Meet Tamara Mason, ACLU of Virginia's Newest Team Member

By Tamara Mason, Communications and Development Assistant

The ACLU of Virginia is growing and we’re improving our efficiency and strategy as we grow.  Our recent move to a larger space will increase staff and volunteer/intern capacity, and we’ve enhanced our technology and improved our workflow to foster teamwork and an integrated advocacy approach. 
The first of our new team members is Tamara Mason, a Richmond native, coming to us by way of Raleigh, NC.  She joins us as our Communications and Development Assistant.  Tamara will be helping us expand  our social media presence, communicate better what we do statewide, build our affiliate’s capacity and resources, and develop the next generation of civil libertarians who will ensure the protection and advancement of our most fundamental rights in Virginia. Tamara joined our staff at the beginning of May. Welcome, Tamara!  We’re pleased to have her with us.
More About Tamara
I’m excited to join the ACLU of Virginia team.   Creating avenues of understanding and respect between ALL people has become a passion of mine.  This kind of work never gets tiring because it is work that feeds and enriches my soul, which is important to me.  In turn, working with the ACLU will allow me the opportunity to create meaningful and lasting relationships with others who are committed to bringing about positive change in our community, helping to secure our civil liberties and civil rights for generations to come.
My career background is in social justice, having spent over 10 years with the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) of the Piedmont Triad in Greensboro, NC.  I wore many hats while working there from website manager and accidental techie to curriculum designer and facilitator of human relations discussions and workshops.  I enjoyed all of my work because I knew in the long run I was helping to make a difference in people’s lives.  I’m thrilled to bring that passion with me back home to Virginia with the ACLU.
Prior to my work at NCCJ, I attended Guilford College, a Quaker institution guided by seven core values: Community, Diversity, Equality, Excellence, Integrity, Justice and Stewardship, which attracted me from the time I first learned about the school.  Through my experiences at Guilford College, I found my passion for social justice and discovered my inner activist.
I am also happy to be back in Richmond with my family.  I’ve missed having them only a 20 minute drive away.  Now I can bug them any time I want!  I also love Latin dancing, trying out new foods and restaurants, arts and crafts, my sorority and sisters of Theta Nu Xi Multicutural Sorority, Inc. and learning!