My descent into America’s neo-Nazi movement & how I got out | Christian Picciolini | TEDxMileHigh

At 14-years-old, Christian Picciolini went from naive teenager to white supremacist, and soon, the leader of America’s first neo-Nazi skinhead gang. How was he radicalized, and how did he ultimately get out? In this courageous talk, Christian shares a surprising and counterintuitive solution to hate in all forms. After leaving the white-supremacist skinhead movement that he helped build in the 1980s and 90s, Christian Picciolini co-founded Life After Hate, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people disengage from violent extremism. His memoir, White American Youth: My Descent into America’s Most Violent Hate Movement—and How I Got Out (Hachette), which details his involvement, and eventual disengagement, from the early American white nationalist movement, will be published on December 26, 2017. Christian lives in Chicago. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at