Impact Fund Statement on the Southern Poverty Law Center
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday, April 21, U.S. Department of Justice officials announced an indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). For over 50 years, the SPLC has led civil rights advocacy and activism in the South, including through legal challenges to the actions of white supremacist groups such as the Klu Klux Klan and by maintaining its Hate Map, which tracks hate groups and extremist organizations.
In response, Impact Fund Executive Director Lindsay Nako issued the following statement:
“Yet again, the Trump administration has weaponized the Justice Department to attack its critics. Targeting the SPLC in this way is a blatant abuse of power.
Our civil rights laws are a crucial piece of our democracy, and they need defenders like the SPLC. The administration’s efforts to target those who step forward to protect our civil rights is a warning to all of us. Eliminating the organizations that do this work is a step towards their goal of absolute authority.
The Impact Fund stands with the Southern Poverty Law Center, and we urge all Americans to do the same.”