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Dear Friend, Last week’s events at the Capitol were horrific. Never before have we seen the Confederate flag flying in our nation’s Capitol, and the violence that took the lives of five people and injured dozens more was unprecedented. It was a wake-up call. The growing threat of white nationalist extremism must be countered by diligent and dedicated institutions of democracy. Racial justice can no longer be delayed or deferred but must be at the center of our work. The Southern Poverty Law Center’s Action Fund has strongly urged members of Congress to impeach the president. We were heartened by the courage of lawmakers in the House who voted this week to hold President Trump accountable for inciting last week’s insurrection. We hope that you will follow the SPLC Action Fund’s work to stay updated on our policy positions and recommendations in response to the extremist attack. Sadly, what was pushed aside by the brazen coup attempt last week were the incredibly inspiring victories by two Senate candidates in Georgia. Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff will join the U.S. Senate next week and shift the balance of power in that body. The timing could not be more important. As we mark the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, his call to eradicate poverty, to expand voting rights protections and to end the structural racism in our country is as profound today as it was during the civil rights movement. I am deeply proud of the work of the SPLC’s dedicated staff during the runup to the Georgia election. We joined with our partners in Georgia to register and mobilize voters prior to the January 5 vote. Our Vote Your Voice initiative supported several grassroots groups to turn out their communities – and that effort will have an enormous impact on the ability of President-elect Biden to deliver on his policy promises. With Biden’s commitment to tackling the COVID-19 virus and to ensuring the safe delivery of vaccinations to all communities, we need to rebuild trust in our government and do all that we can to help protect vulnerable communities as we restore our economy and health care system. Along those lines, our Economic Justice Project team recently filed suit to compel the Georgia Department of Labor to process stalled unemployment applications. And we are continuing our litigation efforts to protect the incarcerated and detained from COVID; recently, we received long-awaited records about COVID-19 cases in the Tuscaloosa, Alabama, jail after we filed suit. In the meantime, we will continue tracking and monitoring the hate groups that threaten our democracy. As you may know, in the first quarter each year we release our Year in Hate and Extremism report. This year, our Intelligence Project team is working extra hard to prepare and release the report early – because we know that some of the far-right extremist groups we’re tracking played major roles in the deadly attack on the Capitol. The report will be released on January 26, so keep an eye on your inbox for more details. Amid the tension and fear that this month’s events have inflicted, it’s important not to lose sight of our power. The movement for justice and human rights that you and I are a part of will emerge stronger after these threats. Your support allows us to continue fighting for our shared values each day. I’m so grateful to be standing shoulder to shoulder with you and our dedicated staff members during a time when our mission could not be more important. With gratitude, Margaret Huang
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