Southern Poverty Law Center President Richard Cohen Resigns

The president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Richard Cohen, reportedly announced his resignation on Friday after the center’s co-founder was fired for “undisclosed misconduct.” In a letter to staff obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Cohen said he would be leaving the organization amid allegations of “female and black employees” facing discrimination. “Whatever problems exist at the SPLC happened on my watch, so I take responsibility for them,” Cohen wrote. Along with an internal review of SPLC’s “work culture,” Cohen also reportedly said he had notified the board to “immediately launch a search for an interim president” so that the group could have “the best chance to heal.” SPLC’s co-founder and public face of the group, Morris Dees, was dismissed last week. The organization’s legal director, Rhonda Brownstein, also reportedly resigned on Friday but did not give a reason for her departure.