Morris Dees is an American lawyer and a civil rights activist. Learn about his biography and the reason behind him getting fired from SPLC.
Morris Dees is known for founding a law center called Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
The law firm was founded in 1971 with American attorney Joseph Levin in Montgomery, Alabama. The SPLC won several unprecedented lawsuits under the leadership of Dees against hate organizations and their leaders.
Morris Dees Biography
According to Dees biography, he was born in 1936 in Shorter, Alabama.
He received a law degree from the University of Alabama in 1960. After his graduation, he partnered with American lawyer and entrepreneur Millard Fuller and started a direct-mail publishing business firm called Habitat for Humanity.
Dees bought the business firm in 1965 from Fuller.
So well investigated. A very detailed account. A point I’d like to make is SPLC & Morris Dees are fundraising machine, as noted in book. Also hated & feared for good reason for work they do. Look hard at source & motivation of criticism. #michaeldonald
CNN The People v. The Klan https://t.co/iymN96oP74— WatchOUTforLucy (@WatchOutforLucy) April 18, 2021
He later sold the company in 1967 to the Time Mirror Company after being inspired by Clarence Darrow’s book “The Story of My Life (1932)”. He committed his full attention to law practice and devoted himself to civil rights legislation. In 1971, he founded SPLC with Joseph Levin.
His Wife And Family
Morris Dees wife is Kathleen Kalahar.
The couple has a son named Morris Seligman Dees III.
Dees was the son of a tenant cotton farmer, Morris Seligman Dees, and Annie Ruth Dees.
Morris Dees family was Baptist, according to his Wikipedia.
He practiced Christian religion and grew up experiencing warm interactions with African American families in Alabama.
Why Was He Fired From SPLC?
In 2019, Dees got fired from his own company SPLC for undisclosed reasons.
The company said that it would hire an outside organization to investigate its workplace practices.
BREAKING: Far-left hate group Southern Poverty Law Center fires co-founder Morris Deeshttps://t.co/cJ3L9NGz80
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) March 14, 2019
Allegedly, two dozen employees complained to the company’s management about Dees’s behavior which included mistreatment, sexual harassment, racism, and gender discrimination. SPLC’s moral authority and integrity were threatened by such complaints.
A former employee claimed that Dees had the reputation of hitting on young female employees and mistreating non-white. Prior to that, at least one female employee had accused Dees of sexual harassment.
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