If you’ve been reading Future Conscience these past couple of months, you will have noticed that I like to experiment with different types of posts and concepts. The latest one that I want to try for the near future is to highlight one website each week that I feel truly upholds an ethical attitude and brings attention to issues that need to be spotlighted.
Outside the SPLC building stands this civil rights memorial
For the very first of these ‘Site of the Week’ posts, I want to point you towards an organisation that I have the utmost respect for and have been visiting their site for a number of years now: The Southern Poverty Law Center.
Founded in 1971, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) was founded as a civil rights law firm but has since expanded to become something much more. They have been responsible for some massive cases against hate-groups including different manifestations of the KKK; White Aryan Resistance (led by the well known white supremacist Tom Metzger); and was also responsible for the seizure of Aryan Nations’ 20-acre compound.
Not only are they to be commended for the incredible work that has been done over the past four decades in relation to human rights and the fight against discrimination, but they also run a very impressive website that is packed with up-to-date information. In particular is the online version of their quarterly Intelligence Report, which is a magazine dedicated to exploring hate-groups in all different forms (not just white supremacist) and current movements within the various subcultures that preach such extremist philosophies.
They run the Hatewatch blog, which covers news and reports surrounding the same issues on a more regular basis. In addition to all of this fantastic work, they are also responsible for Tolerance.org – a site that seeks to provide resources and information about teaching a tolerant attitude to children and students of all ages. This site even has its own magazine – Teaching Tolerance – as well as a regularly updated newsfeed.
I’m very happy to promote the Southern Poverty Law Center as our first ‘Site of the Week’. As an organisation, they have stood in direct and vocal opposition of some of the most dangerous organisations on the planet, and have been attacked many times as a result (their offices were fire-bombed by KKK members in 1983, which is just one example). Even so, they continue to fight civil cases against hate-groups – resulting in many impressive victories that have gained judgments running into the millions of dollars and bankrupting many insidious groups.
Fighting against discrimination, inequality, violence and hate-related crime of all natures is certainly a reason for us to consider them one of the most ethics-oriented organisations currently on the web. Definitely go and check out their website, and I can highly recommend their Intelligence Report as not only one of the most interesting reads you will find; but also one of the most important.
The SPLC covers an area that few dare to tread, and they do it with true passion and dedication in an attempt to make the world a better place for all.
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