Thread by @SPLCUnion

Today, @splcenter - 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.

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. We are devastated for our Union and for our colleagues.

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.

The layoffs of all 16 staff in the Southern Immigrant Freedom Initiative and its office closure will decimate free legal representation to detained immigrants across Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.

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.

This shameful decision comes in a critical period of time for people struggling in the Southeast.

As attacks on immigrant communities & public education are at an all-time high, Huang has chosen to abandon those individuals, organizations, & communities with whom our staff have relationships & obligations without notice to the community partners and organizations we work with

Make no mistake - laying off dozens of employees, many of whom were Union activists, less than a year before we will bargain our second contract was no coincidence.

This is designed to punish Union activists and intimidate employees just as we saw when Mercedes-Benz fired Union organizers in Vance, Alabama. Management’s goals here are clear, but they will not win. Our Union is strong.

With nearly a billion dollar endowment and Huang earning $500,000 per year, how does abandoning SPLC’s commitments help advance the human rights of all people? Are these the actions of an organization fighting for racial justice in the deep South?

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.

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