![]() ![]() In 1981, Dees successfully sued the Ku Klux Klan and won a $7 million judgment for the mother of Michael Donald, a black lynching victim in Alabama. He is now looking forward to spending time with his great-grandchildren.Īs SPLC’s chief trial counsel, Dees began using courts in the early 1980s to secure monetary damages against hate groups. In the past few years, Dees said, he mostly went to the center to make calls to big donors. He only said that he “can let (his) life’s work and reputation speak for itself.” He would not elaborate on how he learned about his dismissal or the reasoning behind it. I’ve devoted 50 years of my life to the center. When asked about his termination, Dees told CNN that it wasn’t his decision to leave SPLC. His biography has been removed from the SPLC’s website. “When one of our own fails to meet those standards, no matter his or her role in the organization, we take it seriously and must take appropriate action,” he added.ĭees, 82, was also the SPLC’s former chief litigator. But Cohen noted that the SPLC “is committed to ensuring that the conduct of our staff reflects the mission of the organization and the values we hope to instill in the world.” When Cohen announced Dees’ departure, he did not give a specific reason for the move. “Every workplace, including social justice organizations, must work hard to create a workplace culture that fully reflects their values and priorities, including when it comes to racial and gender diversity,” Tchen said in a March 18 statement issued by the SPLC. Tchen will continue to report to Fair and the board’s task force overseeing the review, the source said. “(Cohen) believes moving his departure forward will allow an interim successor to focus on shepherding the SPLC through this review process and implementing Tina Tchen’s recommendations as soon as possible,” the source said.Īccording to the SPLC website, Cohen joined the organization as its legal director in 1986 and became president in 2003. Tchen’s biography says she counsels organizations “on issues related to gender and racial equity, sexual harassment, and structural barriers to diversity and inclusion.” “The events of the last week have been an eye-opening reminder that the walk towards justice must sometimes start at your own front door and force you to look at your past so you can improve your future,” SPLC board chairman Bryan Fair said in a statement at the time.Īn SPLC source told CNN Friday that Cohen believed stepping down would help the group implement findings of a workplace review being conducted by Tchen, a lawyer who leads the Workplace Cultural Compliance practice at Buckley LLC. Last Monday, the SPLC announced “an immediate, top-to-bottom external review of our workplace culture and our past practices and policies.” “We’re going to do that, and we have brought in Michelle Obama’s former Chief of Staff, Tina Tchen, to help us do it.” “We’ve heard from our staff that we need to do a better job of making sure that our workplace embodies the values we espouse – truth, justice, equity, and inclusion,” Cohen said his statement. ![]() Southern Poverty Law Center dismisses co-founder Morris DeesĬohen’s resignation follows the March 13 ouster of Dees, a co-founder of the Alabama-based SPLC that is known for tracking civil rights and hate crimes in the United States. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images for Discovery Communications) Amanda Edwards/Getty Images PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 07: Founder, Southern Poverty Law Center, Morris Dees of "Hate in America" speaks onstage during the Discovery Communications TCA Winter 2016 at The Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa on Januin Pasadena, California. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |