MORRIS DEES FOUNDER August 11, 2017 AAs the founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, I wanted to write to thank you for join- ing us at this critical moment and to say a few words about why I'm so determined to fight the ‘Trump administration, was born in the segregated South. As a boy, my father was a tenant farmer who owned no land. For years, we didn’t even have running water or electricity. But we were certainly better off than our black neighbors. For them, life was brutal, separate, and unequal. ‘When those four ltdle girls were killed in the Birmingham church bombing in 1963, something inside my soul was shaken to its core. Two years later, I was driving activists to Selma for the great voting rights march to Montgomery. After that, I sold my successful business and devoted all of my time and attention to the cause of justice. For the last 50 or so years, my colleagues and I have taken on demagogues like George Wallace and represented thousands of people who have no other champions. We've won voring rights for dis- cenfranchised black citizens; overcurned racist immigration laws; fought for gender equality; protected the LGBTQ community; battled corporations that cheat their workers; and challenged practices that exploit the poor, ‘What's more, we've confronted the forces of hate across the nation. In a series of lawsuits, we've bankrupted many of the country’s most violent hate groups, including the notorious Klan group that bombed that church in Birmingham. Our work has put a target on our back — more than 20 people have gone to prison in connection with plots to kill me, destroy our building, or harm the staff — bur we have never backed down. Now, we have a true demagogue in the White House, and those with hate in their hearts — people like former Klan leader David Duke — are celebrating. As his chief strategist, Trump has chosen Stephen (over, please) Southern Poverty Law Center » 400 Washington Avenue » Montgomery, Alabama 96104 308Bannon, a man who boasted that he had turned Breitbart News into “the platform” for a new breed of white supremacists, As his Attorney General, Trump has chosen Jeff Sessions, a man with a frightening, civil rights record. As his fist selection to the Supreme Court, Trump has chosen Neil Gorsuch, a man widely expected to sanction discrimination against the LGBT community in the name of “religious free- dom.” Clearly, the vision of America that so many of us share is in peril. Ac this point, the only moral thing for any of us to do is fight back with everything we've got. In Trump, we have a president who lives in a world of “alternative facts" and has litle regard for our constitutional values. His vision for America is as ugly as his conduct is crude. We have a responsibility to resist and to stand with those who would be marginalized in Trump's America. We've come too far and too much is at stake for us to do otherwise. {must admit, though, that the fight will not be easy. At times, our faith that “the moral arc of the universe ... bends toward justice,” to use Dr. King’s famous words, will be tested. But if we stand together, if we show courage in the face of adversity, if cach of us does our part, I'm confident that justice will prevail. ‘Thank you again for joining us at this critical moment in our nation's history. Sincerely IG Ne Sao Morris Dees Founder and Chief Trial Counsel BS. Thank you again for supporting our work. Iam confident that your decision will add great meaning to your life — as it has to mine. Together, we can help advance justice and tolerance in the lives ofall people. I will be sending you some publications that will help you fight hate and promote tolerance in your community. ‘This lerter will serve a8 your receipt for your donation of $25.00 on 8/1/2017. ‘The Southern Poverty Law Center is a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Gifts to the SPLC are fully tax-deductible, No goods or services are ever sent in exchange for gifts. Tax ID 63-0598743,