Christian Picciolini, author of the book Romantic Violence, will speak on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 7 pm in Kirby Ballroom on the UMD campus. This event is free and open to the public.
In his youth, Picciolini was an active member of a violent Neo-Nazi organization. After leaving that group, he began working to change his life. He earned a degree in International Relations from DePaul University. In 2011, he co-founded the nonprofit organization Life After Hate which is dedicated to helping people leave hate groups, especially white supremacy groups.
In 2015, Picciolini published the book Romantic Violence: Memoirs of an American Skinhead. He won an Emmy in 2016 for directing and producing ExitUSA's PSA "There is life after hate.” He was appointed United Nations-affiliated ambassador for iChangeNations and was honored with a National Statesman award. He is an associate for the University of Southern California Price 'Homegrown Violent Extremism' program and has worked as an adjunct professor at the college level. In 2017, Picciolini founded EXIT Solutions, a global network of former extremists helping people disengage from hate and violent ideologies.
This event is hosted by the UMD College of Liberal Arts (CLA) Change Team. The CLA Change Team is one of many UMD campus climate "unit" change teams. Each team has the responsibility to promote practices of "inclusivity, equity, and respect" within their unit, as part of a larger, campus-wide effort to work toward Goal #2: "Create a positive and inclusive campus climate for all by advancing equity, diversity and social justice."