SPLC Action Fund Endorses Henry Whitehorn for Caddo Parish Sheriff

CADDO PARISH, Louisiana – The SPLC Action Fund today endorsed Henry Whitehorn for sheriff of Caddo Parish. Whitehorn, who has served as a U.S. marshal and chief of the Shreveport Police Department, plans to increase engagement in youth programs and provide alternatives to incarceration.

“There is a shocking lack of diversity in sheriff’s offices across the state, which no doubt has a direct link to the overcriminalization of the Black community in Louisiana,” said Madison Hollon, program manager of political campaigns for the SPLC Action Fund. “We are proud to endorse Mr. Whitehorn, who is both well-qualified for this position and whose candidacy provides an opportunity for the system to finally be truly representative of the communities it serves.”

In February, the SPLC Action Fund released a report on the racial disparity among sheriffs and prosecutors across Louisiana. While the state has a Black population of 33%, only 6% of Louisiana sheriffs are Black. The report, Out of Balance: Racial Disparity Among Louisiana’s Sheriffs and Prosecutors, illustrates that while the vast majority of Louisiana’s district attorneys (DAs) and sheriffs are white, Black residents are starkly overrepresented in the state’s criminal legal system.

The SPLC Action Fund is focused on lifting up communities of color, particularly in the Deep South, who face systemic oppression, poverty and structural racism. To overcome these injustices, the organization is committed to reimagining the political, economic and social systems that sustain them to create a world where all people can thrive.

In pursuit of this bold agenda, the SPLC Action Fund supports candidates who share its commitment to fixing the deep inequities that plague our nation.

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About the SPLC Action Fund

SPLC Action Fund is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people. SPLC Action Fund is the 501(c)(4) affiliate organization to the Southern Poverty Law Center. For more information, visit www.splcactionfund.org.