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Free and equal participation in elections and government is the foundational principle of democracy. Democracy in the U.S. is increasingly threatened by authoritarian efforts to suppress voting rights and limit the representation of people of color in government. While legislative bodies and courts are failing in their duty to protect these rights, the SPLC is sounding the alarm to international bodies and seeking their intervention.

• SPLC Report to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination — July 15, 2022
• Request to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for a Public Hearing on Voting Rights — April 20, 2022
• Response Questions from the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues — Dec. 22, 2021
• Response to Call for Input to U.N. Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues — Nov. 4, 2021

Click on any of our other core areas of work to find the SPLC’s submissions to international human rights bodies.

Our Values and Work 

The SPLC Action Fund is the 501(c)(4) affiliate organization of the Southern Poverty Law Center, the nation’s only legal advocacy organization located in and focused on the Deep South with staff in D.C., as well.  

Guided by our organizational priorities (LINK – see next page), the Action Fund’s policy portfolio is rooted in the advancement ofing racial equity and justice, dismantling white supremacy and strengthening intersectional movements. Informed by research, clients and partners, our engagement spans legislative, executive and administrative advocacy in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi and D.C. The policy team also includes an international advocacy component to hold federal, state, and local governments accountable for compliance with international human rights obligations.  

Our advocacy names intersectional disparities and harms and centers the lived experiences and priority solutions of those directly impactedharmed by oppressive systems. We provide advocacy skills to empower clients and community members to share experiences and access the resources to help make the changes they seek. We also cultivate and strengthen federal, state, and local coalition partnerships and leverage relationships with elected officials and government agencies to advance our policy objectives.   

We educate legislators and the public about our positions, draft legislation and amendments on priority issues, prepare and circulate talking points for members’ usage, lobby, testify, or arrange for testimony on bills disproportionately impacting hurting historically oppressed communities, prepare written submissions for the legislative record, and work alongside fearless and passionate coalition partners in pursuit of shared legislative priorities.

Bill Tracking 

Each session, we review thousands of pieces of legislation filed in each of our five states and Congress. Of those, we flag hundreds to be monitored or requiring active support or opposition based on our four organizational impact goals, with accompanying integrated advocacy strategies. Our activities will cover a broad range of issues including voting rights, domestic extremism, criminal legal system reform, LGBTQ+ and immigrants’ rights, and economic inequality. 

Below are just a few of the many priority bills we are actively working on this legislative session. 

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The SPLC works to ensure that people living in poverty in the Deep South – especially people of color – are not punished or exploited because of their economic status. Injustices such as predatory lending, court debt, imprisonment for fines and fees, and the staggering costs of mass incarceration make the burdens of poverty even worse. We are calling them to the attention of international human rights organizations.

• Submission to the U.N. Permanent Forum on People of African Descent
• SPLC Report to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination — July 15, 2022
• Submission to the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent — May 16, 2022

Click on any of our other core areas of work to find the SPLC’s submissions to international human rights bodies.

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The SPLC’s Intelligence Project is internationally known for its work to expose the activities of white supremacists and other domestic extremist groups. We are also sharing that expertise with international human rights bodies to pressure the U.S. to do more to protect our society and our democracy from their attacks.

• Submission to the U.N. Permanent Forum on People of African Descent
• SPLC Report to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination — July 15, 2022
• Response to Call for Input to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights — March 25, 2022
• Response to Call for Input to the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism — March 10, 2022

Click on any of our other core areas of work to find the SPLC’s submissions to international human rights bodies.