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Groups, individuals helping white extremists shed hate

In this Jan. 9, 2017, photo, Christian Picciolini, founder of the group Life After Hate, poses for a photograph in his Chicago home. Picciolini, a former skinhead, is an activist combatting what many see as a surge in white nationalism across the United States. He's doing it by helping members quit groups including the Ku Klux Klan and skinhead organizations. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford)
In this Jan. 9, 2017, photo, Christian Picciolini, founder of the group Life After Hate, poses for a photograph in his Chicago home. Picciolini, a former skinhead, is an activist combatting what many see as a surge in white nationalism across the United States. He's doing it by helping members quit groups including the Ku Klux Klan and skinhead organizations. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford) In this Jan. 9, 2017, photo, Christian Picciolini, founder of the group Life After Hate, poses for a photograph in his Chicago home. Picciolini, a former skinhead, is an activist combatting what many see as a surge in white nationalism across the United States. He's doing it by helping members quit groups including the Ku Klux Klan and skinhead organizations. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford)

By Associated Press 6 min read

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) – The Celtic cross tattoo on Shannon Martinez’s leg gives away her past.

A victim of sexual assault at age 14 and never quite able to meet her parents’ expectations, Martinez sought out other angry teens. By 16, she was a skinhead spouting white supremacist rhetoric, giving stiff-armed Nazi salutes and tagging public property with swastikas. She favored racist fashion statements – like the symbol on her right calf.

Fortified by the love of an adopted family, Martinez left the skinheads behind. Today she’s helping others do the same as part of an emerging U.S. movement that helps people quit hate organizations.

Modeled loosely upon organizations that formed in Europe years ago to combat extremism, groups and individuals are offering counseling, education and understanding to extremists seeking a way out.

Now a 42-year-old mom who homeschools her kids at their house in Georgia, Martinez volunteers with Life After Hate, a leading organization dedicated to helping people leave white supremacy. On Facebook, she shares her story with others who’ve left or are looking to leave extremism.