“Make no mistake. This is not an isolated attack on one civil rights organization; rather it is the opening salvo in the broad onslaught yet to come. But we will not be cowed.”
Following the announcement that the U.S. Department of Justice has indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center, Lambda Legal CEO Kevin Jennings issued the following statement:
“This week, we received news that the Trump administration’s Department of Justice has targeted the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), one of the country’s oldest and most effective civil rights organizations, for unjustified and unprecedented harassment and intimidation. Make no mistake, however. This is not an isolated attack on one civil rights organization; rather, it is the opening salvo in the broad onslaught yet to come. But we will not be cowed.
“The Trump administration has made no secret of its desire to rewrite history, to embrace hate organizations, and to elevate those who promote violence and racism. We at Lambda Legal know this all too well as we are engaged in a furious struggle to beat back the administration’s nonstop, vicious efforts to erase the LGBTQ+ community. We fought the first Trump administration, and we won. And we are fighting – and winning – against Trump 2.0.
“SPLC has been uniquely effective in its fight for civil rights and against hate, racism, and violence over the past 55 years. That is obviously why it has been targeted. And, recognizing this administration’s cruel agenda, that is why Lambda Legal, SPLC, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR) and dozens of other civil rights organizations one year ago joined together in a Unity Pact and pledged to stand united against this administration’s arbitrary and unjustified attacks.
“This is not the time for complacency. Rather, this is the time for all to speak up and speak out, and for Congress to act decisively to protect this movement that has done so much to bring us closer to realizing this country’s pledge of ‘liberty and justice for all.’”