February 6, 2014: ADL NY invited former Neo-Nazi skinhead and author Frank Meeink to speak to the Next Generation Philanthropy Community Outreach Network about his experience from racist skinhead to educator. By the age of 13, Frank had already become a skinhead and by 18, he had gained a leadership position as a Neo-Nazi recruiter. With a history of violence and drug abuse, Frank was eventually imprisoned and forced to confront his deep-rooted racist ideology. Now a noted speaker, author and founder of Harmony Through Hockey, Frank advocates for acceptance, diversity and mutual understanding.

Frank’s stark and powerful presentation provided Next Generation members with a detailed look into the lifestyle and ideology of extremists in the United States. By elaborating on many of the anecdotes from his book: Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead, Frank took participants on his personal journey from prison to anti-racist advocacy and cited ADL as a significant influence in his reformation.

ADL’s NGPC Outreach Community seeks to gather young professionals to learn about ADL’s mission and critical work in civil rights, law enforcement, investigative research and international affairs. To learn more about NGPC Outreach Network events and programs, visit http://nynj.adl.org/events/ .