On the one-year anniversary of the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, I have been thinking a lot about hate. In this past year, I have interviewed several former Neo-Nazi skinheads, including Christian Picciolini, who rose through the ranks of what would become the Hammerskin Nation, one of the most violent white-power groups in the world.
What’s so compelling about Piccolini’s story is that he changed. From having a hate and racist-filled life to one of love, compassion and empathy. Now, he’s co-founder of “Life After Hate” and works intensely, one-on-one, to help people leave hate groups.
So, how do you get a white supremacist to change his mind?
“Most people like to think of these people who do these awful things as monsters. And I was one of those people. And I know that I wasn’t a monster. I was a broken individual who was willing to do monstrous things to get attention,” says Piccolino.
Here’s my interview with Picciolini — part of a broader show about how we might choose sincerity in a cynical world — where we talk about how racists can change, and his recent conversation with Richard Spencer, one of the organizers of the Charlottesville rally. They met in Whitefish, Montana, over coffee for two hours, and even exchanged phone numbers.