Intersections with Phil Allen, Jr.        

Episode: 014 “Baptizing Hate: Racism, Activism, and White Supremacist Tattoos”

Airdate: January 11, 2021

Length: 56:34

Guest: Billy White

In this conversation tattoo artist, Billy White, owner of Red Rose Tattoo in Zanesville, OH, shares about his journey from being “just a guy”—as he says—to an activist, standing up against racial injustice. The short film Beneath the Ink, by director/filmmaker Cy Dodson, captures White’s motivation and testimonies of former white supremacists who desired to have the racist tattoos on their bodies to be covered with amazing art. What started out as a response to the events of Charlottesville, VA in 2017, became a movement among other tattoo artist who want to “do something.” It also evolved into him covering tattoos of those who left the gang life as well as tattoos on victims of sex trafficking.

White admits that there is so much more to learn in this fight against racism—and other isms for that matter—but knew he needed to start somewhere. Listen as he shares about his life, his passions, and his own awakening. Never a white supremacist himself, he is determined to endure in this calling in spite of the backlash from white supremacist groups. This is his activism. This is his way of leaving a legacy for his children to be agents of change in whatever capacity they can.

Join us for this important conversation. Be inspired to stand in solidarity with people of color and other marginalized groups in society. You can follow Billy White on Instagram: @billywhitetattoos; Facebook: Billy White and @redrosezanesville. Be sure to check out his work in the short film Beneath the Ink.

____________

Phil Allen, Jr. is a Los Angeles-based pastor, social justice activist, filmmaker and author. Allen’s book Open Wounds explores the murder of Nate Allen—Phil Allen’s grandfather—in the Jim Crow era of South Carolina and how that traumatic event resonated through generations of his family. Open Wounds – which is based on the Allen-produced documentary of the same name – will be published February 9, 2021. Allen is a Ph.D. student studying Christian ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA.