For several decades, historian Bruce Dierenfield gathered a wide variety of material to create the first comprehensive account of the ACLU-MN's work to defend the First Amendment. The outcome resulted in Separating Church and State: How the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union Led the Nation in Religious Liberty, the seventh book Dr. Dierenfield has published.
Dierenfield, who was raised in Minnesota and began his teaching career in the North Star State, was not alone in his pursuit to tell this history. Until his death in 2018, Dr. Matthew Stark, the former president and executive director of the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union (now ACLU-MN) worked closely with Dierenfield to create this book. “He was all for this project,” said Dierenfield of Stark. “He moved heaven and earth to make sure that I got the story.”
From 1988 to 2014, Dierenfield interviewed Stark countless times, including twice when Stark made the 1,000 mile trek from Minnesota to Buffalo, New York, where Dierenfield lives. Stark also set Dierenfield up with many interviews with others and provided him with a mountain of personal notes, newspaper clippings, and legal documents related to this subject.
Stark was the MCLU's most visible figure in the continuous fight to protect religious liberty in the 1960s through the 1980s, but he was not alone in the vital work. "He had a lot of help both within and outside the organization," said Dierenfield. This help within the MCLU came from Lynn Castner, executive director and later president; Randall Tigue, legal counsel and later president; Ayers Bagley, chair of the MCLU's Church/State Committee; and many more.
In the age of constant breaking news, it can be easy to forget our long and complicated histories. But Dierenfield believes that even in the chaos of today, this story is an important history for people in Minnesota and beyond to know. "It shows what one affiliate could do with an unwavering commitment to safeguard people's liberties," said Dierenfield. "All our liberties are protected by the work that the ACLU and its affiliates have done and keep doing in a whole host of areas. And so, I think it's inspirational."