Hopewatch
Hopewatch amplifies the unwavering commitment of people who tirelessly advocate for racial and social justice.
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- Dismantling White Supremacy
10 great reads that highlight Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott
On Dec. 1, 1955 — 70 years ago today — Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat on a city bus to a white passenger. Parks’ arrest led to the 381-day Montgomery bus boycott, the first major event of the Civil Rights Movement. The boycott began on Dec.…
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- Ending Unjust Imprisonment
Breaking the Myths: The truth about immigration under the Big ‘Beautiful’ Bill
“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. … They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” These horrific words from then-presidential candidate Donald Trump have fueled dangerous stereotypes about immigrants. As the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants, I have seen how anti-immigrant rhetoric has haunted my community with lies. The recently passed…
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- Eliminating Poverty and Economic Inequality
Rising health care costs threaten to become a crisis we can no longer ignore
In the Deep South, access to Medicaid is a crucial lifeline because the region has one of the highest percentages of people living in poverty in the United States. Medicaid’s primary purpose is to provide government-funded health insurance to people with low incomes and people with disabilities who cannot afford or do not have access…
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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…
