National Urban League Condemns Outrageous Indictment of SPLC as Part of Coordinated Attack on Civil Rights and Democracy

By Michael Tomlin-Crutchfield , National Urban League
Published 10 AM EDT, Wed Apr 22, 2026

April 22, 2026

Statement from Marc H. Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League:

The National Urban League condemns in the strongest possible terms the indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a dangerous escalation in the Trump Administration’s campaign to target and undermine the civil rights movement.

Let’s be clear: this is not about accountability. It is about intimidation. It is about silencing organizations that have spent decades confronting hate, protecting communities, and advancing justice.

SPLC is a valued member of the Demand Diversity Roundtable, which the National Urban League convenes. Its work, documenting extremism, exposing violence, and defending civil rights, has made this country safer and more just. Targeting that work is a direct attack on the core values we stand for: equal opportunity, racial justice, and the right of all people to live free from violence and fear.

This moment does not stand alone. It is part of a broader effort to criminalize civil rights advocacy, distort truth, and punish those who challenge power.

And it is no coincidence. These attacks come as the Administration faces mounting failures, including a weakened economy, an unjust and unlawful war, and a steady stream of ethics scandals and instability at the highest levels of government. Even federal law enforcement leadership is under scrutiny, with serious questions about the conduct and fitness of FBI Director Kash Patel and the firing of Attorney General Pam Bondi. This is a distraction strategy, and a dangerous one.

The civil rights community stands united. An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us.

We will not be intimidated. We will not be silenced. And we will not stand by while this Administration seeks to dismantle the institutions that safeguard our rights.

The National Urban League stands shoulder to shoulder with SPLC. And together we will meet this moment as we always have: undaunted, unafraid, and unyielding in the fight for our rights and our democracy.