Reformed neo-Nazi Christian Picciolini to Share His Story at Dallas Holocaust Museum Upstander Speaker Series Event

DALLAS, May 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 3, 2018, the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance will host former white supremacist Christian Picciolini at its nationally renowned Upstander Speaker Series event.

Christian Picciolini will share the inspirational story of his life, from his involvement with a white supremacist movement at age 14, to his rise to become the group's leader at age 16, to his decision to renounce his ties to the American neo-Nazi movement at age 22. He will speak at 7 p.m. at the Communities Foundation of Texas, 5500 Caruth Haven Lane, Dallas, TX 75225. Visit DallasHolocaustMuseum.org/news/events for tickets and information.

In 2011, he co-founded Life After Hate, an organization dedicated to providing the knowledge necessary to implement long-term solutions that counter all types of racism and violent extremism. Picciolini now visits schools and community organizations to counter extremism and help radicalized individuals disengage from extremist movements. Most recently, Picciolini founded Free Radicals, a global nonprofit organization that works with individuals and their families to separate them from hateful ideologies.

"We are so grateful to have an Upstander like Christian Picciolini tell his powerful story of redemption at our next Upstander Speaker event," said Mary Pat Higgins, Museum president and CEO. "Christian's presentation will give us the opportunity to explore the depths of racism through the lens of someone who spent years within the movement. Our hope is that Christian's testimony will inform and touch the community in a lasting, meaningful way. The new Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum now under construction will allow us to further explore these kinds of topics."

A TEDx Talk presenter in 2017, he is a Regional Emmy Award winner, a past contributor for CNN and CBS Evening News, and the author of the memoir White American Youth: My Descent into America's Most Violent Hate Movement and How I Got Out (Hachette Books, 2017).

The Dallas Holocaust Museum's mission is to teach the history of the Holocaust and advance human rights to combat prejudice, hatred, and indifference. In 2017, the Museum broke ground on a state-of-the-art, 51,000 square foot permanent home in the historic West End of downtown Dallas—the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, to be completed in the fall of 2019.

SOURCE Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance