednesday, May 3, 1990 in Midtown New York in solidarity with striking workers of Greyhound, Eastern Airlines and a Brooklyn clothing manufacturer. The march began in the afternoon at the Port Authority Bus terminal and moved uptown to Rockefeller Center.](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2023/11/union-solidarity-blog-400x266.jpg)
Nov 16, 2023
The Resurgence of Labor Strikes and Union Power
![Supporters of Issue 1 attend a rally for the Right to Reproductive Freedom amendment held by Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights at the Ohio State House in Columbus, Ohio, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023.](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2023/10/ohio-ballot-measure-blog-400x266.jpg)
Oct 26, 2023
Religious Communities in Ohio Are Fighting To Preserve Reproductive Rights
![Demonstrators perform a die-in symbolizing the amount of people dying from AIDS, Monday, August 17, 1992, in Houston. Hundreds of police and gay rights activists clashed outside the Republican National Convention Monday night as protesters sought to block a street near the Astrodome.](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2023/10/act-up-die-in-blog-400x266.jpg)
Oct 19, 2023
How ACT UP Changed the Face of AIDS and Activism
![Echo King, an attorney from Orlando, Florida, stands in front of protesters who rallied in opposition to SB264 and HB1355 in front of the Capitol on Wednesday, April 19, 2023.](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2023/10/echo-king-SB264-blog-400x266.jpg)
Oct 12, 2023
We're Suing Florida for Anti-Asian Housing Discrimination
![Youth plaintiffs in the climate change lawsuit, Held vs. Montana, pose outside the Lewis and Clark County Courthouse in Helena, Mont., on Monday, June 12, 2023.](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2023/09/montana-youth-climate-blog-400x266.jpg)
Sep 28, 2023
Kids Sued Montana Over Climate Change—Here’s How They Won
![In this Dec. 17, 2012 photo, Officer Rick Moore of the Oakland school district police patrols Oakland Technical High School in Oakland, Calif.](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2023/09/school-resource-officer-blog-400x266.jpg)
Sep 14, 2023
This Student Fought a School Fine for Four Years