A life of hate to tolerance
From a neo-Nazi, White Supremacy recruiter and activist, to motivational speaker and advocate of hope, T.J. Leyden has lived an incredible life, said ASUSU Programming Vice President Tom Atwood. Leyden will give a lecture Tuesday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m. in the TSC Ballroom.
When he was young, Leyden’s parents divorced, an event Atwood said propelled Leyden into a downward spiral. By the age of 15, Leyden had organized his own White Supremacist movement. The White Supremacist movement, Leyden said, includes Nazism, fascism, skinheads, etc. They generally believe that the Caucasian race is superior.
After creating his own movement, Leyden became one of the top recruiters and activists. Leyden married a woman who also supported the movement. The catalyst for change came when Leyden realized how his lifestyle would affect his kids, Atwood said.
“This defining moment,” Atwood said, “really made him stop and realize the influence he had on his kids and how they were going to grow up and the lives they would influence.”
After 15 years in the White Supremacist movement, Leyden broke off and has for 15 years helped train members of organizations like the FBI and at the Pentagon, as well as appearing in the History channel’s “Gangland” series, articles in Time Magazine and the Los Angeles Times, and most notably, his book, “Skinhead Confessions: From Hate to Hope.”
Leyden said some of the mindsets in the movement were hard to give up, mentioning “being willing to open up and the feeling of privilege, power and entitlement.” Leyden said he learned to be more open by studying many other cultures and religions.
Jon Allen, a management information systems senior, first encountered Leyden when he was serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in California. Allen said he was surprised when he first learned of Leyden’s past. Allen said Leyden was very good with words, easy to talk to and that everyone he met had “nothing but praise for the guy.”
Allen said, “especially from a missionary’s point of view it was really cool to see that kind of change.”
The first dinner he had with Leyden and his current wife, Allen said, was surprisingly normal.
“It was natural interaction, something you’d expect in any normal family,” Allen said. “You find out about this guy’s past, filled with so much hate, and now he has such a normal life. Even with all the abnormal aspects, they’re able to find normality.”
Atwood said he’d heard of Leyden from several sources and, intrigued, researched Leyden and is bringing him to campus. Atwood said he hopes bringing Leyden to USU will bring more tolerance for diversity to campus.
“We have a diverse campus,” he said. “The diversity is something we should be proud of. As our campus becomes more diverse, one of the goals is to have students embrace that diversity.”
Leyden uses his violent past to his advantage, Atwood said, and now encourages students to be advocates for peace in their own communities.
“I hope students take advantage of the fact he is here,” Atwood said. “I hope they come. They’ll walk away with an elevated point of view.”
Leyden said he hopes that people will come with an open mind and learn to be more aware of their environments.
“Just be mindful,” Leyden said. “Not all racists are dumb. They’re in every field. Watch when one person is telling you to hate government and people.”
Leyden said he will also encourage those at the speech to become mentors.
“If they don’t get involved,” he said “someone else will. It’s our responsibility to try and stop that.”
Allen said Leyden isn’t really a different person, he just developed different ideals and convictions and “there are so many people who are against him for that.”
Leyden still receives death threats by those still in the movement who view Leyden’s change of character as treason to the movement. Allen said, while approaching people in the neighborhood, he would meet people who were still in the movement and that, while they weren’t necessarily looking to kill Leyden, would have “liked to know where he is.” Allen said those who knew Leyden had to be discreet about his location.
Allen recalled a story Leyden told him about a lecture he was giving, in which a young skinhead stood up and started reciting a common White Supremacist anthem. Leyden, Allen said, explained to the man that he had, in fact, wrote the very words being repeated and that they were completely false.
Allen said he thinks society views the people of the movement as the enemy, instead of the idea behind them, and he thinks Leyden will show that is not the case.
“I think that’s what he’s going to get across,” Allen said, “especially with his experience in it. It’s the idea we have to combat, not the people.”
– k.vandyke@aggiemail.usu.edu