By Karen Baynes-Dunning, Interim President and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)
Hate and extremism are not abstract concepts. Their impact is felt on a
daily basis in this country, and their prevalence is growing. Black
churches are being burned in Louisiana because of who worships inside,
our prison systems are overcrowded with predominantly black men, and the
Trump administration continues to tear immigrant families apart at the
border.
When I was asked to join the SPLC Board of Directors just over a year ago, I knew that this organization was at the forefront of fighting systemic racism and discrimination, combating hate and extremism, and helping teachers and schools educate children and youth to be active participants in a diverse democracy. I also knew that like many organizations, the work being done externally was most likely not happening internally with the same level of urgency and intensity. My appointment marked the board’s acknowledgement of the need to add new perspectives to leadership.
Over the past two weeks I have spent time talking with SPLC’s staff about their serious concerns regarding our workplace culture. We are listening, we are learning, and we are co-designing strategies to ensure that SPLC lives our values and creates a workplace culture that mirrors the just society that we strive to create.
SPLC has doubled its size over the past two years to fight against the rising tide of hate and all the ways that manifests itself. Anti-black racism and mass incarceration are on the rise. The social safety net is under attack. Anti-Muslim, anti-LGBTQ and anti-immigrant sentiments have never been more pervasive, and the calls for justice from people throughout the country have never been louder. Our focus on meeting the needs of communities eclipsed the development of new infrastructure to meet the needs of our workforce expansion.
When SPLC was founded in 1971, we were a storefront startup in Montgomery. Now we have offices in five states and in Washington, D.C. Workplaces have evolved and so must we. We will learn from our mistakes because that is the only way we can continue to fight for the values that guide our work — truth, justice, inclusion and equity.
When I was asked to join the SPLC Board of Directors just over a year ago, I knew that this organization was at the forefront of fighting systemic racism and discrimination, combating hate and extremism, and helping teachers and schools educate children and youth to be active participants in a diverse democracy. I also knew that like many organizations, the work being done externally was most likely not happening internally with the same level of urgency and intensity. My appointment marked the board’s acknowledgement of the need to add new perspectives to leadership.
Over the past two weeks I have spent time talking with SPLC’s staff about their serious concerns regarding our workplace culture. We are listening, we are learning, and we are co-designing strategies to ensure that SPLC lives our values and creates a workplace culture that mirrors the just society that we strive to create.
SPLC has doubled its size over the past two years to fight against the rising tide of hate and all the ways that manifests itself. Anti-black racism and mass incarceration are on the rise. The social safety net is under attack. Anti-Muslim, anti-LGBTQ and anti-immigrant sentiments have never been more pervasive, and the calls for justice from people throughout the country have never been louder. Our focus on meeting the needs of communities eclipsed the development of new infrastructure to meet the needs of our workforce expansion.
When SPLC was founded in 1971, we were a storefront startup in Montgomery. Now we have offices in five states and in Washington, D.C. Workplaces have evolved and so must we. We will learn from our mistakes because that is the only way we can continue to fight for the values that guide our work — truth, justice, inclusion and equity.
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Source: Karen Baynes-Dunning
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