Hopewatch
Hopewatch amplifies the unwavering commitment of people who tirelessly advocate for racial and social justice.
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- Dismantling White Supremacy
Racial profiling, born of the South, buoyed after Supreme Court ruling
Colloquially, there have been a lot of names for it. Bias-based policing. Targeted enforcement. Driving while Black — or engaging in any other preferred activity while Black. At the end of the day, it boils down to racism, plain and simple. And, in a United States under the sway of Jim Crow, it was policy…
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- Eliminating Poverty and Economic Inequality
Mississippi Truth, Poverty and Democracy Tour shows urgent need for help
I joined the Southern Poverty Law Center’s five-day Mississippi Truth, Poverty and Democracy Tour, which began on Sept. 30, to listen, observe and learn what day-to-day life is like in underserved Black communities and the challenges residents there face. The tour was designed for community leaders, legislators and representatives from aid groups to hear about…
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- Dismantling White Supremacy
Hispanic Heritage and Atlanta Pride: The South’s power, legacy and defiance
This October, the South isn’t waiting to be seen — it’s leading. National Hispanic Heritage Month and the Atlanta Pride celebration stand as twin testaments to how communities across the region continue to shape the nation’s conscience. At the center of that legacy stands Dolores Huerta, the civil rights icon and co-founder of the United…
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- Eliminating Poverty and Economic Inequality
Mississippi Truth, Poverty and Democracy tour talks health care in Delta region
The fourth day of the 2025 Truth, Poverty and Democracy Tour swung through Mississippi’s Delta region, hearing concerns from health care workers and residents as federal funding cuts for individual health care loom on the horizon. The Southern Poverty Law Center’s Mississippi tour, which was designed for community leaders, legislators and representatives from aid groups to hear…
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- Eliminating Poverty and Economic Inequality
SPLC Mississippi listening tour dives into generational wealth discussion
The Natchez, Mississippi, leg of the second annual Truth, Poverty and Democracy Tour across Mississippi’s Delta region touched on the ways in which Black residents could harness the type of generational wealth that had eluded — or, in many cases, had been stripped from — their predecessors. Sara Miller, a senior policy analyst with Hope…
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- Strengthening Democracy & Voting Rights
Mississippi tour participants hear hard truth about rural water insecurity
The town of Utica, Mississippi, is small, with a population that dropped from 966 in the 2000 census to 636 in the 2020 count. But even small towns, especially those in largely rural areas of the South, can have big problems. Resident Angela Stamps Burleigh said the issues with the water infrastructure in Utica rise…
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- Dismantling White Supremacy
Defending against hate and extremism, SPLC safeguards democracy, civil rights
Since our founding almost 55 years ago, the Southern Poverty Law Center has been at the forefront of the fight to protect and expand civil rights in the Deep South. We have done this through litigation, legislation, public education and other forms of advocacy. One of the main ways we have actively confronted hate and…
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- Eliminating Poverty and Economic Inequality
- Strengthening Democracy & Voting Rights
Truth, poverty and democracy on display as tour gets underway in Mississippi
The morning of Sept. 30 in downtown Jackson, Mississippi, was beautiful. It was also uplifting as some three dozen “pilgrims” began the second annual Truth, Poverty and Democracy Tour at the Mississippi State Capitol. The tour, organized through the efforts of Waikinya Clanton, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Mississippi state office and her…
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- Eliminating Poverty and Economic Inequality
‘40 acres and a mule’ was no myth: Royal, Florida’s fight for land and freedom
Forget what you’ve been told: 40 acres and a mule — the federal government’s broken promise of land to newly freed Black Americans — wasn’t a myth. It happened. And in Royal, Florida, it’s a legacy. Black families have safeguarded land first secured after the Civil War for more than 160 years — a history…
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- Eliminating Poverty and Economic Inequality
Five ways you can continue to fight against the ‘One Big Ugly Bill Act’
On the eve of Independence Day, our Republican-led Senate and House moved at breakneck speed to narrowly pass their one big, ugly budget bill that cut hundreds of billions from Medicaid and SNAP to give massive tax breaks to corporations and the wealthy. While President Trump and his supporters celebrate this cruel law that takes…
