MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 27, 2025
MEDIA CONTACTS
Salmah Y. Rizvi, Executive Director, 808-723-9794
Sergio Alcubilla, Director of Community Engagement, 808-522-5908
ACLU of Hawai'i Welcomes Sergio Alcubilla as Director of Community Engagement
HONOLULU, HI – The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai‘i (“ACLU-HI”) is pleased to announce that Sergio Alcubilla has joined the organization as its Director of Community Engagement. In this capacity, Sergio will oversee the communications team and lead community organizing and public education efforts centered on ACLU-HI’s priorities.
Alcubilla comes to ACLU-HI having previously served as the Executive Director of the Hawai‘i Workers Center, a non-profit that mobilizes lower-wage workers to organize for their own political, economic, and social well-being. In this role, Alcubilla led initiatives advocating for workers’ rights, combatting worker exploitation, and providing “Know Your Rights” education to the public. Alcubilla also previously served as the Director of External Relations for the Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i, a non-profit law firm providing civil legal services to Hawai‘i’s most vulnerable communities. During his time at Legal Aid, Alcubilla worked on increasing access to justice for lower income individuals and expanding pro bono efforts with the Judiciary and legal community.
ACLU-HI Executive Director, Salmah Y. Rizvi, shared:
We are fortunate to welcome Sergio to the ACLU of Hawai‘i ohana. Sergio brings his experience as a community advocate, organizer, and public interest attorney to ACLU-HI, and I am confident he will breathe life into our new Public Education program. I feel especially lucky to have such a seasoned leader and former Executive Director on my team to help carry out a vision of boldly pushing forward agendas of freedom, liberty, and justice during a critical moment in our political history.
Professor Kenneth Lawson who sits on the ACLU-HI Board of Directors further stated:
I was not part of this search, but I was delighted when I heard Sergio, one of my former students, was selected to direct our ACLU-HI communications efforts. Sergio is dedicated to serving the community and protecting the rights of our most vulnerable, from lower wage workers to immigrant families. Sergio’s heart is pure. He is motivated. He is a fighter for those who cannot fight for themselves.
The organization’s Board President, Rick Schneider, remarked:
The ACLU of Hawai‘i is commemorating its 60th anniversary this year, and we are glad to have Sergio join our team and help us celebrate this milestone with enhanced community engagement. We are excited to have him help showcase our long history of protecting the civil rights and liberties in Hawai‘i.
Upon joining the organization, Sergio Alcubilla added, “I am grateful to join the ACLU-HI and its storied history of defending the rights of all people. We are living in extraordinary times and it’s a privilege for me to be able to contribute to such an important cause as ensuring that the promise of this nation applies to all of us.”
Sergio Alcubilla was born in Iloilo City, Philippines and immigrated to this country as a young child. He earned his B.A. in Political Science and Economics from the University of Florida, an M.R.E. from the HJ International Graduate School for Peace and Public Leadership, and his J.D. from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Sergio is a 2024-2025 Obama Foundation USA Leader and currently serves as co-chair of the Hawaiʻi State Bar Association’s Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services to the Public. Please join us in congratulating Sergio on this new role. Find out more about Sergio here: https://www.acluhi.org/en/biographies/sergio-j-alcubilla-iii.
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