Roiled by Staff Uproar, Civil Rights Group Looks at Intolerance Within

Known as one of the most celebrated civil rights lawyers of his time, Morris Dees spent nearly a half-century building the Southern Poverty Law Center into one of the nation's wealthiest and best-known legal advocacy groups. With an endowment of about $471 million, an enormous sum in the non-profit world, it has won over donors with deep pockets.

But the group now finds itself beset by internal conflict. Mr. Dees has been fired and other top executives have quit. The staff is demanding that leaders address a climate of intolerance inside its offices. The tumult, including pointed allegations of sexual harassment and racial discrimination, comes as the center's influence has surged in the Trump era.

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