SHANE’S REDEMPTION
When hatred has seeped into every nook and cranny of your interior; when it's been the cardinal ingredient in the composition of your makeup; when it's evolved into the unwavering embodiment of what you believe in - what you stand for... it's hard to imagine a life "After Hate".
This collection of portraits features four courageous individuals who risked their lives to claw their way out of registered hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Brotherhood or any Neo-nazi group.
MEET SHANE JOHNSON. Shane was born into the KKK; his father was the Imperial Wizard (state leader) of Indiana. The unorthodox traditions of the Klan were bestowed upon him at 4 years old in the back woods of a trailer park in Kokoma, Indiana, a place he called home. Hatred and extreme prejudice were intricately sewn into his foundation - his family outings consisted of Klan activities and cross lightings. Shane moved up the Klan ranks to Imperial Wizard at age 21, after his father was executed - the youngest member in Klan history to receive such a rank, in large part because of his feared ferocious history and fluency in Christian Identity (KKK Bible). It wasn't until Shane was behind bars for a violent hate crime that he decided he wanted to flip the script and leave the Klan for good. He found, however, that his wholehearted embrace into the group was a far cry from his treacherous journey out: Shane was left for dead by a group of Klan members, including his own family. After a prolonged hospital stay, he hid in a trailer in a remote part of Peru, Indiana. Some would say that Shane has lost everything: at times separatedfrom his wife, Tiffany, battling a persistent meth addiction and always unemployed. But some would also say he has gained everything. A fresh outlook on life; a chance to start a new.
Shane tries hard to help others as he speaks out against hate groups nationally through media interviews, documentaries (A&E Network), does pod casts and offers one-on-one counseling for members of hate groups who also want to change their path. Despite the turnaround, Shane did try to kill himself by hanging in early 2019. After serving time in a psychiatric hospital for a few weeks, Shane made his way to the hills of Tennessee where he was baptized and ultimately became a Pentecostal Preacher. Shane now runs the Where God Leaves Correctional Ministries.