Southern Poverty Law Center works to eliminate hate
Allie Hausfeld
6/23/2011
The Southern Poverty Law Center, a non-profit organization created in 1971 has been working at preventing hate crimes while at the same time teaching respect and tolerance for others.
Founding lawyers, Morris Dees and Joseph Levin Jr., dealt strictly with civil rights lawsuits with the emergence within their law firm when the program first began; however they later saw the need to expand and monitor the actions of various hate groups.
Today, with a broader program, they are attempting to “erase hate”. Working with law enforcement officials to file civil lawsuits is their main way of doing that.
“Our job is to expose people to the truth”, stated Robert Steinbeck, the Deputy editor of one of their magazines teaching citizens about these different groups.
With their main focus being the Klu Klux Klan towards the beginning of their existence, the SPLC has now expanded to all types of groups involved in hate crimes. One of their main obstacles in today’s society is gaining rights of gay and lesbian high school students around the nation.
“Fighting hate, teaching tolerance and seeking justice”, is their mission statement, divided up into three different groups that each take on their own responsibility in the community.
The group responsible for fighting hate works closely with law enforcement officials to target different hate groups around the nation, while the others work on informing children of the dangers of these groups and stopping violence.
In their headquarters, the walls are filled with different hate crimes that have occurred throughout American history to remind everyone that walks through of the injustice, and to teach them to ensure that it does not happen again.
“SPLC is truly unique, there is no one else out there like us. I go home feeling like I did something good today.,” said Steinbeck. The center has been successful in many ways across the nation and continues to try to make an even bigger impact.
While receiving absolutely no money from the government, they rely on grants and donations from people across the nation to take care of their funding.
6/23/2011
The Southern Poverty Law Center, a non-profit organization created in 1971 has been working at preventing hate crimes while at the same time teaching respect and tolerance for others.
Founding lawyers, Morris Dees and Joseph Levin Jr., dealt strictly with civil rights lawsuits with the emergence within their law firm when the program first began; however they later saw the need to expand and monitor the actions of various hate groups.
Today, with a broader program, they are attempting to “erase hate”. Working with law enforcement officials to file civil lawsuits is their main way of doing that.
“Our job is to expose people to the truth”, stated Robert Steinbeck, the Deputy editor of one of their magazines teaching citizens about these different groups.
With their main focus being the Klu Klux Klan towards the beginning of their existence, the SPLC has now expanded to all types of groups involved in hate crimes. One of their main obstacles in today’s society is gaining rights of gay and lesbian high school students around the nation.
“Fighting hate, teaching tolerance and seeking justice”, is their mission statement, divided up into three different groups that each take on their own responsibility in the community.
The group responsible for fighting hate works closely with law enforcement officials to target different hate groups around the nation, while the others work on informing children of the dangers of these groups and stopping violence.
In their headquarters, the walls are filled with different hate crimes that have occurred throughout American history to remind everyone that walks through of the injustice, and to teach them to ensure that it does not happen again.
“SPLC is truly unique, there is no one else out there like us. I go home feeling like I did something good today.,” said Steinbeck. The center has been successful in many ways across the nation and continues to try to make an even bigger impact.
While receiving absolutely no money from the government, they rely on grants and donations from people across the nation to take care of their funding.