Southern Poverty Law Center Thesis

Since the days of the first European settlers, the Southern United States has had a unique culture of its own. The climate and soil made this region an agricultural hotspot. With the prominence of agriculture, the slave trade reared its ugly head in this region. From that day forward the African American’s of the Southern United States have been treated differently than their white neighbors (Britannica). For many years the rights of these citizens were violated with no legal defense. That was the cruel reality for southern African Americans. Then in 1971, an Alabama lawyer named Morris Dees joined with fellow lawyer Joe Levin to found the Southern Poverty Law Center to ensure the gains made by the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement were

With such a noble cause it is hard to find an issue with the SPLC, although it seems this organization has lost the original purpose and has been corrupted by the wasteland of American Politics. The problems that created the Southern Poverty Law Center still exist today and its existence is still a necessity, but the use of this organization against political opponents has taken the focus away from the purpose of defending the rights of those oppressed. Since the Southern Poverty Law Center can and has been a force for good the removal or at the least lessening of the political influence of this organization is essential in the preservation of this group. Even today African Americans face

POLITICO author Ben Schreckinger traveled to Montgomery, Alabama to explore the dual legacies of this organization. On one hand, we have the giant of civil rights and the destroyer of the Ku Klux Klan. On the other the “non-profit” with a nine-figure endowment from its liberal leaning donors and a glossy headquarters in the heart of Alabama’s capital (Schreckinger). For many, the Southern Poverty Law Center has become another cog in the American Political machine. One such discussion comes from Stephen Edward McMillin of the Journal of Policy Practice. In recent years the Southern Poverty Law Center has made questionable decisions in who and what organizations are put on their hate group watch list. McMillin points to the blacklisting of “traditional family values” organizations that hold traditionally conservative views and support conservative policies. When the Southern Poverty Law Center puts you in their sights the power and money the organization wields can and has destroyed groups (McMillin). The Southern Poverty Law Center use of it Hate Group Watchlist against political opponents does not stop at groups. Enter former Vanderbilt Law Professor, Dr. Carol Swain. Dr. Swain has written books a led discussion on the resurgence of white-nationalist and how to deal with these types of hate groups. During the 2008 election cycle, Dr. Swain’s conflict with the Southern Poverty Law Center