Jeff Schoep

So I broke free from the movement in early in March of 19 But I was going through this

process for several years so typically you want somebody in like the work that we do we want someone to disengage from the movement and then we work on the de-radicalization part my journey was backwards so I'm de-radicalizing while I'm still involved now if somebody would have told me that while I was involved those have been fighting words you know but it was basically like

And the mind wasn't catching up with what was going on.

So that's when I was starting those last years when I was involved.

I'm saying this is a white civil rights group.

It's not a hate group.

You know, and from the outside looking in, you go, man, this guy's insane.

Of course, it's a hate group, you know, and I see I see that now, obviously.

Yeah.

So when I was involved, every girl that I was seeing and I was seeing quite a few different women, just about every one that if they would come and check out the movement, they would say, whoa, this is like a cult and you're like a cult leader.

And I'm thinking in my head, what is wrong with these choices I'm making in women?

What is with these poor choices?

Yeah.

you know what i mean like right that's a serious cognitive dissonance but that's that's the that's the thought that that goes through your head is like it's it's not me so was it initially meeting daryl that started this journey for you yes it was one of the major major first seeds and so but you guys hadn't seen each other quite a while and then on your own you just started exploring these ideas and changing your perspective

Well, that and then not long after meeting Daryl, I met a Muslim filmmaker by the name of Dia Khan and in her film, White Right Meeting the Enemy.

And I'd gotten to know Dia quite well over the course of that filming.

And there was a number of people that left the NSM from interacting with Dia.

And she has a very similar approach to how Daryl Davis approaches things.

It's about listening.

It's about being curious.