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Turning Away from Hate After 15 years as a neo-Nazi white supremacist activist and recruiter, Tom "TJ" Leyden experienced a profound change of heart, turned away from hate, and began teaching tolerance. How can a man who covered his body in Nazi symbols, advocated for the death of Jews, and recruited teenagers into the hate movement become one of the nation's most compelling advocates for the importance of diversity and cultural appreciation? TJ has a message that really touches our students. We are always thrilled to have him come to speak, the feed back we get from students about the life changing message he presents is alway beyond positive. Students have come up to me since his presentation, and discussed how they realize they can really make a difference in combating prejudice and hate. Other students have recoginzed themselves in his message and now understand that even though they never thought they were prejudice, those traits he discusses are a mirror to how they have acted in the past. I can not recommend this program enough! Paulette Marshall Leyden grew up in a closely-knit Irish-Catholic family in Fontana, California. Life began to unravel for him when his parents got divorced, and he began listening to punk rock and venting his rage by slam-dancing and fighting at weekend concerts. His violent behavior attracted the attention of local skinheads, and soon he started his own skinhead group in Redlands, California, at the age of 15. At 21, Leyden joined the Marines and his role as a leading recruiter, organizer and propagandist for the white supremacist movement increased. In all, he spent more than 15 years as a leader in the neo-Nazi movement, even marrying a woman deeply committed to the movement and raising two young sons in a hate-filled environment. "Mr. Leyden has now dedicated his life to confronting issues such as racism, anti-Semitism, and hate crimes through education, community involvement, and social action. Judy Shepard Today, he has turned away from the hatred that defined his life for so long. He is the one of the few known former skinheads who has left the movement and retained his own name. He worked for more than five years for the Simon Wiesenthal Center teaching on the culture of hate and the importance in fighting back against it. He was invited by President Clinton to be a featured speaker at the White House Conference on Hate, and he has trained at the Pentagon, the FBI, military bases, and for numerous law enforcement agencies. He has spoken to more than 650,000 students. He has also testified against individuals on trial for hate crimes. Although he receives regular death threats and must take extraordinary measures to protect himself from his former friends, Leyden is committed to being a fierce advocate for the importance of appreciating the differences in all people. In his campus program, "Turning Away from Hate," Leyden tells his remarkable story and explains his transformation. He helps students understand the harmful culture he escaped and why he is so committed to fighting it today. "The most powerful presentation I have ever seen on the topic. TJ grabs your attention from the minute he walks on stage and keeps you talking about it long after the presentation is over. His real and straight up approach to the topic keeps everyone involved and learning!" Dave Conner |
