Ex-White Supremacist to Speak at Soka
A former neo-Nazi activist and recruiter will speak at Soka University about his life as a white supremacist and his eventual turnaround, as part of the university’s Human Rights Lecture Series.
The free discussion Tuesday with Tom Leyden is scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. at the campus, 26800 W. Mulholland Highway.
Leyden has given lectures about his experiences since he left the skinhead movement and started working with the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
Leyden, who says he became a skinhead as a teenager, has admitted to participating in racist beatings and other violent behavior and recruiting others into the movement.
After nearly two decades of spreading the bigoted message, he says he changed his life when he heard his then-3-year-old son making white supremacist statements.
The lecture series is in its sixth year at Soka, providing a forum for discussion of human rights issues around the world.
For more information, call (818) 878-3780.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
