Southern Poverty Law Center: All Center News

Terror from the Right

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Here are the stories of plots, conspiracies and racist rampages since 1995 plots and violence waged against a democratic America.

Preliminary Agreement Reached in Miss. Juvenile Detention Center Case

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Children and teens at a Mississippi juvenile detention center will no longer be locked in cells all day without reason or forced to sleep on the floor in a squalid, overcrowded facility following an agreement the Southern Poverty Law Center has reached in

Plea Agreement Reached in Jena Six Case

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Five black youths accused of beating a white high school student in Jena, La., amid racial tension sparked by nooses hung on the high school campus, have pleaded no contest to misdemeanor simple battery charges as part of an agreement to resolve a case th

Intelligence Report: Klan Leader Accused in Slaying 'Threatened Everybody'

Thu, 28 May 2009 13:00:00 GMT

The Louisiana Klan leader indicted for the murder of a woman who tried to quit his group coerced three of his sons to join the Klan and used threats of violence to keep members from leaving.

Teachers, Students Enthusiastic About Viva Teaching Kit

Wed, 27 May 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Immigrants have become the target of choice for many hate groups, and anti-immigrant rhetoric in the mainstream media isn't helping.

National Dialogue Needed on Juvenile Justice

Mon, 18 May 2009 13:00:00 GMT

The United States may be faltering as an economic powerhouse, but we're still No. 1 in one important category: locking people up.

SPLC Releases Blueprint to Reduce Student, Teacher Dropouts in Louisiana

Tue, 12 May 2009 13:00:00 GMT

The SPLC today released a blueprint for reducing Louisiana's alarming student and teacher dropout rates as part of an ongoing effort to improve the state's schools.

SPLC to Congress: Protect H-2B Guestworkers, Enforce Labor Laws Aggressively

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:00:00 GMT

The U.S. Department of Labor should repeal Bush administration regulations that have shredded labor protections for foreign guestworkers and aggressively enforce labor laws to protect all workers from exploitation.

SPLC Report Finds Low-Income Latinos in South Targeted for Abuse, Discrimination

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Low-income Latino immigrants in the South are routinely the targets of wage theft, racial profiling and other abuses driven by an anti-immigrant climate that harms all Latinos regardless of their immigration status, according to a report released today by

SPLC Sues Mississippi County to Stop 'Shocking' Abuse of Children at Detention Center

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:00:00 GMT

The Southern Poverty Law Center today filed a federal class action suit to stop the "shockingly inhumane" treatment of children at a juvenile detention center.

Homeland Security: Economic, Political Climate Fueling Extremism

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:00:00 GMT

A new intelligence assessment by the Department of Homeland Security warns of extremist recruitment fueled by the faltering economy, the election of Barack Obama and fears about Latino immigration factors the Southern Poverty Law Center has previo

SPLC Urges Schools to Use Stimulus Money to Reform School Discipline

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:00:00 GMT

The Southern Poverty Law Center is encouraging school districts across the country to use federal stimulus money to establish Positive Behavior Supports (PBS) in their schools.

Bandana Project to Spotlight Sexual Exploitation of Farmworker Women

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Residents of 25 states and three other countries will take a stand against the sexual exploitation of farmworker women and other low-wage female immigrant workers in April as part of the "Bandana Project."

SPLC Files Complaint After Worker Sexually Assaulted, Brutalized by Manager

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:00:00 GMT

A Latina factory worker in North Carolina was brutally assaulted by the plant manager after she had earlier reported his sexual harassment to officials of the yarn company that employed her, according to a federal court complaint filed by the Southern Pov

Complaint: Kentucky School District Neglects Children with Disabilities

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:00:00 GMT

LEXINGTON, Ky. Students with learning disabilities in Kentucky's second-largest school district have been subjected to harsh discipline but have been routinely denied the services they need to succeed in school, according to a complaint supported

Live Webcast: Hate Groups in America

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:00:00 GMT

SPLC President Richard Cohen and Mark Potok, editor of the Intelligence Report, will host a live webcast at 2 p.m. (EDT) on March 18 to discuss the SPLC's recently released annual count of hate groups.

Congressional Delegation Honors Martyrs at SPLC's Civil Rights Memorial

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Nearly 30 members of Congress joined veterans of the civil rights movement, clergy and others at the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery on March 7 to honor the martyrs whose names are inscribed there. About 200 people took part in the ceremony.

Hate Group Numbers Up By 54% Since 2000

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:00:00 GMT

The number of hate groups operating in the United States continued to rise in 2008 and has grown by 54 percent since 2000.

Court Ruling Against Foreign Guestworkers Highlights Need for Reform

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:00:00 GMT

A recent federal appeals court ruling in an SPLC lawsuit involving fees paid by foreign guestworkers illustrates the need for reform of a program that results in widespread exploitation, workers and their advocates said.

Palm Beach County Schools Reach Agreement with SPLC, Advocates to Reduce Exclusionary School Discipline

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 14:00:00 GMT

One of the largest settlements involving federal education law for students with learning disabilities.

Anti-Immigration Groups Share Extremist Roots

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Death of Millard Fuller

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Millard Fuller, founder of the house-building nonprofit Habitat for Humanity, died today in Americus, Ga., after a sudden illness. He was 74.

Hatemongers Poised to Exploit Obama Election, Tough Economic Times

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Inaugural Message From Morris Dees

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:00:00 GMT

From my office here in Montgomery, I can see the church where Dr. King helped launch the civil rights movement more than half a century ago.

SPLC Challenges Bush's Guestworker Regulations

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 14:00:00 GMT

SPLC's Civil Rights Memorial Center Included in Julian Bond-led Civil Rights Tour

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Teaching Tolerance Magazine Equips Teachers with Strategies for Economic Crisis

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:00:00 GMT

New Bush Guestworker Rules Weaken Worker Protections, Ignore Public Comments

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:00:00 GMT

The Southern Poverty Law Center and a coalition of immigrant rights advocates criticized changes to the nation's guestworker program that will open the program to more abuse of foreign workers while making it easier for employers to replace U.S. workers w

SPLC Praises Passage of Human Trafficking Bill, Urges More Reform

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:00:00 GMT

The Southern Poverty Law Center praised Congress on Thursday for protecting immigrant workers by passing a human trafficking bill that allows unscrupulous labor recruiters to be prosecuted for fraud, but said more reform is needed to protect these workers

With SPLC's Help, Youth Goes from Non-Reader to College Student

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:00:00 GMT

By the time Joe Bates finished middle school in 2004, he had fallen years behind his classmates. His struggle with asthma was just one of his problems. He also had learning disabilities that had been ignored by his school.

Portland Honors Man Whose Murder Sparked SPLC Lawsuit

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:00:00 GMT

The city of Portland, Ore., has honored an Ethiopian student whose brutal murder sparked a Southern Poverty Law Center lawsuit that destroyed the White Aryan Resistance (WAR) hate group.

Teaching Tolerance Offers Educators Strategy to Respond to Racial Incidents Following Obama Election

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Responding to reports of racially charged incidents following Barack Obama's election as the first black president, the Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance program is offering teachers a set of strategies to deal with election-related bigotry

Intelligence Report: Anti-immigration Leader at Heart of White Nationalist Scene for Decades

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:00:00 GMT

The architect of the modern anti-immigration movement and founder of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) has been at the heart of the white nationalist scene for decades.

Letter to Secretary Gates: Extremists Continue to Infiltrate Military

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Military extremists are serving in the U.S. armed forces

Live Webcast - SPLC Lawsuit Against IKA

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Morris Dees and Richard Cohen live chat concluded.

SPLC Submits Brief to Overturn Prop 8

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Working with a California law firm, the Southern Poverty Law Center has filed an amicus curiae brief calling for the state's Supreme Court to maintain the right to same-sex marriage.

ABC's 'Nightline' Features SPLC Legal Victory over Klan

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:00:00 GMT

The Southern Poverty Law Center's trial against the Imperial Klans of America (IKA), which ended with a $2.5 million verdict on Friday, will be featured in a segment on ABC's "Nightline" on Monday, Nov. 17.

SPLC Calls for Closing of Mississippi Youth Prison

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:00:00 GMT

The Southern Poverty Law Center today called for the state of Mississippi to abandon the use of large youth prisons following a report showing that after almost four years, the state's Oakley Training School has made virtually no progress in ensuring that

SPLC Wins $2.5 Million Verdict Against Imperial Klans of America

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:00:00 GMT

The Southern Poverty Law Center today won a crushing jury verdict against one of the nation's largest Klan groups for its role in the brutal beating of a teenager at a county fair in rural Kentucky.

Students Across Nation to Participate in SPLC's 'Mix It Up at Lunch Day'

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:00:00 GMT

More than 4 million students across the country will challenge social and racial boundaries on Nov. 13 as part of the seventh annual Mix It Up at Lunch Day, a project designed to foster respect and understanding in schools and communities.

Believe in the Promise

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:00:00 GMT

We've just witnessed an historic transformation, one of those singular moments in our history that we'll all remember for the rest of our lives.

SPLC Sues Tennessee Cheese Company After Latino Workers Seeking Pay are Arrested, Threatened with Deportation

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:00:00 GMT

A dozen Latino workers at a Tennessee cheese factory went weeks without pay and endured an abusive work environment before demanding paychecks from an employer, who then had them arrested, jailed and threatened with deportation, according to a lawsuit fil

Tough Times? Blame Minorities!

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:00:00 GMT

Repeatedly in our country's history, economic troubles have created conditions that are ripe for demagogues and hatemongers to whip up public anger against minorities and recent immigrants.

Thousands of Cheated Guestworkers to Recover Lost Wages in SPLC Forestry Case

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:00:00 GMT

A federal judge's ruling this week means that thousands of foreign guestworkers represented by the Southern Poverty Law Center will recover wages owed to them by one of the nation's largest forestry contractors.

SPLC Featured in Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel Programs

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:00:00 GMT

A Discovery Channel program hosted by veteran journalist Ted Koppel examines an historic Southern Poverty Law Center lawsuit that destroyed one of the nation's most violent Klan groups.

SPLC, Civil Rights Groups File Complaints to End Neglect of Florida Students with Learning Disabilities

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:00:00 GMT

The Southern Poverty Law Center and an alliance of civil rights groups have filed complaints against two of Florida's largest school districts, where students with disabilities endure a culture of neglect and harsh discipline that robs them of an educatio

New SPLC Documentary Premieres in Los Angeles

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:00:00 GMT

Nearly 1,500 people filled the historic Wilshire Theater in Beverly Hills yesterday to attend the premiere of the SPLC's new documentary, Viva la Causa, which depicts one of the seminal events in the march for human rights the grape strik

Immigrant Rights Advocate Wins 2008 Morris Dees Justice Award

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:00:00 GMT

An activist lawyer who for more than 20 years has provided courageous and effective representation to immigrants has been selected as the winner of the 2008 Morris Dees Justice Award.

SPLC, Worker Advocates Ask Homeland Security to Withdraw Flawed Guestworker Proposals

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 13:00:00 GMT

New SPLC Report: Documents Reveal History of Racial Extremism by Architect of Anti-Immigration Movement

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 13:00:00 GMT

The leaders of the anti-immigration movement in the United States have long claimed that they are not motivated by racism.