Massive Layoffs at SPLC — ’Gutted Its Staff by a Quarter’

The Montgomery-based, left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) laid off over 60 employees on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for the SPLC employee union said on X Wednesday night that the nonprofit SPLC, “an organization with nearly a billion dollars in reserves, given an F rating by CharityWatch for ‘hoarding’ donations — gutted its staff by a quarter.”

“SPLC’s decision has a catastrophic impact on the organization’s work in support of immigrants seeking justice and its mission to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements and advance human rights through support of educators,” the SPLC union spokesperson said. “CEO and President Margaret Huang announced that the cuts would allow greater ‘focus’ on racial justice, but failed to explain how eliminating immigrant justice work and anti-racist education work served that goal. More than 60 SPLC Union members, including five Union stewards and our Union Chair, were informed that they would be losing their jobs. {snip}”

Functionally eliminating the Learning for Justice department leaves educators, students, and caregivers without resources and support in building curricula and orienting classrooms toward justice work.

— SPLC Union (@SPLCUnion) June 12, 2024

The dismantling of the full Immigrant Justice team ends SPLC’s decade-long commitment to the rights of migrant workers and the deep coalition work to advocate for immigrants’ rights and decriminalize migration across the Southeast.

— SPLC Union (@SPLCUnion) June 12, 2024

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.

— SPLC Union (@SPLCUnion) June 12, 2024

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