Former white nationalist to discuss his conversion at Arlington Heights event

A former white nationalist who is now a civil rights activist will share his story of transformation this weekend at an Arlington Heights church.

Derek Black, a one-time heir apparent of the white nationalist movement, publicly renounced the ideology in 2013 and now speaks about his conversion at forums across the country. He'll be at First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights, 302 N. Dunton Ave., at 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6, as part of the church's annual speaker series.

Black, son of Stormfront website founder Don Black and godson of former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke, changed his stance in college after befriending Jewish students who invited him over for weekly Shabbat dinners.

His pivot to civil rights advocate is detailed in "Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist," a 2018 book by Pulitzer Prize winner Eli Saslow.

Free tickets for "A Conversation with Derek Black" are available at firstpresah.org/annual-speaker or by calling the church office at (847) 255-5900. Doors open at 6 p.m., and there will be a book signing after the program.

First Presbyterian Church's speaker series has previously featured Sister Helen Prejean, the noted anti-death penalty activist; Paul Rusesabagina, the Rwandan humanitarian whose efforts were the basis for the movie "Hotel Rwanda"; and religious scholar Reza Aslan.