MGM to match employee donations to civil rights groups

LAS VEGAS (AP) - One of the largest employers in Nevada is launching a donation match program benefiting civil rights organizations in light of the deadly Charlottesville protests.

MGM Resorts International, the largest casino operator on the Las Vegas Strip, said Friday that it would match employee donations made to the Southern Poverty Law Center, NAACP, Anti-Defamation League, Human Rights Campaign, Council on American Islamic Relations, OCA National-Asian Pacific American Advocates and League of United Latin American Citizens.

CEO Jim Murren made the announcement in a letter, saying he felt compelled to speak out against "the degradation of basic human dignity" following the deadly attacks in Charlottesville and Barcelona in recent days.

He said the company champions diversity and inclusion. Murren said MGM believes in free speech but that it would not tolerate hate.