Following their donation to Syrian refugees in Lebanon earlier this month, George and Amal Clooney are now directing their attention at the racism problems prevalent in the United States.
The Clooney Foundation for Justice will be donating $1 million to the Southern Poverty Law Center to help the organization better combat hate groups.
The SPLC has said that the donation is a direct response to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, in which Neo-Nazi and White Supremacist protestors attacked counter-protestors and left one woman, Heather Heyer, dead.
Like many prominent voices in US media, SPLC President Richard Cohen traced the rise of visible bigotry in the US to Trump. “Like George and Amal Clooney, we were shocked by the size, ugliness, and ferocity of the white supremacist gathering in Charlottesville,” he said. “It was a reflection of just how much Trump’s incendiary campaign and presidency has energized the radical right. We are deeply grateful to the Clooney Foundation for standing with us at this critical moment in our country’s fight against hate.”
In a joint announcement, the Clooneys confirmed the SPLC’s statement: “What happened in Charlottesville, and what is happening in communities across our country, demands our collective engagement to stand up to hate.”
“There are no two sides to bigotry and hate,” added George Clooney, in reference to US President Donald Trump’s infamous “both sides” remark regarding the violence.
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