Conservatives have long been ahead of the curve on corporate-culture agendas. Conservative investors were raising skepticism about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives years before executive orders signaled the end of the post-George Floyd racialism push. At Bowyer Research, we’ve been engaging with companies about the increasingly real risk surrounding gender-affirming care for years — it’s only been recently that the culture at large has seemed to be catching on. But sometimes, the events of the real world are so monumental that there’s very little delay between investor scrutiny and brand movement. Case in point: the very rapid fall of the Southern Poverty Law Center as a guide in corporate America.
For those who have not been paying attention, the Department of Justice recently indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) over allegations of “wire fraud, false statements, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.” If true, it’s a massive scandal for a group that has fundraised for decades by framing its mission as fighting white supremacy. But the indictment, and the allegations associated with it, are just the latest in the group’s social downfall. The outcome of that indictment will not determine the future of the SPLC in corporate America. That part is already in motion.
Formed in 1971 as a legal organization aimed at combating Jim Crow, the SPLC has gone from a leading opponent of racism to one of the most disingenuous, misleading, and blatantly politicized organizations in America. Its “hate map” claims to “track hate and anti-government groups” across the nation (interesting phrasing, given that the SPLC also asserts that the Trump administration “uses its power to roll back civil rights [and] deepen racial injustice.” In reality, it lists mainstream conservative and religious groups like the Family Research Council and Turning Point USA as on par with genuine hate groups.
There are many issues with this blatantly political smear job, but perhaps the most disturbing is the way that those mainstream groups became the target of violence after being placed on the list. Family Research Council? Victim of a 2012 shooting by a gunman who told investigators the SPLC’s resources informed his targeting. Turning Point USA, specifically Charlie Kirk? Shot in the neck in front of his wife and kids, with the shooter explaining his rationale as “some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
Against that backdrop — politicization and an eyebrow-raising correlation with violence — it’s not a surprise that corporate America is moving away from the SPLC. After engagement from conservative investors, including David Bahnsen and The Heritage Foundation, results are coming in. Brands as big as Salesforce and Texas Instruments have moved away from using the SPLC’s metrics to guide charitable policies. Platforms like Meta have clarified that they do not rely on SPLC to determine objectionable content. To be clear, not every brand has done so. Companies like Starbucks, Disney, PayPal, and Amazon are still dodging investor scrutiny on their use of politicized “hate group” measures. Chances are, however, that the DOJ’s indictment may spur more movement from corporate America.
There’s more movement to be had. 1792 Exchange has identified over 200 major companies that likely use the SPLC’s “hate list” to vet charitable recipients. Charitable providers like Benevity, which process billions in employee donations annually, use SPLC data to screen nonprofit recipients. As more and more companies back away from the SPLC, now is the moment for providers like Benevity to demonstrate leadership in forwarding the goal of political neutrality for its corporate clients. Using a “hate map” that treats TPUSA and the Klan as morally equivalent doesn’t do that.
This is an argument that companies are coming around to. Many didn’t realize the extent of the SPLC’s bias until investor coalitions urging political neutrality appeared. I recently told one company, “This probably isn’t a perspective you hear from activists. It’s a conversation that should have happened years ago. But we’re here now. So let’s have the conversation.”
The reality, apparent to entities across the political landscape, is that the Southern Poverty Law Center is the reputational risk gift that keeps giving gifts no one wants. The scope of this issue is unbelievably broad. The SPLC doesn’t just owe a general sense of accountability to the public. However, weaponizing the legitimate human desire to fight hate to serve political ends would be damaging enough. It doesn’t even end with a debt of accountability to the many mainstream, non-hateful groups, such as ADF, TPUSA, American Family Association, and Moms For Liberty, whom they’ve smeared as somehow equivalent to racial supremacists and violent extremists. They owe a debt of accountability to every company that’s used their list to guide charitable policies. The SPLC’s “hate list” wasn’t merely the anti-hate mechanism it was billed as. It was a Trojan Horse that helped inject politics into corporate America. It helped perpetuate the lie that faith and right-of-center politics are tantamount to genuine hatred. This lie not only damages America’s social fabric but also creates genuine danger for real people.
Undoing that damage takes work, conservatives who can handle the details, and corporate courage to choose neutrality over activism. But that’s how we turn outrage into cultural change. That is the fundamental task of this moment. You cannot destroy hate with more hate. It takes the kind of love that pushes for meaningful change.
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Isaac Willour is the director of corporate engagement at Bowyer Research, America’s leading pro-fiduciary proxy consulting & corporate engagement firm. A graduate of Grove City College, Isaac is an award-winning journalist, Young Voices contributor, and frequent commentator on ESG, DEI, & the culture war. He can be found on X @IsaacWillour.
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