The Trump Administration’s Latest Attack On Civil Rights Groups Is A Call To Action
Exactly one year after civil rights groups publicly declared their commitment to defending against the Trump administration’s anti-civil rights agenda, the empire struck back with politically motivated charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center. News of the Department of Justice filing charges against SPLC follows a pattern and practice of revisionist terror and political prosecutions.
Combined with the increasing abuses of power and attacks on our elections, the administration is ramping up its efforts to restore the dominance of white supremacy. It wants to overpower our collective will and dictate how we live, move, and exist in this country.
While many groups have been warning since before the 2024 election that this would happen, there’s no denying we are now living the beginning of our worst fears.
Maya Wiley, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, called the move the latest example of the administration’s intimidation and retaliation against people doing the work of protecting communities from extremist terror and discrimination.
“We will not be intimidated, and we will not abandon our partners,” Wiley said in a statement. “We are the ones who make sure that everyone can live, love, vote, work, study, travel, and simply be themselves, free from discrimination. This administration views that as a threat to its power.”
She called the latest move the worst attack on movement communities since COINTELPRO. Wiley also said the dismantling of our rights was their only path to absolute power.
Affirming solidarity with civil and human rights advocates, People for the American Way President Svante Myrick echoed Wiley’s sentiments, calling out the aggressive attempts to erase a diverse democratic society.
“Donald Trump and his corrupt Department of Justice are abusing the power of the federal government to wage war against American values and the people and organizations that stand up for them,” Myrick said in a statement. “They have turned the Justice Department, once a powerful force for good, into a reactionary weapon for dismantling a century’s worth of progress. And they are attacking anyone who might get in their way, from dedicated public servants to powerful law firms to civil rights defenders like the Southern Poverty Law Center.”
It’s clear the administration went after SPLC with frivolous fraud claims as part of its efforts to intimidate and control. Last year’s shakedowns and threats against lawyers, many of whom supported civil rights work and pro bono efforts, were part of an effort to neutralize the field.
There is no waiting and riding this out. The administration continues to throw things at the wall, escalating at each turn, and hoping some of the worst will stick.
Defending our communities against what is happening requires more than simply people “standing up to Trump” and denouncing him and his immediate circle. There’s an entire ecosystem of hate and repression deeply rooted in propaganda dating back to the Reconstruction era.
The moment requires that we not only pay attention but clearly name the harms happening. Our presence must remain constant amid the dismantling of federal civil rights protections, election threats, and targeted prosecutions.
Discord and division are tools to keep us on edge and demobilized. The constant threats of criminalization and retribution based on lies about prior elections will only increase the closer we get to the 2026 midterm election.
These are tactics of a power-mad opposition desperate to remain in control. Like emancipation and Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Movement didn’t suddenly change hearts and minds.
We’ve always had to fight to protect our rights and communities, and where necessary, expand protections for Black and other communities impacted by discrimination.
With each passing day, it becomes increasingly clear that we are literally fighting for our lives and freedom. I am often reminded of Ida B. Wells-Barnett’s quote that “with no sacredness of the ballot, there can be no sacredness of human life itself.”
It’s a guiding principle in my work and personal life. The attacks on our communities, livelihoods, and rights are all connected.
And I understand that, for many, keeping our heads down and staying quiet is often seen as a way to stay safe and out of harm’s way. But we can’t just close our eyes and pray the hate away.
While the 2026 midterm election is over six months away, we can’t simply hope a champion shows up. Or that maybe a certain party will do the right thing. Primary elections happening right now demand we choose the best person to represent us and block the harm as we build new systems.
And while voting alone will not save us, I remain firm in my belief that it is one of our most important tools for organizing governing power. States have always been a testing ground for extremist policies, and the politics of retribution have long been leveraged against us on the local level.
But states and local communities have also been innovation labs of resistance and resilience.
You do not have to love or even like either major party. But we cannot shrug this off or look away. Don’t wait for the state to come for you, because there might not be anyone left standing to have your back.
We do not have the luxury of waiting to see what happens. Organizing and connecting in the community around a governing agenda is the best way to ensure our people are protected.
SEE ALSO:
Southern Poverty Law Center Indicted By DOJ For Using Paid Informants
The FISA Warrantless Surveillance Loophole Threatens Black Communities
Trump’s Election Order Is Open Rebellion Against The Country