Libertas (Issue 43.3 - Winter 2022)

Inside: YAF’s What is a Woman? Lecture Tour Featuring Matt Walsh

Dear Friends,

Liberals are pushing their radical transgender agenda to younger audiences. The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh has fought back with his groundbreaking documentary, What is a Woman? This winter issue of Libertas features a report on Walsh’s popular campus lecture tour sponsored by Young America’s Foundation.

Yeonmi Park also knows a thing or two about fighting back. First, she escaped from North Korea. Now, she speaks out against the woke, anti-America crowd.

Students attending YAF’s Road to Freedom Seminar, highlighted in this edition, were inspired by Yeonmi’s moving story. We plan to bring her message to campuses nationwide in 2023.

Hosting a conservative speaker on today’s liberal campuses is increasingly challenging. We hope you enjoy reading about the journey of one brave YAF activist—Bailey Parks-Moore—to bring your values to her campus through a YAFsponsored lecture.

Bailey will soon join a distinguished group of YAF alumni. To learn about the dynamic impact that our graduates have on the Conservative Movement, please read the feature article on the Foundation’s alumni authors.

On the legal front, this edition highlights some good news in YAF’s First Amendment lawsuit against Clovis Community College. A federal judge has issued an injunction against the administration for violating the free speech rights of our students, who were simply seeking to promote basic facts about communism.

The following pages also include reports on YAF’s 9/11: Never Forget Project and the Bradley Impact Fund’s memorable visit to the Reagan Ranch.

Additionally, one of our curators exposes the woke mob taking over historic sites across the country. Unlike many other organizations operating Presidential properties, YAF will never let the Reagan Ranch or Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home go woke.

You will also find in this edition an interview with Vera Markov, our welcome desk officer at the Reagan Ranch Center. She and her family came to the United States from Ukraine. Vera loves the freedom and opportunity America offers, and we are pleased to have her on our team.

Finally, you should be encouraged by YAF’s recent High School Conference at the Reagan Ranch, where we asked students to rate each of the speakers and the overall impact of the program. Of the attendees, 97 percent said the conference strengthened their appreciation for conservative ideas. In addition, 93 percent said the program made them more likely to become involved in the Conservative Movement and in advancing conservative ideas at their schools.

We are grateful to our supporters, allies, alumni, and—most importantly—our students for helping to make a tangible difference. Thank you.

Keep fighting for freedom,

Governor Scott Walker President

LIBERTAS

Why I Hosted a YAF Lecture on My Campus

By Bailey

Parks-Moore, Chairwoman, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

YAF

Daily Wire Host Matt Walsh’s Remarks at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Writing Books, Opening Minds: The Influence of Young America’s Foundation’s Alumni Authors

By Raj Kannappan, Editor

Preserving the Legacy of the Reagan Ranch in an Age of Historical Revisionism

Young America’s Foundation Board Of Directors

Governor Scott Walker

President

Ronald Pearson Vice President

Frank Donatelli

Secretary and Treasurer

Kimberly Begg

T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr. Wynton C. Hall

Nicole Hoplin

Kate Obenshain Keeler

Peter Schweizer

Thomas L. Phillips

Director Emeritus

Reagan Ranch Board Of Governors

Frank Donatelli

Chairman

Edwin Meese

Co-Chairman

Robert F. Agostinelli

Governor George Allen

By

Maddie Dermon, Assistant Curator at the Reagan Ranch 27 From Ukraine to America: Reflections of Reagan Ranch Center Welcome Desk Officer Vera Markov

By Kelleigh Clarke, Director

On the Cover:

of Foundation Relations

Daily Wire Host Matt Walsh dispels radical gender ideology during his standing-roomonly speech at the University of Central Florida, part of the What is a Woman? campus tour sponsored by Young America’s Foundation.

Also in This Issue: 4 McClain, Park, and Di Martino Make the Case for Free Enterprise at YAF’s Road to Freedom Seminar 5 Students Across America Participate in YAF’s 9/11: Never Forget Project 6 More Than 400 Gather for YAF’s High School Conference at the Reagan Ranch 7 YAF Launches Free Speech Lawsuit Against Clovis Community College 8 Young America’s Foundation Hosts the Bradley Impact Fund in Santa Barbara 31 Join YAF’s President, Governor Scott Walker, and Tonette Walker on 2023 Lisbon to London Cruise

Libertas, the Latin word for liberty, is a publication of Young America’s Foundation which highlights the programs, events, students, alumni, supporters, and staff of the Foundation. You may contact Libertas and Young America’s Foundation by writing to: Young America’s Foundation, National Headquarters, 11480 Commerce Park Drive, Sixth Floor, Reston, Virginia 20191; calling 800-USA-1776; or visiting yaf.org.

