SPLC 2023 Report and Road to 60 Summit in Jackson – Southern Poverty Law Center: Trusted watchdog and change agent for justice on the front lines

By Christopher Young,
Contributing Writer,

Since 1971, Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has been 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. Additionally, they built and maintain the Civil Rights Memorial and its interpretive center, the Civil Rights Memorial Center, in Montgomery, Alabama, the birthplace of the modern civil rights movement. While based in Montgomery, they have offices in Atlanta, Tallahassee, Miami, New Orleans, and Jackson, Mississippi.
SPLC core issues include voting rights, criminal justice reform, economic justice, immigrant justice, LGBTQ rights, children’s rights, and hate & extremism. In 2023, the SPLC documented 1,430 hate and antigovernment extremist groups that comprise the organizational infrastructure upholding white supremacy in the U.S.
The years since the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection have been a time for the hard right to prepare. In 2023, those opposing inclusive democracy worked to legitimize insurrection, paint hate as virtuous and transform false conspiracy theories into truth – all in preparation for one of the most significant elections in U.S. history. The report chronicles trends in hard-right activity, not simply as a reality check, but as a tool to act alongside those working to prevent radicalization and counter white supremacy, disinformation and false conspiracies in 2024, per their website, https://www.splcenter.org
Canton-native, Waikinya Clanton, is the director of SPLC’s Mississippi State Office. When asking about the 2023 Year in Hate & Extremism Report, https://www.splcenter.org/resources/year-hate-extremism-2023, she shared with The Mississippi Link newspaper, “We are happy to see a reduction in some hate activities here in Mississippi. We are still seeing papering activities going on in some counties, but these numbers are somewhat reassuring that what we are striving for everyday is working, times really are changing, there are fewer hate groups overall.”
A massive campaign is being held this weekend at the Jackson Convention Center and is free and open to the public – The Road to 60: Reigniting the Fight for Freedom Campaign will run from Thursday through Saturday, August 15-17, 2024. This is a multifaceted campaign that introduces teens and college students to the multiple layers of civic engagement. The campaign focuses on voter education, volunteerism, organization and mobilization. The summit will honor the Veterans of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement and bring together key stakeholders and community members for a weekend of organizing, strategizing and mobilizing, done in the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of Mississippi Freedom Summer 1964.
Under SPLC umbrella initiative Activate Mississippi, the goal is increasing voter turnout by 44% – this campaign seeks to register and mobilize 60,000 new or inactive voters across the state. Much like the campaign of 1964, The Road to 60 will draw national attention to the oppression that still plagues Black and Brown people in Mississippi. The sole goal of this campaign is to help build political power among the most vulnerable communities in the state.
When asked about Road to 60 summit this weekend, Director Clanton shared, “Partnering with the community is what we do. You can’t do this work alone – we don’t work in a vacuum. We will have over 50 partners on site at the Jackson Convention Center. We are so excited to have so many colleges and universities getting young people involved to help contribute to designing what today’s democracy looks like. We need to remember that a vibrant democracy is one where everyone plays a role in defining and designing that democracy each day.
“I look at it like the work of civic engagement is a tapestry. A collective of people working to form a masterpiece. We will exceed our goals, which just makes my heart smile. We’re reaching out to engagement partners, media, and faith-groups. We are honoring the work of 1964, picking up the baton of civil rights – today is Monday and we already have over 200 people registered. We’re working together finishing the unfinished business of civil rights in Mississippi, striving to be on the front lines. In 2022, less than one-third of eligible voters cast a ballot. We need to register voters, educate voters, and turnout voters and do so cross-generationally. We need to show people what’s possible and the empowerment that comes from claiming ownership of the vote and the voting process. That equates with a strong and viable democracy.”
Less than a year ago, Mississippi’s white Republican governor, Jonathan Tate Reeves, won reelection over Democratic challenger Brandon Presley by just 26,619 votes – the closest governor’s race in Mississippi in the last twenty-five years, per the Associated Press.
Visit https://www.splcenter.org/road-60-mississippi for a complete listing of Road to 60 partners, upcoming events, and detailed information about voting in Mississippi, and many other voter resources. The deadline for registering is just 54 days away – October 7th for both in-person or by-mail voting. Register for Road to 60 at https://web.cvent.com/event/B569D01F-F937-4803-94A1-D5DEEBC3614B/summary. After providing basics, you can then select the sessions you would like to attend.