He was absolutely on point with that fear. Eventually he took the final and biggest step by publishing an open letter on the New College forum once and for all renouncing everything.ĭerek thought long and hard on this because his family, which he loved and cares deeply for, were likely going to banish him as a result. Finally, he not only changed his beliefs, but also quit and left the White Nationalist movement. Like a tenacious drill instructor, she refused to back down. All the material was pushing back against all the “facts” he was repeating from memory. She stuck by Derek through everything, persistently challenging him to read studies, lectures, and books. Matthew, who hosted the dinners, had long discussions into the night about Derek’s views and why they were harmful.Ī new girlfriend came into the picture. After weeks upon weeks of Derek showing up, some of the ice began to crack. It included a rotating guest list, all of whom wanted nothing to do with Derek at first. An upperclassmen began pointing out that complete exclusion of Derek was against their stated core beliefs.įriends he made before the interview went out made a specific effort to invite Derek to a weekly Shabbat dinner. They did not want to try and reason with him to change his heart. Yet an overwhelming amount of the students did not want to debate Derek. New College at the time was as left as left could get. The question was whether the school should kick him out. Many people taunted him, screamed in his face, and debated in all caps on the campus online forum. In the past, the victims of his rhetoric had always been out of sight on the other side of the curtain, imaginary enemies nursing imaginary wounds, but now he had seen the injuries firsthand.Īfter it went viral on campus, it was the beginning of the end for the future hate leader. A magazine interview got published outing his racist thoughts and roots and his girlfriend couldn’t stomach it. Plus his first dating experience there was with a Jewish girl, which also led to his first heartbreak. He became friends with people from all walks of life. He found hating outright the people he met there was tougher than he thought. Then Derek decided to attend New College in northern Florida, far outside his white sheet-covered bubble. Even the most ardent supporter of the most vile and violent hate group could question those beliefs by just talking to the people they’re supposed to hate. Eli Saslow captures it all in an effortlessly readable narrative. It was all pseudo-scientific facts supporting the same decades old racist message. He always sounded as if he was doing a community service educating the unknowing masses. He never debated in a way to make the other person look dumb. Instead of saying “Get the * out of our country!”, now they were saying “Multiculturalism creates friction between groups and society would be better served if the groups were completely separated.”.ĭerek delivered the hateful and noxious party line from the extreme right, but was soft-spoken, attentive, and patient. If you weren’t listening closely, you might even begin to agree with them. He would help transition it past the nationally unappetizing days of cross burnings and vulgar epithets to the camera-ready, well dressed faux-intellectual “White Rights Movement.” Now their messages of hate were spouting on TV broadcasts, news and politics shows, and national college speaking tours. It was readily apparent as Derek grew up, he would be the face of the movement. 11-year-old Derek had already created two websites, one was family friendly, in contrast the other was, full of racist songs and cartoons for kids to soak up. As Derek grew up, he followed in his fathers footsteps, but quickly surpassed Don’s computer and technical know-how. His father, Don Black, is a former KKK Grand Wizard and creator of the largest online hate site,. A disarmingly polite, stunningly intelligent young redhead, Derek was born into hate. The birth, growth, and momentum right up to today, but it all ties into the poignant story of Derek Black. Even more, this isn’t just any white supremacist, this is the once and future king of the White Power movement. Are parts of our personalities hardwired into our DNA or is everything about us determined by how we’re raised? Reading Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a White Supremacist by Eli Saslow puts hefty weight on ‘Nurture’. We’ve all seen the debate about ‘Nature vs.
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