This comes after two dozen employees signed a letter of concern over "allegations of mistreatment, sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and racism following the ouster of co-founder Morris Dees over sexual misconduct claims.

CNN spoke with three current employees of the organization who talked on condition of anonymity because of fears over possible retribution.

It was one of those employees who cited the systemic problems with racism and sexism, and a second employee agreed with that assessment.

But one of the employees who spoke to CNN alleged the organization suffers from a "pervasive racist culture" and an environment in which a woman is not seen or heard. She also said qualified African-American employees were regularly passed over for promotions — including one African-American colleague she describes as brilliant. She added, "My boss only hires white people." –CNN