Counter-Extremism Speaker
Shannon Foley Martinez
Shannon Foley Martinez is a reformed neo-Nazi, white-power skinhead who now speaks professionally.
01 Biography
About Shannon
Shannon Foley Martinez is the Program Manager for the recently launched Free Radicals Project. She has also partnered with the Institute For Strategic Dialogue and Gen Next, as the US Regional Coordinator for the Against Violence and Extremism Network (AVE) helping other former and current violence-based extremists disengage and work through their transition out of violent and hate-based groups, as well as providing community and law enforcement education and training for the intervention and prevention of violence-based, radical extremism. A victim of sexual assault at age 14 and never quite able to meet her parent's expectations, Martinez sought out other angry teens. By 16 she was a skinhead spouting white supremacist rhetoric, giving stiff-armed Nazi salutes and tagging public property with swastikas. Fortified by the love of an adopted family, Martinez left the skinheads behind, and today is committed to devoting the rest of her life to helping dismantle the culture of white supremacy, as well as helping others find their way to the other side of a life of hate. Martinez's story has been featured on news media all over the world, including Megyn Kelly TODAY, NBC's "Left Field," the Atlanta Journal Constitution, an Associated Press feature story and video, Marie Claire Magazine, an Al Jazeera video that currently has over a million views, and GPB’s “On Second Thought”. She has been a commentator on CNN and HLN, as well as been a panelist and speaker throughout the world, for organizations such as CPRLV (Center for the Prevention of the Radicalization Leading to Violence), UNWomen, Hedayah, and the UN General Assembly.
She is currently living in Northeast Georgia and raising her seven children.
02 Watch
Video & Media
03 Reviews
Testimonials
Shannon Foley Martinez made an invaluable contribution to my students’ understanding of right-wing extremism, radicalization, and deradicalization. With candor and great insight, Shannon’s compelling story of how she came to be involved in the white supremacist movement – and just as importantly, the process by which she ultimately left it – highlights a reality that academics, policymakers, and citizens all need to grapple with. I’m looking forward to Shannon guest lecturing and engaging future students in discussions that may sometimes be uncomfortable but always important.
On behalf of the National Counterterrorism Center, I would like to thank Shannon for serving as a keynote speaker at our annual Terrorism Prevention Practitioner Workshop. This event was a huge success, due in part to her powerful remarks, which were very well received by over 200 attendees from across the state, local, and federal law enforcement and government. Her story was a compelling reminder of the importance of addressing trauma to create resilience and prevent violent extremism. Her remarks challenged some of the misconceptions that people hold regarding how recruitment into domestic violent extremist movements occurs. Thank you for bringing such honesty and authenticity in sharing your story and allowing us to think about terrorism prevention from another perspective.
Shalom Shannon – Thank you so much for the beautiful presentation you gave us at The Jewish Futures Conference at NYU on Wednesday. I was blown away by the power and the content of your presentation. You have an incredible gift and it’s great that you are sharing your story so openly and so honestly with so many people. Thank you for sharing it with us on Wednesday.
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