Keith Mack
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. It was founded in 1971 by civil rights lawyers Morris Dees, Joseph J. Levin Jr., and Julian Bond. The SPLC is known for its legal victories against discrimination and white supremacist groups, its investigations of alleged hate groups, and its tolerance education programs. The organization has been praised for its work in promoting racial justice and equality, but it has also faced criticism for its allegedly biased and politically motivated listings of hate groups and for its financial practices.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of organization | Nonprofit legal advocacy organization |
| Focus | Civil rights and public interest litigation |
| Location | Montgomery, Alabama |
| Year founded | 1971 |
| Founders | Morris Dees, Joseph J. Levin Jr., Julian Bond |
| Notable cases | Filed civil suits for monetary damages on behalf of victims of violence from the Ku Klux Klan; Challenged institutional racial segregation and discrimination; Fought for equal benefits for women in the armed forces |
| Other initiatives | Teaching Tolerance project, an educational program to foster respect and understanding in the classroom; Intelligence Report, a publication providing updates and online hate crime training to law enforcement, media, and the public |
| Criticism | Accused of exaggerating the threat posed by hate groups to raise money, discriminating against Black employees, and using misleading fundraising tactics |
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What You'll Learn
- The Southern Poverty Law Center's (SPLC) work against white supremacy and hate groups
- SPLC's legal advocacy for civil rights and public interest litigation
- SPLC's involvement in criminal law reform and ending racial inequities
- SPLC's Teaching Tolerance project for antibias education in schools
- SPLC's classification of hate groups and anti-government extremists
The Southern Poverty Law Center's (SPLC) work against white supremacy and hate groups
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, the SPLC is known for its legal cases against white supremacist groups, its classification of hate groups and other extremist organizations, and its promotion of tolerance education programs. The SPLC was founded by civil rights lawyers Morris Dees, Joseph J. Levin Jr., and Julian Bond in 1971 as a law firm focused on issues such as fighting poverty, racial discrimination, and the death penalty in the United States.
Since its founding, the SPLC has been at the forefront of the fight against white supremacy and hate groups in the United States. In 1980, the SPLC began filing civil suits for monetary damages on behalf of victims of violence from the Ku Klux Klan, successfully forcing several KKK chapters into bankruptcy. The SPLC has also taken on other civil rights causes, including cases challenging institutional racial segregation and discrimination, inhumane and unconstitutional conditions in prisons and detention centers, discrimination based on sexual orientation, mistreatment of illegal immigrants, and unconstitutional mixing of church and state.
The SPLC's classification and listings of hate groups, which include organizations that "attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics," have been widely relied upon by academic and media sources. In 2018, the SPLC listed 1,020 organizations as active hate groups, including Ku Klux Klan chapters, neo-Nazi groups, white nationalist groups, racist skinhead groups, and Christian Identity groups. The SPLC's listings have also been criticized by some who argue that they are overbroad, politically motivated, or unwarranted.
In addition to its legal work and classification of hate groups, the SPLC also monitors extremist groups and promotes safety and justice nationwide. The SPLC has itself been a target of white supremacist violence, with several plots to attack the organization and its founders uncovered over the years. Despite criticism and threats, the SPLC continues its work to dismantle white supremacy and promote equality and justice for all.
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SPLC's legal advocacy for civil rights and public interest litigation
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. It was founded by civil rights lawyers Morris Dees, Joseph J. Levin Jr., and Julian Bond in 1971 as a civil rights law firm in Montgomery, Alabama. The SPLC is known for its legal cases against white supremacist groups, its classification of hate groups and other extremist organizations, and its promotion of tolerance education programs.
One of the early SPLC cases was Sims v. Amos (consolidated with Nixon v. Brewer), in which the U.S. District Court for the Middle of Alabama ordered the state legislature to reapportion its election system. The result of this decision, affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court, was the election of fifteen black legislators in 1974. In 1979, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) began a summer of attacks against civil rights groups, clashing with a group of civil rights marchers in Decatur, Alabama. This led to the Brown v. Invisible Empire, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan case in 1980, where the SPLC sued the KKK on behalf of the plaintiffs, including a black woman, Bernice Brown, who was shot by KKK members.
In 1980, the SPLC adopted a litigation strategy of filing civil suits for monetary damages on behalf of victims of violence from the KKK. This strategy successfully bankrupted the KKK and other targeted organizations. The SPLC's Klanwatch program, established in 1979, tracked and litigated against the KKK, contributing to their decline and the conviction of nine Klansmen for criminal charges related to the Decatur confrontation. The SPLC has also taken on other civil rights causes, including challenging institutional racial segregation and discrimination, inhumane conditions in prisons and detention centers, discrimination based on sexual orientation, mistreatment of illegal immigrants, and unconstitutional mixing of powers.
The SPLC's activities, including litigation, are funded through fundraising efforts, and the organization does not accept any fees or share in legal judgments awarded to its clients. The SPLC has been criticized for allegedly exaggerating the threat posed by the KKK and similar groups to raise funds, discriminating against black employees, and using misleading fundraising tactics. However, the organization has had a significant impact on fighting hate groups and promoting civil rights, with a movement inspiring change nationwide.
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SPLC's involvement in criminal law reform and ending racial inequities
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, the SPLC is known for its legal cases against white supremacist groups and its classification of hate groups and other extremist organizations. The SPLC was founded by Morris Dees, Joseph J. Levin Jr., and Julian Bond in 1971 as a civil rights law firm in Montgomery.
Since its founding, the SPLC has played a significant role in criminal law reform and ending racial inequities in the United States. In 1980, the organization began filing civil suits for monetary damages on behalf of victims of violence from the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). The SPLC's litigation strategy against the KKK resulted in the group losing credibility and resources, with nine Klansmen eventually convicted of criminal charges related to the Decatur confrontation of 1979. The SPLC has also initiated civil cases seeking injunctive relief and monetary awards for its clients, stating that it does not accept any portion of monetary judgments.
In addition to its work against the KKK, the SPLC has become involved in other civil rights causes, including cases challenging institutional racial segregation and discrimination, inhumane and unconstitutional conditions in prisons and detention centers, discrimination based on sexual orientation, mistreatment of illegal immigrants, and the unconstitutional mixing of church and state. The organization has provided information about hate groups to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other law enforcement agencies, and its classifications of hate groups and anti-government extremists have been widely relied upon by academic and media sources.
The SPLC has also been active in high-profile state fights, such as the battle over the Georgia House Bill 87 (HB 87) in 2011. The SPLC joined with other civil rights organizations to file a lawsuit challenging HB 87, resulting in a permanent injunction in 2013 that blocked multiple provisions of the law. The SPLC's "Teaching Tolerance" project, initiated in 1991, was cited in 2013 as "one of the most widely read periodicals dedicated to diversity and social justice in education".
The SPLC continues to work towards racial justice and the advancement of human rights for all people, partnering with communities to dismantle white supremacy and strengthen intersectional movements. The organization also monitors over 1,500 active extremist groups to promote safety and justice nationwide and advocates against legislation that would make it more difficult for Americans to register to vote, such as the proposed Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.
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SPLC's Teaching Tolerance project for antibias education in schools
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. The SPLC was founded in 1971 as a civil rights law firm in Montgomery, Alabama. It is known for its legal cases against white supremacist groups and for promoting tolerance education programs.
The Teaching Tolerance project is one of SPLC's initiatives that offers a new curriculum to schools nationwide. The project is supported by the Teaching Tolerance Anti-bias Framework, which draws upon the education goals identified by Louise Derman-Sparks and Julie Olsen Edwards in their work, "Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves". The primary goals of anti-bias education in early childhood include identity, diversity, justice, and action. The framework extends through grade 12, with a set of anti-bias standards and grade-level outcomes.
Teaching Tolerance has created classroom documentaries with social justice themes that have been viewed by tens of millions of schoolchildren. Two of the documentaries, "Mighty Times: The Children's March" and "A Time for Justice", have won Academy Awards in the short documentary category. A digitally restored version of "A Time for Justice" is being offered to schools.
The project also created the national "Mix It Up at Lunch Day", which encourages students to take the lead in promoting tolerance and understanding. Students are asked to sit with someone new in the cafeteria for just one day. More than 10,000 schools participate in this annual event dedicated to breaking down social and racial barriers.
Other articles under the Teaching Tolerance project examine bullying by teachers and how art programs, which often face budget cuts, are frequently the reason struggling students stay focused on school.
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SPLC's classification of hate groups and anti-government extremists
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. The SPLC defines a hate group as "an organization that — based on its official statements or principles, the statements of its leaders, or its activities — has beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristic." The SPLC has classified various organizations as hate groups, including neo-Confederate groups, Christian Identity groups, anti-LGBTQ groups, and anti-immigrant groups.
The SPLC's classification of hate groups and anti-government extremists has gained recognition, with academic and media sources widely relying on its listings since the 2000s. The SPLC publishes an annual census and exclusive report on hate and extremist groups in the United States, tracking their activities and the threats they pose to communities. In 2023, the SPLC documented 1,430 hate and anti-government extremist groups, including white supremacist organizations, pushing various dangerous ideologies.
The SPLC's listings include groups such as the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), and NumbersUSA, which it categorizes as the "big three" in the anti-immigrant movement. The SPLC has also classified 86 organizations as anti-LGBTQ hate groups in 2023, including Abiding Truth Ministries and ATLAH Media Network. Additionally, the SPLC identifies Christian Identity groups with white supremacist and antisemitic ideologies.
The SPLC's classifications have faced criticism and controversy. Some argue that the listings are overbroad, politically motivated, or unwarranted. There have been concerns about violence and protests targeting those designated as "hate groups." The SPLC has also faced backlash for its classification of conservative and Christian groups as hate groups, including a defamation lawsuit by the Dustin Inman Society, an immigration group branded as an "anti-immigrant hate group."
Despite the criticism, the SPLC stands behind most of its listings and continues to play a significant role in exposing hate and extremism, promoting tolerance education, and countering disinformation through research and community resources.
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Frequently asked questions
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. It was founded in 1971 by civil rights lawyers Morris Dees, Joseph J. Levin Jr., and Julian Bond.
The SPLC is known for its legal cases against white supremacist groups and its classification of hate groups and other extremist organizations. It also promotes tolerance education programs and has been involved in other civil rights causes, including cases to challenge institutional racial segregation and discrimination, inhumane and unconstitutional conditions in prisons and detention centers, discrimination based on sexual orientation, mistreatment of illegal immigrants, and more.
The SPLC is supported by contributions from committed activists all over the country. You can support the SPLC by donating to one of its cause funds, which include organizations dedicated to civil rights, social action, and advocacy, as well as related initiatives.
The SPLC has received both praise and criticism. It was nominated as a finalist for a 1995 Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Journalism and is considered a "generally reliable" source on topics related to hate groups and extremism in the United States by the English Wikipedia community. However, it has also been criticized for allegedly exaggerating the threat posed by hate groups to raise money, discriminating against black employees, and using misleading fundraising tactics.
