A torn Confederate flag tattoo is turned into a woman’s face. Swastika ink is morphed into a galaxy with colorful nebulas. And the word “skinhead” is changed into a skull.
Each transformation is the work of New Jersey tattoo artist Esmailin Sanchez, who, out of his unassuming shop in a typical Route 34 strip mall, is covering up racist, hate-filled ink for free. The Newark resident has received about 10 requests since posting his offer on Instagram a week ago.
“It’s my contribution to making the world better. If you want change, it starts with yourself,” said Sanchez, an upbeat 35-year-old who co-owns Chakra Tattoos in Old Bridge with his wife Sara. The shop is re-opening July 11 following renovations.
A former Merril Lynch network engineer, Sachez spontaneously quit his corporate job one day 13 years ago to pursue his passion for art. He has specialized in tattoo cover-ups for nearly a decade, and has previously helped people erase hate symbols on their body. Cover-ups typically cost $250 to $300 per hour, but now he’s doing some at no charge.
The client sends a photo of the racist tattoo, and the two brainstorm possible cover-up ideas. Sanchez uses a program on his tablet to create digital renditions of the proposed designs. Then, he uses another program that shows how it would look on the person’s arm.
But it can be a nerve-wracking job for Sanchez.
As a Dominican man who dons long hair locks, Sanchez says breaking the ice can be tricky because he doesn’t know if the person still harbors prejudices. So, he says he plays Will Ferrell movies in the background to lighten the mood.
Esmailin Sanchez is covering up racist tattoos for free at his tattoo shop. He is photographed inside his shop in Old Bridge on Thursday, June 18, 2020.Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
“I’m sitting in front of someone who was actually racist,” he said. “But I feel like I’m helping to fix the past every time I do a cover-up.”
Sanchez tries to turn the appointment into a learning experience for himself and customers, who include motorcycle gang members, white supremacists and Bloods.
Some, he suspects, simply want to hide their old tattoos because it’s now hurting their job prospects or drawing unwanted attention in public places. So Sanchez tries to dig deeper, and uncover if their change of heart is genuine.
Usually he doesn’t know the answer until he has the tattoo machine in hand.
“Are you doing this because you’re trying to get a job? Or, you had an experience that now you see things completely different?” Sanchez said. “It can be different things and I don’t know until they get into the chair.”
He described it as a “therapy session.”
Most of his clients, Sanchez said he often hears, learned racism growing up in insulated communities and not interacting with people of color. Once they meet a person of color, through work or school, Sanchez says that’s when they change.
Most legitimate parlors, like Sanchez’s, refuse to draw racist designs, he said. Law enforcement have provided Sanchez with a pamphlet containing hate and gang symbols and their corresponding meanings, so he can avoid giving those.
Instead, most people with swastikas and Confederate flags on their forearms get it done by a friend or someone in their “gang,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez hopes to document his upcoming appointments as a way to show the psychology of reformed white nationalists.
“I want to ask... What led him to get these tattoos and what led him to change his mind?” said Sanchez said. “They themselves don’t know why they do the (things) they do. It’s been indoctrinated into a belief. I’m asking them questions that they don’t ask themselves.”
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Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo2@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo.
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N.J. tattoo artist covering up racist ink for free - NJ.com
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