By Mel Wilson, NASW Senior Policy Advisor
The Trump administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) on April 21 announced the indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). This is an unfortunate but not surprising turn of events.
Not surprising because of the Trump administration’s well-known pattern of hostility to historical civil rights laws and protections. That the administration has now decided to weaponize the DOJ to charge a venerable civil rights organization such as SPLC with violations of the law have been anticipated within concerned communities. For example, recently FBI Director Kash Patel ended all ties between the bureau and the SPLC, accusing the group of being a “partisan smear machine.”
SPLC has fought for civil rights protections for people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, women, workers, people with disabilities, and Arab, Muslim, and South Asian communities for 55 years. SPLC has also been one of the nation’s leaders in identifying, tracking and exposing some of the nation’s most violent white supremist hate groups.
An organization with such a rich history of combatting injustices should be venerated and not targeted by a government agency bent on using its powers to undermine more than a century of civil rights gains. This administration views the struggle for civil rights as a threat to its power. Moreover, in order to quinch its thirst for absolute power, the administration is compelled to dismantle mechanisms of civil rights protections.
For that reason, it is important that we stand with and support The Southern Poverty Law Center until the legal travails are complete — with full confidence that SPLC will be vindicated.
Get Involved
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is committed to social justice and is part of coalitions that work to ensure that all people have equal access to the resources and opportunities that allow them to meet their basic needs. Support us by joining NASW or signing up for our Action Alerts.
Coalition Members
NASW is supporting SPLC along with other members of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Here are the members of the coalition:
ACLU
Advancement Project
AFT
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated
American Association of People with Disabilities
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
American Atheists
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrialized Organizations (AFL-CIO)
American Humanist Association
Americans for Financial Reform
Americans United for Separation of Church & State
Amnesty International USA
Andrew Goodman Foundation
Arab American Institute
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC
Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote)
Asian Law Caucus
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action
Black Voters Matter Fund
Brennan Center for Justice
Center for Law and Social Policy
Center for Reproductive Rights
Center for Responsible Lending
Children’s Defense Fund
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists
Common Cause
Community Change
Constitutional Accountability Center
Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA)
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Demos
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)
Education Law Center
End Citizens United Action Fund
Equal Justice Society
Fair Elections Center
FairVote
Feminist Majority Foundation
Freedom From Religion Foundation
Hispanic Federation
Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights First
Impact Fund
Japanese American Citizens League
Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA)
Justice for Migrant Women
Justice in Aging
Labor Council for Latin American Advancement
Lambda Legal
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
Lawyers for Good Government
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
League of Women Voters of the United States
Legal Aid at Work
Legal Defense Fund (LDF)
Movement Advancement Project
NAACP
National Abortion Federation
National Association of Social Workers
National Bar Association
National Black Justice Coalition
National CAPACD
National Center for Law and Economic Justice
National Center for Learning Disabilities
National Coalition for the Homeless
National Consumer Law Center
National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA)
National Council of Jewish Women
National Disability Rights Network
National Employment Law Project
National Fair Housing Alliance
National Health Law Program
National Hispanic Media Coalition
National Organization for Women
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Urban League
National Women’s Law Center
Native American Rights Fund
NCNW
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
New Jersey Institute for Social Justice
OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates
Oxfam America
People For the American Way
PFLAG National
Public Citizen
Public Justice
Reproductive Freedom for All
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
SAGE
Sikh Coalition
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)
Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)
The Advocates for Human Rights
The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS)
The Workers Circle
The Workers Circle
T’ruah
UnidosUS
United Church of Christ Media Justice Ministry
Voices for Progress
VoteRiders
Voter Participation Center
Voto Latino
Western States Center
YWCA USA
