The headquarters of the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama on February 8, 2023. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)
This is a developing story, the article will be updated as more information becomes available.
The Southern Poverty Law Center confirmed layoffs in a Wednesday afternoon email.
The group said that they are taking actions to “streamline our activities and operations to strengthen our ability to advance a multiracial, inclusive democracy and ground our work in the perspectives and priorities of communities most affected by human rights violations.”
“We announced internally the consolidation of certain programs and activities as well as the elimination of others, resulting in staff reductions,” the press team wrote. “This was a difficult but necessary decision to focus and align our work with our programmatic priorities and goals. We deeply value the contributions of all our staff and their commitment to ensuring the promise of equal justice is a reality for all.”
The SPLC did not release the number of people who were going to be laid off due to the changes. The Reflector had asked the SPLC to confirm an earlier statement from the union that at least 60 people would lose their jobs.
They said the changes would better allow them to make an impact for marginalized communities in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia and Florida, as well as nationwide.
The union at the SPLC wrote in a statement that the layoffs would cause harm to the SPLC’s mission to assist people in the deep south.
“Are these the actions of an organization fighting for racial justice in the deep South?” they wrote. “How will today’s layoffs help us achieve our goals of fighting hate, decarcerating Black and Brown people, defending democracy, and eradicating poverty? The answer is: they won’t.”
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