Morris Dees

Morris Seligman Dees Jr. was born on December 16, 1936, in Shorter, Alabama, to tenant cotton farmers. Raised with strong Christian values, he had early experiences that fostered positive interactions with African American families despite the surrounding segregation. Dees earned both an undergraduate degree and a law degree in 1960 from the University of Alabama, graduating magna cum laude from its School of Law. Following his graduation, he established a law office in Montgomery, Alabama. Concurrently, Dees built a successful career as an entrepreneur in the direct-mail publishing business, co-founding Fuller & Dees Marketing Group with Millard Fuller.

A turning point in Dees’s career occurred in 1967 after a period of introspection, leading him to sell his marketing company to Times Mirror in 1969. The proceeds from this sale were instrumental in funding his commitment to civil rights. In 1971, Dees co-founded the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) with Joseph J. Levin Jr. The SPLC became known for its innovative approach to crippling hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan through strategic damage litigation. His legal efforts led to the desegregation of the Montgomery, Alabama YMCA in 1969, and he successfully integrated the Alabama State Troopers on a one-to-one racial ratio. Dees also played a role in the redistricting of the Alabama legislature, which expanded voting opportunities for Black citizens.

Throughout his career, Dees spearheaded landmark civil lawsuits, such as the 1987 case against the United Klans of America, which resulted in a $7 million judgment and ultimately led to the organization’s bankruptcy. He secured a $12 million judgment against Tom and John Metzger and the White Aryan Resistance in 1991, and a $6.5 million judgment against Aryan Nations in 2001. Dees’s work often focused on holding white supremacist organizations financially accountable for their unlawful actions. In 1992, he established the Teaching Tolerance project to educate young people about diversity and democratic values. Morris Dees was fired from the SPLC in March 2019, with the organization citing a commitment to ensuring staff conduct aligned with its mission and values.