Morris Dees to speak on “The Current Status of Hate Groups in the United States”

March 12, 2007
Contact:
  • umichnews@umich.edu

DATE: 1 p.m. panel discussion; 4 p.m. lecture, Feb. 21, 2007.

EVENT: The University of Michigan Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs (MESA) presents part one of the Social Justice and Diverse Democracy Lecture Series. Morris Dees, co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, will speak on “The Current Status of Hate Groups in the United States.” The 4 p.m. lecture will be held at Rackham Auditorium, 911 N. University, Ann Arbor. There will be no admission after the program begins.

Dees is considered one of the leading experts on hate groups in the United States, distributing his educational material and research to more than 60,000 law enforcement officers nationwide. His practice is dedicated to upholding laws of equality to their utmost potential. His dedication is shown in his work educating youth from K-12 on cultural tolerance, as well as the community on how to combat the acts of hate groups and other injustices within their respective homesteads. He has developed a series of magazines, one of which is called the Intelligence Report that tracks the activity of white supremacists that has led to the criminal conviction in several hate crime cases as well.

At 1 p.m., a panel discussion exploring how hate groups operate and develop in our communities precedes the lecture. The panel will be composed of Dees; Jackie Simpson, director of the U-M Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Affairs; and Matthew Countryman, associate professor of American studies, Program in American Culture, U-M College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.

PLACE: Rackham Auditorium, 911 N. University. The event is free and open to the public. Separate tickets will be distributed prior to each event; the auditorium will be cleared between events.

SPONSORS: University of Michigan, Division of Student Affairs, Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs (MESA)