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I'm honored to be included in the work of @lifeafterhate. In the realm of white supremacist 'deradicalization' no US organization matches their degree of care for those they help.
I wanted to share my full statement to them on accountability (quoted in article)
1/ https://twitter.com/lifeafterhate/status/1360227005921394690
I wanted to share my full statement to them on accountability (quoted in article)
1/ https://twitter.com/lifeafterhate/status/1360227005921394690
Accountability as a former white supremacist means I have an obligation that I must uphold for the remainder of my life; to do everything I am capable of to counter the egregious harm I caused while I was involved with white supremacist organizations.
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Looking at the present state of our world and our country, I also feel I am accountable for speaking out against racism and injustice. Our current national situation and, in fact, on a more global scale...
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brings into clear focus the foundational principles of settler-colonial white supremacy that undergird so much of society.
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As someone who openly espoused not only allowing inequality to remain the status quo, but vociferously supported a return to an even more barbaric form of inequality, I am accountable to all people to speak in opposition to those who still hold hateful beliefs of any kind.
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One of the ways I try to hold myself accountable is by doing everything I can to expose insidious plans made by white supremacist leaders during the time I was involved. These plans are explicitly tied to the recent insurrection attempt at the US Capitol.
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There are numerous reports of individuals in positions of authority and power that supported and assisted the attempt to end the US Democracy as we know it. I am without doubt that many of these individuals were intentionally placed;
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as white supremacist leaders during the late 80s and early 90s orchestrated a coordinated effort to infiltrate Law Enforcement, the Military, and other government agencies. Today we are seeing the fruits of those infiltration efforts.
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Another aspect of accountability I continually try to exercise is hope. Apocalyptic thinking was a hallmark of my descent into white supremacist beliefs. Being accountable to myself means recognizing that if I...
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(and many of the other amazing ‘formers’ I know) can leave those beliefs behind and actively strive against them, anyone can.
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Being willing to recognize honest efforts at change in people inspires a great deal of hope within me. I believe in the arc of the moral universe bending toward justice, and I am hopeful we will see it continue to do so exponentially.
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One of the hardest things I have ever had to do was explain the full truth of what I had been to my twelve-year-old daughter. She is fiercely anti-racist, which I had little to do with.
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She came to most of the realizations informing her stand for equality on her own. One of the greatest joys of my life was having her tell me “Yeah, but you’re not that person anymore” after a full confession to her of my past.
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This is the hope that I live for and why I hold myself accountable.
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