Courageous Conversations: Transforming Extremism Through Dialogue

Schedule of Events

5:30 - 6:00 p.m. - Light bites and refreshments

6:00 - 8:00 p.m. - Program

About the Event

Join musician, author, and peacebuilder Daryl Davis, known for his transformative work engaging members of hate groups, and Jeff Schoep, a former leader of one of the most prominent neo-Nazi organizations in the U.S., who has since renounced extremism and now advocates for peace and reconciliation.

This event centers around the belief that mending the fabric of our shared humanity begins with courageous conversation, empathy, and listening deeply.

Together, Daryl and Jeff will explore:

• Calling people in vs. calling people out: how approaching others with compassion, not condemnation, leads to real transformation.
• Principled bridge-building: practical examples of dialogue that transcend ideology and fear.
• The power of human connection as a tool for healing and peace.

Let us come together not in judgment, but in hope. Not in fear, but in understanding. And not in silence, but in powerful, healing conversation.

DARYL DAVIS

Received his Bachelor of Music Degree from Howard University in Washington, DC in 1980 and an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Humane Letters from Post University in Waterbury, Connecticut. He spreads facilitates musical harmony on stage and racial harmony in society.

Having been to 64 countries on 6 continents and all 50 States, Dr. Daryl Davis has acquired a sharper sense of humanity and greater ability to successfully communicate with those of diametrically opposing cultures and ideologies who many others would avoid. He’s not White or even light-skinned. Make no mistake about it; he is Black. Yet, Dr. Daryl Davis has come in closer contact with more Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi members than most White non-members and certainly most Blacks — short of being on the wrong end of a rope. His extensive travel and exposure to the "other" has honed his keen senses to bridge the gap between those of the "us versus them" mentality.

This empirical skill set has led to Daryl receiving KKK robes and hoods, swastika flags from those who once hated him but renounced their White supremacist and racist ideology after coming to know him. For his efforts, he is the recipient of numerous awards and acclaim for his work in racial reconciliation with some of the most hate-filled people in the United States. Davis became the first Black author to write books on the Ku Klux Klan from in-person, face-to-face interviews with leaders and members. His expertise is often sought by respected news sources and he is a frequent speaker on the corporate and university lecture stages. His transformative methods are the topics and studies of many classrooms around the world. He is the author of Klan-Destine Relationships (1997) and The Klan Whisperer (2025) and the subject of the award-winning documentary Accidental Courtesy (2016

JEFF SCHOEP

Once the leader of America’s largest neo-Nazi organization, Jeff Schoep has become a global advocate for peace, transformation, and human rights.

His riveting true-life story, American Nazi: From Hate to Humanity, chronicles his extraordinary journey from the frontlines of hate into the trenches of healing.

Jeff’s work as a speaker and consultant has reached audiences from the Nobel Peace Center in Norway, including collaborations with the Simon Wiesenthal Center, RAND Corporation, and countless others.

His story has also been featured in the Emmy award-winning documentary White Right: Meeting the Enemy, Paramount Pictures’ Indivisible: Healing Hate, and Red Table Talk with Jada Pinkett Smith — along with appearances across the History Channel, National Geographic, 60 Minutes, Hulu, Comedy Central, and numerous other acclaimed documentaries.

Through powerful storytelling and lived experience, he now weaponizes the lessons of his past in service of humanity — driving change, bridging divides, and reshaping futures.

Beyond keynote speaking, Jeff offers strategic consulting for corporations, government agencies, and leadership teams ready to tackle transformation head-on. By weaponizing the same psychological tools once used to radicalize and recruit, he now engineers reverse-osmosis processes that dismantle division, shift belief systems, and forge resilient, trust-centered leadership cultures.

Parking Instructions
Visitors to UCF Downtown may purchase an $8 daily parking permit at the following link:
🔗 https://secure.parking.ucf.edu/parkingportal/DayPermits/DayPermitDefault.aspx

Parking Options
Parramore Garage (PG1) – Recommended for proximity
Address: 323 N. Parramore Avenue
Overflow parking for daily permits is available on the 4th floor.
Use any “D” (green) parking spaces.

Amelia I Garage (PG3)
Address: 441 Ronald Blocker Avenue

Street Parking
Available for hourly rates on the Park Mobile App.

🚫 Please avoid spaces marked B/Staff/Faculty or Valencia College reserved.
🚫 Back-in parking is not allowed.