Tom Martinez- A Story of Hate, A Message of Hope

Gail Davis & Associates, Inc.

FIND A SPEAKER

HOME

SPEAKERS

ABOUT US

CONTACT US

MY GDA

CAREERS

GAIL'S BLOG

NEWSLETTERS

GDA PRESS

Tom Martinez- A Story of Hate, A Message of Hope
By Gail Davis | Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Wow! I was almost numb after hearing Tom Martinez, a former hate group member, speak at a recent, client event in Dallas. Tom visited our office earlier in the day but that was like dipping only your toe in the pool. The event was full immersion.

The venue helped create the atmosphere for soaking up his story. My client selected the Holocaust Museum in Dallas. It was a somber location that reminded us all of the devastation when you combine hate and a lack of education.

Tom is a genuine and likeable guy. He does an amazing job of explaining how and why he was seduced by a hate group. He paints the picture of being a young husband with a new baby and trying to make ends meet while working at a bakery earning minimum wage. You can see how this welcoming brotherhood that offered support and monetary gain had a strong appeal.

Tom begins his presentation with a movie trailer from the Showtime original picture the Brotherhood of Murder, which stars Peter Gallagher and William Baldwin and is based on Tom’s autobiography. He has recently developed PowerPoint presentations that include several photos of various leaders and events associated with The Order. He also has some music clips at the end that demonstrate the use of music lyrics in furthering a message of hate.

Tom’s overall message is:
- To educate people on tolerance.
- Talk about the important role the business community can play in helping educate and address racial issues.
- He also believes when businesses provide employment- that in turn prevents economic desperation that often leads people to groups like this.
- Provide his audience with a strong message about the importance of family.

It is a shocking story and I have to say the group sat spellbound. At times, Tom is a little rough around the edges. He talks like a person who is street smart. Ironically, it is not offensive because you know where he comes from. Rather than judge, you sit in awe that he was able to break the cycle.

Click here to sign up for Blog Alerts

Speakers mentioned in this blog:
Tom Martinez

Comments (0)

Brotherhood of Murder- Showtime Original Picture starring Peter Gallagher, William Baldwin and Kelly Lynch

Brotherhood of Murder- The Autobiography of Former Hate Group Member, Tom Martinez

Click here to sign up for Blog Alerts

Blog Archive:

Do You Take the Stairs?
Saturday, March 03, 2012

Dr. Gary Chapman Brings the Love to Our Office
Thursday, February 16, 2012

DON'T HIRE MOVERS!
Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Designing Women
Monday, December 19, 2011

TEDxSMU - What a day!
Monday, December 05, 2011

The End of the Up Experience Didn’t Leave Me Down
Thursday, November 10, 2011

Up, Up, Up. The Up Experience Part 3
Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Round 2 of the Up Experience
Friday, November 04, 2011

The Up Experience, Truly Uplifting
Wednesday, November 02, 2011

A First Class Event
Friday, October 21, 2011

An Audience with the Dalai Lama
Tuesday, May 10, 2011

The Best Email Tip I've Ever Heard
Thursday, May 05, 2011

Aristotle and Ideas at the IASB Conference
Sunday, May 01, 2011

On the Road Again
Thursday, April 28, 2011

Don't Just Book a Speaker, Create a Revolution
Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Kids of the Suburbs Take Note
Monday, March 07, 2011

Visiting Their Cells … Emotional. Energy.
Saturday, March 05, 2011

Sex, Mentors and Thank You ... An unexpected sort of day.
Thursday, March 03, 2011

Powerful. The only word for today.
Wednesday, March 02, 2011

The Give Back Tour Begins
Tuesday, March 01, 2011

Andre Norman … and Giving Back
Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Energy and Synergy with Ankit Fadia
Monday, November 15, 2010

Momentum, Passion and Transformation
Monday, October 11, 2010

Partnerships
Monday, August 09, 2010

An Epic Trip
Thursday, July 08, 2010

Kids and Speakers
Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Ethics
Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Live From New York
Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Growth
Friday, March 12, 2010

Customer Service: Going Above and Beyond
Monday, January 25, 2010

In Remembrance of Randy Snow
Monday, December 07, 2009

A Sense of Connection
Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Event Wisdom: Simple things that make a difference
Friday, November 06, 2009

International Events
Wednesday, October 21, 2009

A CEO Who Gets it!!!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Celebrating 10 Years of Inspiration
Monday, April 20, 2009

Domestic Violence
Monday, April 06, 2009

Milestones and Celebrations
Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Meeting...No meeting? Speaker...No speaker? What's a planner to do?
Tuesday, March 10, 2009

It Was No Coincidence
Monday, January 19, 2009

Let's Get Healthy with Todd Whitthorne and Gail's Tips for Healthy Meetings
Saturday, January 10, 2009

Nando, Sonia, Tim and 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Timing is Everything ... and Steve Forbes, too.
Friday, December 05, 2008

Rex Lewis-Clack and Cathleen Lewis
Wednesday, October 29, 2008