The Southern Poverty Law Center has “wiped out its staff” despite having nearly $1 billion in reserves, the center’s union said.
The SPLC union posted the following on Wednesday: X“Today @splcenter, an organization with nearly $1 billion in reserves and an F rating from Charity Watch for ‘hoarding’ donations, cut its staff by a quarter.”
“The organization has sometimes been criticized for its aggressive fundraising strategies. In 2022, the organization reported it had assets of $711 million and has received more than $100 million in donations each year since 2019.”
Union Added“SPLC’s decision will have a devastating impact on the organization’s work to support immigrants seeking justice and its mission to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance human rights through its support for educators.”
The union subsequently added 12 posts to X, one of which was I got it.“More than 60 SPLC members, including five union leaders and the union chair, have been notified that they will lose their jobs. This is a huge blow for our union and our colleagues.”
another Said“The firing of the Southern Immigrant Freedom Initiative’s entire staff of 16 and the closure of its offices will dramatically reduce pro bono legal services to immigrants detained in Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.” Added“The dissolution of the entire Immigrant Justice Team ends SPLC’s decade-long commitment to migrant worker rights and our close collaborative work to defend immigrant rights and decriminalize migration throughout the Southeast.”
of The Associated Press The SPLC did not say how many employees had been laid off, but said in a statement that it was “undergoing a restructuring” that would result in reduced staff numbers.
More from the Associated Press:
Based in Montgomery, Alabama, the law center was founded in 1971 as a watchdog for minorities and disadvantaged people. Ten years later, the organization won a $7 million judgment against the United Klans of America on behalf of Bella Mae Donald, whose son was killed by KKK members in Mobile. Over the years, the organization has advocated for expanded voting rights, protections for immigrants and equal rights for members of the LGBTQ community. It also maintains a list of extremist organizations.
The organization has also been criticized for its aggressive fundraising strategies: In 2022, the organization reported it had assets of $711 million and had received more than $100 million in donations each year since 2019.
Southern Poverty Law Center staff Voted to form a union In 2019, employees voted to join the Washington-Baltimore News Guild.
anything else?
Mainstream news outlets frequently cite the SPLC as an authority on determining which organizations are hate groups.
Fox News The SPLC was forced to apologize after calling neurosurgeon and former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson an “extremist.” The SPLC recently called Moms for Liberty an “anti-government extremist group.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) suggested in a scathing 2023 opinion piece that the SPLC’s corruption and ties to terrorism made attorney Nancy Abdou unfit to serve as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. President Joe Biden nominated Abdou, who has overseen and strategized litigation for the SPLC since 2019. She begins serving on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on June 1, 2023.
An SPLC lawyer has been arrested on domestic terrorism charges as part of a group of 23 people who allegedly violently attacked a proposed Atlanta police training facility last year.
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