SPLC cofounder Morris Dees on Human Rights

Photo by Peter Frew '75

Renowned civil rights attorney and founder and chief trial counsel of the Southern Poverty Law Center speaks at Taft.

A former book publisher and son of an Alabama cotton farmer, Morris Dees graduated from law school in 1960 and started taking controverial cases in 1967. Working to ensure equal opportunities for minorities and the poor, Dees and Julian Bond founded the Southern Poverty Law Center in 1971.

"Unfortunately, many of the problems that led to our founding remain with us today. Our legal department has had important courtroom victories against white supremacists, but bigotry and hate still permeate our society," says Dees. "But we did not work alone. There were individuals who shared our mission, and they supported our work from afar."

In his school meeting address in Bingham Auditorium, Dees spoke about immigration issues and the struggles that migrant workers in many parts of the nation face today. Referring to the biblical story of Amos, Dees warned of the challenges we face as a society when wealth and power remain in the hands of a few. He stressed the importance of equal opportunity for all groups for a democracy to thrive.

Students and faculty gathered in the Woolworth Faculty Room for questions and discussion following the school meeting. Others joined Mr. Dees for a special lunch in the choral room.

In addition to his autobiography, A Season For Justice, (later released as A Lawyer's Journey: The Morris Dees Story) Dees has also written Hate on Trial: The Case Against America's Most Dangerous Neo-Nazi, which chronicles the trial and $12.5 million judgment against white supremacist Tom Metzger and his White Aryan Resistance group for their responsibility in the beating death of a young black student in Portland, Oregon, as well as Gathering Storm: America's Militia Threat, which exposes the danger posed by today's domestic terrorist groups.

To read more about Morris's work for civil rights, visit http://www.splcenter.org/center/history/dees.jsp.

For more photos of the day, click here.