Life After Hate: A Conversation with a Former Skinhead

“You can’t be a neo-Nazi and be happy in life. It’s 100% impossible to be those two things at the same time.”

Frank Meeink didn’t have a picturesque childhood. Born and raised in South Philadelphia, Mr. Meeink had an abusive, absent stepfather, drug-addicted mother, and fought for survival every day at school. He joined a neo-Nazi gang at the age of fourteen. For three years, Mr. Meeink traveled the country, advocating for white supremacy and climbing the gang’s ranks. At seventeen, he was handed a three-year prison sentence for kidnapping a rival gang member. It was during his time in prison that his recovery from a life of hate began. Now, he travels the country speaking out against hate groups and is the co-founder of Life After Hate, an organization dedicated to helping other former extremists leave hateful organizations. (The film American History X is loosely based on his life, and he has published a book Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead). On August 13th, Mr. Meeink spoke with Merion West’s Nigel Thompson about his life, organization, and helping others leave behind racism and prejudice.

I got the sense from listening to some of your talks that you became a skinhead more so to belong to something rather than anything racially motivated. Can you expand a little upon the journey you had to becoming a skinhead?

Race wasn’t a big issue to me growing up in the fact that we weren’t “enemies” until I went to an all-black school. I was already getting beaten at home, but I couldn’t start an anti-parent group—I would’ve done that first. Instead, I hated the next people that were messing with me in my life—those I encountered and fought at school. I also have to be honest with myself. I joined that group for survival. I had to join a pack to survive.