Dr. Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., ripped into the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as it came under questioning before the House Judiciary Committee, following a report alleging the group funded individuals and organizations it labeled extremist to amplify perceptions of civil rights abuses across the country.
Dr. King blasted the SPLC for “spitting on her family’s legacy,” saying that, regardless of broader debates about MLK’s legacy, it was more honorable and honest than the typical modern civil rights organizations in the United States, especially the SPLC.
Dr. Alveda King tearing into the Southern Poverty Law Center during a hearing accusing the organization of fueling racial division in the United States while claiming to fight it.
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"My family legacy reflects the very truth that America is strongest when we recognize our common humanity," Dr. Alveda King said. "My grandmother's family came from the west coast of Africa. My grandfather's family came from Ireland. My mother's family included Cherokee roots. I have spent my entire life living the reality that America is not a collection of competing tribes. America is one people under God."
"That is why I am troubled by the conduct and messaging of organizations that claim to fight hatred while profiteering from division," she said. "Recent allegations reportedly contained in a federal superseding indictment raised serious questions about the Southern Poverty Law Center's activities. Individuals associated with organizations the SPLC itself labeled as extremists or hate groups allegedly received substantial payments over many years."
"The indictment shares of paid payments totaling hundreds of thousands and in some cases more than a million dollars to sources connected to white supremacist neo-nazi and Ku Klux Klan organizations," she added.
This follows a bombshell indictment from the Department of Justice in late April, accusing the SPLC of funding the very extremism it claimed to combat.
Many interpret the move as an effort to maintain its political power and relevance, particularly after reports surfaced that it helped fund groups involved in organizing the controversial Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, which later became a centerpiece of Democratic attacks against President Trump.