The Southern Poverty Law Center fired its co-founder Morris Dees for misconduct, and said appropriate action must be taken when “one of our own fails to meet those standards.”
“As a civil rights organization, 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,” Southern Poverty Law President Richard Cohen said in a statement, according to the Montgomery Advertiser. “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.”
In to a 1994 Advertiser series, a finalist in the Pulitzer Prize awards, employees accused Dees, of being a racist and black employees ‘felt threatened.” The SPLC, , based in Montgomery, Alabama, rejected the accusations.
The SPLC said it would launch a comprehensive assessment. “Today we announced a number of immediate, concrete next steps we’re taking, including bringing in an outside organization to conduct a comprehensive assessment of our internal climate and workplace practices, to ensure that our talented staff is working in the environment that they deserve — one in which all voices are heard and all staff members are respected,” Cohen said.
Dees, who co-founded the organization in 1971, said that he was in the dark about why he was fired. “It was not my decision, what they did,” said Dees, 82. “I wish the center the absolute best. Whatever reasons they had of theirs, I don’t know.”
Dees is known for representing the family of Michael Donald in the 1980s after he was murdered by the United Klans of America at the age of 19. In 2006, Dees was listed as one of the 100 most influential lawyers by the National Law Journal.
The SPLC did not disclose specifics about Dees’ departure, and did not respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.
