In that role, Potok faced numerous death threats from white supremacists and constant vilification by leaders of the far-right media — a remarkable measure of just how effective his work was. Potok has been described in one book on social justice activists as having “a reputation as the preeminent editorial commentator who follows the American radical right.”

As the director of the SPLC’s Intelligence Project and, later, Senior Fellow at the SPLC and Editor in Chief of its award-winning Intelligence Report investigative magazine, Potok was a key spokesman for the SPLC, a civil rights organization based in Alabama. He has testified before the U.S. Senate, the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights, the Helsinki Commission, and in other key venues. An acclaimed and dynamic speaker, he has given scores of keynote talks in university, government and other settings throughout the United States and Europe. They include such prestigious forums as the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Potok’s study of the radical right began even before he joined the SPLC in 1997. As a national reporter, he covered the 51-day siege in Waco, Texas, that led to the antigovernment militia movement; the Oklahoma City bombing and the trial of mass murderer Timothy McVeigh that followed; and many other instances of right-wing extremism and violence. He has led numerous investigations into various aspects of right-wing extremism, winning key awards for investigative reporting and other journalistic efforts for himself and for the Report. He has personally confronted media personalities including Lou Dobbs and Bill O’Reilly on their television shows and in other venues over their false extremist claims.

While at the SPLC, Potok was interviewed literally thousands of times, including appearances in most national U.S. newspapers, television news programs and radio shows, along with hundreds of local, regional and international media. He has been featured in more than 20 major documentaries on various aspects of the radical right. He was described by the Utne Reader, which in 2009 named the Intelligence Report the best investigative magazine in America, as having “the disciplined focus of a detective,” and he has been profiled by The Associated Press and, in a 43-minute interview, by Terry Gross of the celebrated NPR program, “Fresh Air.” He has been cited in dozens of scholarly books on the American radical right.

Potok’s speeches have covered a very wide range of topics related the extreme right, exploring such key themes as the reasons for the rise of the radical right; the history and dangers of right-wing terrorism; the organized groups behind the anti-immigrant, anti-LGBT, anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic and other specific movements; the increasing internationalization of hate; digital media’s role in spreading hate; the rise of misogyny and the so-called Alternative Right; the militia movement and the historic American struggle over public land use; women on the far right; and many more. He tailors every speech to the interests and needs of his audiences.

At a time when the radical right is closer to political power than at any moment in at least half a century, Potok’s message could hardly be more important. Political developments ranging from the recent U.S. presidential race to the rise of racial nationalist parties in Europe underline the admonition from the great Spanish-born poet Santayana: “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” Mark Potok is a captivating speaker who can explain not only how we have come to the place where we find ourselves today, but also what we can do to confront the rise of the radical right and come together to make our world a better home for all.