Brighten Your Day

Former White Supremacist Chooses Love Over Hate After An Unlikely Friendship

September 27, 2017

"I don't want my kids to live the life I lived and live with hate. I want my kids to know me for who I am now—a good father, a hard worker, and a good provider."

ABC News

This is Michael Kent, a former Neo-Nazi who was a member of a "very violent skinhead group."

ABC News

Everything changed when he met Tiffany Whittier, a black woman who was assigned to be his probation officer.

Whittier would become much more than a probation officer to Kent. Today, he considers her family.

ABC News

When Whitter first visited Kent's home she noticed he had German war flags hanging on the wall.

"She said you need to take that crap down and start putting up more positive stuff. Put up smiley faces so when you wake up you see positive instead of hate," Kent recalled.

From that day forward the two formed a special, yet unlikely, friendship.

"I'm not here to judge him. That's not my job to judge. My job is to be that positive person in someone's life," Whittier told ABC News.

ABC News

Kent recently sat down at a tattoo parlor in Colorado Springs to have his two swastika tattoos covered up.

Redemption Ink, a national non-profit that offers free removals of hate-related tattoos, helped connect Kent with Fallen Heroes Tattoo in Colorado to begin the 15-hour process of covering up his swastikas.

ABC News

As a father of two young children, Kent hopes his children will see the world in a positive light.

"I don't want my kids to live the life I lived and live with hate," said Kent. "I want my kids to know me for who I am now—a good father, a hard worker, and a good provider."