I am a black man and interviewed a former white supremacist. It was a powerful experience.

[eridani]

http://www.upworthy.com/i-am-a-black-man-and-interviewed-a-former-white-supremacist-it-was-a-powerful-experience

I'm a black man who just spoke with a former white supremacist. He wasn't quite what I expected.I have to admit that when my phone rang, I felt an overwhelming sense of anxiety and nervousness that I haven't experienced in years.

Am I really going to conduct this interview? Can a white supremacist truly be reformed? Do I really want to hear his story?

<snip>

Then one moment changed him: He was thrust into single fatherhood. "I was with my daughter's mother for about six months before we decided it was our duty as white people to bring white children into the world," said Arno, who was 21 when his daughter was born. "By the time she was a little over a year old, my relationship with her mother ended," he said. "That's when I made the decision to be a good dad first and foremost. Living a life filled with hate just wasn't possible if I wanted to do that."

Shortly thereafter, he felt a strange emotion that he never experienced before. Empathy. He became more in-tune with the feelings of his fellow humans. In doing so, he acknowledged that he was causing pain to others due to his own pain.

[Buzz Clik]

1. Great article.

Being a dad to a little girl changes a lot of men.

[LiberalArkie]

2. Great. Thanks

"As I listened to Arno tell his story, one thing kept coming to mind: Empathy is the key to stopping racism."