Cut Through Hate

Image | Daryl at Klan Rally

Caption: Daryl Davis at a Ku Klux Klan Rally (Courtesy of Daryl Davis)

From strident political divides, to people protesting other people at rallies, to numerous stories of harassment and assault... it feels like hate is all around us today. This week, Piya speaks with haters and their targets, and asks: How do you cut through hate?
Here are the stories from this week's episode...
Fighting hate with friendship — one Exalted Cyclops at a time
Daryl Davis is a black blues musician. He's befriended hundreds of Ku Klux Klan members, many of whom have since changed their views on the supremacy of the white race. And he's got dozens of robes and hoods in his closet to prove it. Piya speaks with Daryl — and one of his converts — about his success.
Former member of Canadian white supremacist group says hatred must be met 'with an open heart'
Elizabeth Moore was one of the few female members of Canadian neo-Nazi group The Heritage Front in the early 1990s. She tells Piya what first attracted her, how she got out, and how she sees her experience reflected in contemporary far-right movements today.
How a torture victim is transforming her hate into a fight for justice
Minoo Homily spent four years in prison and was tortured in Iran in the early 1980s. Years later, after coming to Canada, Minoo now assists other refugees as a volunteer. She says it's helped her transform the hate she felt toward her torturers into the desire to seek justice against the regime.
Learning to forgive your father by becoming him
When Chris Emmanuel was a kid, his dad made him kneel naked on a grate at the front door, as his friends walked by and laughed. This memory inspired hatred for his dad and haunted him through his life. Chris explains how that led to a mental breakdown and eventual reconciliation with his father.
Loving your body means hating it sometimes
Even as a child, Jill Andrew remembers comments about her size, like being told to 'hold in her tummy' for family pictures. At various times, she's hated her body for being considered large. She's also hated it for being sick. She explains how learning to love her body has included being honest about those moments when you hate it.
This episode originally aired January 7, 2018.