From “white power skinhead” to “Life After Hate”
Former "white power skinhead" Arno Michaelis is now working against the racist ideology he once embraced. This week, he sits down with Mark to tell his story.
Arno Michaelis, author of "My Life After Hate"
These days, Arno Michaelis is actively working against forces of racism and violence to promote peace, respect, and acceptance. Years ago, Michaelis was, as he put it, a “white power skinhead.”
Michaelis was a teenage alcoholic who became involved in white power groups at the age of 16 and became a founding member of the world’s largest white power group.
In 2010, he started an organization called Life After Hate, and wrote a book called My Life After Hate. The book, he says, “scrubs scabs off the festering wound of racism, then soothes with the essential wisdom of forgiveness and compassion.”
Arno and I talked about his violent, racist past, how becoming a parent helped turn his life around, and about his work today with Life After Hate and Kindness Not Weakness.
[audio:https://urbanmilwaukeedial.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/TCDPodcastMarkMetcalfArnoMichaelis.mp3|titles=Backstage with Mark Metcalf – Arno Michaelis, Life After Hate]Subscribe to these podcasts through iTunes here.
“Backstage with Mark Metcalf” is recorded at the ThirdCoast Digest office in the Shops of Grand Avenue.
Excellent interview, Mark. I’ve put a link to this interview in our exhibit on Life After Hate, in the Now–Free At Last? Gallery.