All the symbols depicted in the hate symbols database must be evaluated in the context in which they appear. Few symbols represent just one idea or are used exclusively by one group. For example, 100% is often used as an amount or an expression and it is also used by some white supremacists as shorthand for "100% white." Similarly, other symbols in this database may be significant to people who are not extreme or racist. The descriptions here point out significant multiple meanings but may not be able to relay every possible meaning of a particular symbol.
Group Status: Active
The Southern Brotherhood is a large, Alabama-based white supremacist prison gang. Gang members use a variety of different symbols and tattoos but the most common is their "patch" or shield tattoo.
This tattoo consists of a shield emblem (often superimposed over axes or swords) divided into four sections, each with a different symbol inside. These symbols can include the letters SB, swastikas, SS lightning bolts, the number 23 (or 14/23), the Confederate flag, or other symbols.
Southern Brotherhood members often use the numeric symbol 14/23, a reference to the "14 Words" slogan ("We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children") and the "23 Precepts" of the Southern Brotherhood.
Gang members sometimes use a handshake in which two people grip each other's forearms.
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