Editors: Raj Kannappan and Kelleigh Clarke; Publisher: Governor Scott Walker; Publication Design: Jonathan Briggs; Assistant Editors: Patrick X. Coyle, Kyle Ferrebee, Karalee Geis, Madison Habersetzer, Jaime Hahn, Madison Hahn, Clare Hinshaw, Jessica Jensen, Charlie Jones, Breana Marsh, Michael Mastrianna, Chris Miranda, Alec Sackett; Washington, D.C., event photographers: David Keith and Bob Updegrove; California event photographer: Jacqueline Pilar; Illinois event photographer: Alex Rodriquez. This document and all herein contents, images, stories, graphics, and design, fall unto copyright © 2005 to 2022 Young America’s Foundation, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Any use of Libertas’ content without the written permission of Young America’s Foundation is prohibited.

Candee Arndt

Dr. Suzanne Becker

Lisa M. Buestrin

George & Becky Norton Dunlop Bruce & Kathi Eberle

Richard Gaby & Barbara Van Andel-Gaby

Robert Giuffra, Jr. Timothy S. Goeglein

Michael W. Grebe

Ambassador Patricia L. Herbold

Eric & Nicole Hoplin Ann Knapheide

Mark Larson

Rebekah Mercer

Dennis & Nancy Moore

Doug & Pat Perry

Thomas L. Phillips

Rear Admiral JJ Quinn Ruppert & Cheryl Reinstadler

Richard & Jane Schwartz

Owen & Bernadette

Casey Smith

Tonette Walker

Jay Webber

National Journalism Center Board Of Governors

T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr. Chairman

Chris Bedford

Elizabeth Donatelli

John Gizzi

Emily Jashinsky

Rich Lowry

Alex Marlow

The Honorable Alex Mooney

Larry O’Connor

Gabby Orr

Katie Pavlich

Ronald Pearson

Sarah Westwood

Thomas L. Phillips Chairman Emeritus

What is a Woman?

McClain, Park, and Di Martino Make the Case for Free Enterprise at YAF’s Road to Freedom Seminar

Nearly 15 years ago, youNg america’s FouNdatioN established the aNNual road to Freedom semiNar to educate students about the ideas championed by leading economic thinkers—including Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, Ludwig von Mises, and others—who influenced President Ronald Reagan. The program was inspired by Hayek’s influential book, The Road to Serfdom, which launched a global debate about the relationship between political and economic freedom.

Lewis; Words & Numbers podcast hosts Dr. Antony Davies and Dr. James Harrigan; and New York Times bestselling author and Center for Industrial Progress President Alex Epstein.

A highlight of the weekend was the closing dinner banquet featuring North Korean defector and human rights activist Yeonmi Park, who delivered a stirring speech about her daring escape from North Korea in search of freedom. She recounted the painful experience of North Koreans who were forced to trade liberty for tyranny:

When Kim II-sung came to power, he made one promise to the North Korean people. He said, “I’m going to feed you rice and meat stew each meal, and I’m going to get rid of all inequality. If I do that, why don’t you give me your land and all your rights?

North Korean defector Yeonmi Park shares her powerful story of finding freedom in America after escaping her native country’s totalitarian regime.

The 2022 Road to Freedom Seminar—held at the Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara, California—drew motivated students from 23 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 54 colleges and universities. The program was also streamed on YAF’s YouTube channel, YAFTV (YouTube.com/YAFTV), drawing millions of live and post-seminar views.

Featuring a faculty of public officials, business leaders, and policy experts, the seminar provided students with a philosophical grounding in the principles of free enterprise and entrepreneurship and equipped them with resources to effectively persuade their peers on campus.

Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-50) opened the seminar, headlining YAF’s Wendy P. McCaw Reagan Ranch Roundtable Luncheon. He encouraged the audience to look to Reagan’s successful economic policies for guidance, remarking, “Repeat the solutions that have worked in the past.”

Additional seminar speakers included YAF President Governor Scott Walker; OpenTheBooks.com CEO and Founder Adam Andrzejewski; economist and Venezuelan freedom activist Daniel Di Martino; Congresswoman Lisa McClain (MI-10); Arizona entrepreneur Tom W.

Park urged seminar attendees to focus on communicating the virtues of economic freedom to fellow young Americans, noting, “The enemy is poverty, not inequality.”

During the weekend, students also walked in the footsteps of Ronald Reagan at Rancho del Cielo—his ranch home of nearly 25 years—where they explored the modest adobe home, tack barn, and Secret Service Command Post. The transformative experience offered the next generation of America’s leaders an appreciation for the humble lifestyle, work ethic, and timeless values that our 40th President cherished.

Students Hannah Boundy (left) and Shawna Weber (right) enjoy meeting Congresswoman Lisa McClain following her remarks at the Reagan Ranch Center.

