Partners for Justice: New head of SPLC's Mississippi office
works to strengthen partnerships with grassroots organizations
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Esther Schrader | Read the full piece here
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Friend,
Waikinya Clanton was born decades after the civil rights movement
swept across her home state of Mississippi. But that didn't mean
much in the town of Canton, where she grew up. She was a high school
kid heading home early from school when she came across a scene
straight out of her grandparents' nightmares - the Ku Klux
Klan marching on the town square.
"This was not 1950-anything. This was not the 1960s. This was in
the 2000s when the Klan, with white sheets and hoods, walked down the
streets of Canton," she said. "It was almost like a fear
tactic, like it was just to remind us that they were there. Even in
this new millennium, history was still repeating itself."
Clanton has been motivated by the memory of that day ever since.
"It was something that I never wanted to witness again in my
life," Clanton said. "And I think unbeknownst to me, it
kind of helped push me to this fight that I'm in now."
Clanton left Mississippi years ago to push for equal access on a
larger stage. She rose to become an experienced Washington political
operative, holding leadership roles with the Democratic National
Committee and the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative
Women. But all that, she says, was a prelude to the most important
stage of all - her return this year to her home state, as the
Southern Poverty Law Center's Mississippi state office director.
The collaborative approach Clanton has brought to Mississippi since
her arrival in July is providing a roadmap for the SPLC throughout the
Deep South as, under new leadership, the organization has reimagined
its mission and vision 50 years after its founding.
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A new model
"The Mississippi office is the pilot in what we hope will be a
model for state offices going forward," said SPLC Chief of Staff
Lecia Brooks. "We want to work more explicitly and intentionally
in partnership with the people within our Southern states in the
service of our mission to dismantle white supremacy. To work in true
partnership, we need to be deeply and fervently connected with the
power of the people to create change."
READ MORE
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The SPLC is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond,
working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy,
strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of
all people.
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