Spring Break
Reformed neo-Nazi discusses evils of KKK
White supremacists groups increasing in Pa.
Sumeet Patel
Issue date: 3/12/04 Section: News
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Floyd Cochran, former national press secretary for Aryan Nations and reformed neo-Nazi, visited Drexel March 8 to educate students about the evils of the organized white supremacist movement.
Cochran, who renounced his racist views in July 1992, began his speech by apologizing to anyone who had been directly or indirectly affected by his hateful actions.
"A part of taking responsibility [for my actions] in the last 12 years has been traveling throughout the United States talking with any individuals or group of individuals willing to listen to me about the growth of the white supremacy movement," Cochran said.
The event was sponsored by Creating Excellent Organizations and Service Organization Summit.
"Part of SOS's mission is to sponsor and promote those events which make people more aware of the world around them,"SOS Vice President of Education and Awareness Vicki Farrow said. "So we thought an event about violence would be a great way to educate everybody."
Cochran first became involved in the movement when he joined the Ku Klux Klan at age 14. Throughout his adolescence, he received a great deal of attention from the Klan, something he never received from anyone else. He began to feel important, like he could make a difference.
"When I walked into my school wearing a white power T-shirt, all of a sudden people became frightened of me. I associated that with 'being a man,'" Cochran said.
He went on to say that the new face of hate was no longer the mask of the Ku Klux Klan, but rather everyday youth from all walks of life.
"We have now begun to see in the last 10 years, here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, organized white supremacists coming into communities, large and small, and showing up in elementary schools, high schools, and college campuses in an attempt to recruit people," he said.
Cochran also made it a priority to dispel some commonly held myths about the organized white supremacy movement. He warned that, contrary to popular belief, these groups are not confined to the South or Pacific Northwest.
Cochran, who renounced his racist views in July 1992, began his speech by apologizing to anyone who had been directly or indirectly affected by his hateful actions.
"A part of taking responsibility [for my actions] in the last 12 years has been traveling throughout the United States talking with any individuals or group of individuals willing to listen to me about the growth of the white supremacy movement," Cochran said.
The event was sponsored by Creating Excellent Organizations and Service Organization Summit.
"Part of SOS's mission is to sponsor and promote those events which make people more aware of the world around them,"SOS Vice President of Education and Awareness Vicki Farrow said. "So we thought an event about violence would be a great way to educate everybody."
Cochran first became involved in the movement when he joined the Ku Klux Klan at age 14. Throughout his adolescence, he received a great deal of attention from the Klan, something he never received from anyone else. He began to feel important, like he could make a difference.
"When I walked into my school wearing a white power T-shirt, all of a sudden people became frightened of me. I associated that with 'being a man,'" Cochran said.
He went on to say that the new face of hate was no longer the mask of the Ku Klux Klan, but rather everyday youth from all walks of life.
"We have now begun to see in the last 10 years, here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, organized white supremacists coming into communities, large and small, and showing up in elementary schools, high schools, and college campuses in an attempt to recruit people," he said.
Cochran also made it a priority to dispel some commonly held myths about the organized white supremacy movement. He warned that, contrary to popular belief, these groups are not confined to the South or Pacific Northwest.
