Fighting Hate • Teaching Tolerance • Seeking Justice http://www.splcenter.org Tracey Cooper-Harris served for 12 years in the U.S. Army and received multiple commendations. But because she’s in a marriage with a person of the same sex, the government refuses to grant her the same disability benefits as heterosexual veterans. http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/news/challenging-federal-policy-that-denies-equal-benefits-to-veterans-in-same-sex-marr LGBT Rights Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:56:43 -0600 With a new year upon us, many state legislatures across the country will be convening. Some may attempt to follow in the steps of Alabama by passing harsh, anti-immigrant legislation. Before they do, they should remember Alabama. http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/news/warning-to-lawmakers-considering-state-anti-immigrant-bills-remember-alabama Immigrant Justice Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:20:55 -0600 <!--paging_filter--><p>The most damning proof that Alabama’s anti-immigrant law was born of xenophobia and vile stereotypes comes straight from the mouths of the lawmakers behind it.</p> http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/news/court-cites-discriminatory-intent-behind-alabamas-anti-immigrant-law Immigrant Justice Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:19:57 -0600 Every single day, when students walk into school in Birmingham, Ala., they face the threat of being sprayed with pepper spray. In this school system, pepper spray is routinely used as punishment by police officers stationed in schools. http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/news/help-stop-the-macing-of-students-in-birmingham-ala-schools Children at Risk Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:15:15 -0600 <!--paging_filter--><p>The Southern Poverty Law Center today filed a federal class action lawsuit today on behalf of several aspiring college students who are denied in-state college tuition rates in Florida because they cannot prove the lawful immigration status of their parents.&nbsp;</p> http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/news/splc-challenges-florida-s-discriminatory-in-state-college-tuition-policy Immigrant Justice Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:52:21 -0600 <!--paging_filter--><p>Though the civil rights movement is one of the defining events of U.S. history, most states fail when it comes to teaching the movement to students, a first-of-its-kind study released today by the Southern Poverty Law Center has found.</p> http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/news/splc-study-finds-that-more-than-half-of-states-fail-at-teaching-the-civil-rights-m Wed, 28 Sep 2011 07:46:33 -0600 <!--paging_filter--><p>The Southern Poverty Law Center, in cooperation with Mississippi attorney Winston J. Thompson III, filed a wrongful death lawsuit today on behalf of the family of a black man who was viciously beaten in a motel parking lot and then fatally run over.</p> http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/news/wrongful-death-lawsuit-filed-against-mississippi-teens-in-killing-of-black-man Hate and Extremism Tue, 06 Sep 2011 08:48:25 -0600