Morris Dees
American activist / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Morris Seligman Dees Jr. (born December 16, 1936) is an American attorney known as the co-founder and former chief trial counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), based in Montgomery, Alabama. He ran a direct marketing firm before founding SPLC.[2] Along with his law partner, Joseph J. Levin Jr., Dees founded the SPLC in 1971.[3]: 132–33 Dees and his colleagues at the SPLC have been "credited with devising innovative ways to cripple hate groups" such as the Ku Klux Klan, particularly by using "damage litigation".[4]
Morris Dees | |
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Born | Morris Seligman Dees Jr. (1936-12-16) December 16, 1936 (age 87) |
Alma mater | University of Alabama (LLB) |
Occupation(s) | Civil and political rights, social justice activist |
Known for | Founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center |
On 14 March 2019 the SPLC announced that Dees had been fired from the organization and the SPLC would hire an "outside organization" to assess the SPLC's workplace climate.[5][6][7] Former employees alleged that Dees was "complicit" in harassment and racial discrimination, and said that at least one female employee had accused him of sexual harassment.[8]