“As I have walked among the desperate, rejected, and angry young men, I have told them that Molotov cocktails and rifles would not solve their problems. I have tried to offer them my deepest compassion while maintaining my conviction that social change comes most meaningfully through nonviolent action.”

-Martin Luther King, Jr., April 4th, 1967

Life After Hate.

Indeed there is. 20 years ago, I would have cursed the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on his birthday, as I was wholly convinced that his message of peace and brotherhood threatened the future of my race.

I’ve come to understand that it is only racism that trembles before the kind of compassion Dr. King still inspires. The only race I recognize today is the human race. Every single human being on the face of the Earth is ultimately descended from Homo Sapiens who emerged in Africa a mere 200,000 years ago.

What events transpired to convince a white power skinhead that he was as African as anyone else?

Read Life After Hate to find out.

How did former leaders of white racist hate groups come to publish a magazine celebrating basic human goodness?

Who was it that rescued a child as her family crumbled?

What do sisters and saboteurs have in common?

How does a tune change from hateful to hopeful?

You’ll discover answers to those questions and much more within these pages.

Life After Hate is a publication dedicated to the theme of basic human goodness. The belief that within every one of us there is the capability for unconditional compassion for all living things. The truth of this is confirmed every time strangers share a smile. Every time we put ourselves in someone else’s shoes. Every time we think of others before we think of ourselves.

Everything in our world begins with an idea. Once the illusions foisted upon us by fear and hatred are exposed, it becomes naturally easy and incredibly fulfilling to craft our ideas with joyful empathy for life. In this manner, every one of us has the ability to make the world a better place.

We hope that Life After Hate helps dispel animosity, creating an environment where people can treat each other with love and respect.

To do this most effectively, we need your help.

In addition to the writing of Christian Picciolini, and myself, future editions of LAH will feature works by others who have put racism behind them. We’ll also be proud to present writers like Angie Aker, who never fell into the trap of racism but nonetheless have great lessons to both teach and learn. If you have a story of your own to tell, be it as a former racist, a victim of racism, or simply from the perspective of a human being who cares about their fellow humans, we want to hear from you!

Life After Hate will always accept submissions from writers, poets, artists, and musicians who express their creativity promoting peace. Or feel free to join the discussion on our Facebook page. Download our free e-book edition and distribute it non-commercially to your heart’s content. Together we’ll bring a testament of peace to the world on a quarterly basis, and enjoy watching it iterate from person to person.

“We still have a choice today: nonviolent coexistence or violent co-annihilation.”

Because the stakes have never been higher, the choice presented by Dr. King in his 1967 speech A Time to Break the Silence has never been more relevant. Our planet and thus the very life of every human being is under dire threat from fear, greed, and hatred that can all be conquered beginning with a simple smile.

…which I hope you do when you read this.

Thank you for bringing your attention and energy to us.

We love you all.

-arno