Following the Department of Justice targeting the Southern Poverty Law Center, Equal Justice Society President Lisa Holder released the following statement:
“At Equal Justice Society, we understand that while laws are made in the legislature and in the courtroom, grassroots movements can be a primary catalyst for policies that advance civil rights and racial justice, and that move us towards an inclusive multiracial democracy. Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) sits at the intersection of law, policy, grassroots power-building, and freedom’s legacy. They are a key part of the nonprofit civil rights apparatus that helps ensure people can exercise power, amplify their voices, and shape democracy.
An attack on SPLC is a direct assault on one of our critical levers of power. It is as brazen and objectionable as an attack on our right to cast a ballot. And it is no coincidence that this assault on one of the leaders of people-powered democracy comes as our country is gearing up for the 2026 midterm elections.
But our opposition should know that this threat will be met with fierce resistance. The segregationists and billionaires who seek to upend our democratic institutions will not prevail. Our civil rights ecosystem stands resolute as vigilant protectors of inclusive democracy, voting rights, of the nonprofit system that is the cornerstone of a democratic republic, and of the Southern Poverty Law Center.”