College students from around the country gain inspiration while visiting the Reagan Ranch during YAF’s Road to Freedom Seminar in Santa Barbara, California.

Students Across America Participate in YAF’s 9/11: Never Forget Project

more thaN two decades aFter the tragic terrorist attacks oN september 11, 2001, Young America’s Foundation’s student activists at hundreds of campuses nationwide marked this important anniversary by organizing YAF’s annual 9/11: Never Forget Project.

Since the Foundation launched this initiative in 2003, thousands of colleges, schools, and communities have organized Never Forget memorials, resulting in more than 14 million flags displayed in remembrance of the individuals murdered by radical Islamists on 9/11. This initiative has grown into the largest nationwide student activism project and become a patriotic tradition from coast to coast.

The iconic Never Forget displays, composed of 2,977 American flags—one for each innocent life taken—bring communities together to pay tribute and keep America’s promise to “never forget.”

In virtually all cases, the memorials are created by students, not by administrators or faculty members. Indeed, if not for the work of patriotic students, many of whom were not yet born in 2001, most educational institutions would ignore this anniversary.

Sadly, it has become commonplace for school administrators, educators, and radical leftists to restrict students’ ability to organize this project. The year 2022 was no exception, with vandals destroying Never Forget displays on several campuses.

For the second year in a row, leftists at Michigan State University (MSU) vandalized the memorial—defacing the Young Americans for Freedom chapter’s American flag painting with handprints in blood-red paint. Then, adding insult to injury, university officials—claiming that the display was abandoned—removed and trashed the 2,977 flags.

Undeterred, MSU YAF chairwoman Jaryn Crouson remarked,

Unless we take steps to remember, the memory of that horrific event will die with Generation Z. It is crucial for us to live up to the promise that our parents made: we must never forget.

Meanwhile, Cornell University administrators denied campus conservatives’ request for permission to create the Never Forget display in the center of campus. The students proceeded with the memorial despite this denial and were surprised to learn later that the university posted a picture

of the display on its Instagram account, giving no credit to the students who planted the flags. “It feels like a slap in the face,” said Avery Bower, who led the initiative at Cornell, in an interview with National Review.

In addition to campus displays across the nation, YAF staff, alumni, supporters, and community volunteers organized Never Forget displays on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.; at the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home in Dixon, Illinois; and near the Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara, California.

Young America’s Foundation’s flag memorial near the Washington Monument honors the victims of 9/11.

Young America’s Foundation staff and volunteers from the community commemorate the 21st anniversary of 9/11 at the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home in Dixon, Illinois.

Michigan State University YAF chapter members complete their memorial display despite vandalism by leftists on campus.

More Than 400 Gather for YAF’s High School Conference at the Reagan Ranch

youNg america’s FouNdatioN’s sold-out high school coNFereNce at the reagaN raNch, held iN october, attracted more than 400 participants from 14 states, 65 high schools, and numerous home school families.

Senator Mike Lee addresses the Wendy P. McCaw Reagan Ranch Roundtable Luncheon on the topic of his new book, Saving Nine: The Fight Against the Left’s Audacious Plan to Pack the Supreme Court and Destroy American Liberty.

Since the conference’s inception shortly after the completion of YAF’s Reagan Ranch Center facility in 2006, it has become the Foundation’s most in-demand program, regularly requiring a lengthy waitlist. As the premier Conservative Movement venue on the West Coast, the Reagan Ranch Center and Reagan Ranch attract increasing numbers of young people and families from across the country who seek a more balanced education.

At this particular conference, YAF hosted a wide range of compelling leaders who provided students with a foundational understanding of key public policy topics, ranging from the myths of environmental extremism, to the reality of socialism in Cuba, to the role of the U.S. Constitution.

Conference speakers included author and talk radio host Michael Reagan, educator Kali Fontanilla, filmmaker Ann McElhinney, author and Project 21 member Vince Ellison, military veteran Scott Huesing, YAF President Governor Scott Walker, Cuban-American YouTube stars Yoel and Mari, Hillsdale College Distinguished Fellow Dr. Burt Folsom,

Author and Project 21 member Vince Ellison advocates the values of self-reliance and personal responsibility for students to achieve success in life.

and Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home Program Director Kyle Ferrebee, among others.

Additionally, U.S. Senator Mike Lee addressed the Wendy P. McCaw Reagan Ranch Roundtable Luncheon, held in conjunction with YAF’s High School Conference. Speaking on the topic of his latest book—Saving Nine: The Fight Against the Left’s Audacious Plan to Pack the Supreme Court and Destroy American Liberty—Lee offered a clear defense of maintaining nine justices on the U.S. Supreme Court.

During their tour of the Reagan Ranch—a rite of passage for all young conservatives—students were treated to an insightful session with Rear Admiral JJ Quinn, who shared unique stories from his time as President Reagan’s military aide.

Following the conclusion of the program, 97 percent of students stated that the conference strengthened their appreciation for conservative ideas, and 93 percent said the program made them more likely to become involved in advancing conservative ideas at their schools.

For information on YAF’s student programs in 2023, please visit YAF.org/events

High schoolers from 14 states, 65 schools, and several homeschool associations take a memorable tour of Rancho del Cielo.

YAF Launches Free Speech Lawsuit Against Clovis Community College

youNg america’s FouNdatioN aNd its studeNt activists have led the Fight For Free speech on college campuses since the organization’s founding more than 60 years ago. Refusing to let “high-profile” speaker requirements, discriminatory security fees, and other forms of censorship go unchallenged, YAF has recently won legal victories against the University of California, Berkeley; California State University, Los Angeles; and other schools for constitutional violations.

Recently, YAF launched a key lawsuit—Flores v. Bennett against Clovis Community College (CCC) in Fresno, California. The lawsuit alleges that CCC violated the First Amendment by prohibiting students from expressing their conservative viewpoints on campus.

Already, these students have won a significant victory, as the federal judge presiding over the lawsuit granted their request for a preliminary injunction. She remarked, “[E]ven a temporary restriction on speech and even for minimal periods of time constitutes irreparable injury.”

In November 2021, Alejandro Flores—founder of the Young Americans for Freedom chapter at CCC—and fellow chapter members Daniel Flores and Juliette Colunga planned to participate in YAF’s Freedom Week initiative, during which students distribute materials to educate their peers about the evils of communism. CCC YAF, following school policy, obtained approval to post anticommunist posters on bulletin boards, but administrators revoked that approval when other students allegedly reported that the posters made them “uncomfortable.”

CCC administrators also rejected the pro-life posters the YAF chapter wanted to post on the day the U.S. Supreme Court

heard oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson, which ultimately resulted in the court holding that the U.S. Constitution does not confer a right to abortion. Administrators claimed the posters were subject to “random review” and ultimately relegated the posters to a marginalized “Free Speech Zone”—a kiosk far away from central campus areas and student foot traffic.

Emails obtained by Young America’s Foundation through public records requests reveal that administrators knowingly abused their authority to prevent the CCC YAF chapter from sharing conservative ideas. For example, while the communications demonstrate that administrators personally opposed the posters’ anticommunist message from the beginning, CCC President Dr. Lori Bennett is on record fabricating other reasons for her decision to have them taken down.

YAF has partnered with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a nonpartisan civil liberties organization, to hold CCC accountable.

Young America’s Foundation stands ready to support students across America—including through legal representation— as they advance conservative ideas on campus. Visit YAF.org/ legalbattles for the latest updates on YAF’s free speech cases.

(From left) Juliette Colunga, Alejandro Flores, and Daniel Flores, YAF chapter leaders at Clovis Community College, file a federal lawsuit to fight for their right to free speech on campus.

Clovis Community College administrators refuse to allow YAF chapter members to post this Freedom Week flyer on the central part of campus.

Young America’s Foundation Hosts the Bradley Impact Fund in Santa Barbara

youNg america’s FouNdatioN was pleased to host the bradley impact FuNd’s leadership aNd FrieNds in Santa Barbara, California, for a weekend retreat to discuss the key public policy issues facing America.

The Bradley Impact Fund is a unique donor-advised fund for philanthropists who support the values of Constitutional order, economic growth, strong families and communities, and educated citizens. The Fund is also closely associated with The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, one of the leading conservative private foundations in the country that has supported YAF’s mission for more than three decades.

Leaders who participated in the weekend program included President of the Bradley Impact Fund Gabe Conger, President and CEO of The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation Richard Graber, and YAF President Governor Scott Walker.

At YAF’s Reagan Ranch Center, guests enjoyed informative discussions on school choice and parental rights in education featuring Will Flanders, director of research at the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty; Will Swaim, president of the California Policy Center; and Laura Zorc, director of education reform at FreedomWorks.

The Hoover Institution’s Murdoch distinguished policy fellow, Peter Robinson, offered reflections on his experience

serving as a speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan and noted the relevance of Reagan’s freedom philosophy today. Robinson underscored the importance of principled leadership by telling the story of how Reagan bypassed the advice of senior staff members to keep his now-famous line— “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”—in his Brandenburg Gate speech in West Berlin.

Guests also attended a timely keynote session featuring pollster and Echelon Insights Founding Partner Kristen Soltis Anderson, with whom YAF previously partnered to conduct groundbreaking national polls of college and high school-age students. Anderson discussed her firm’s findings on youth perspectives on public policy issues and how conservatives can effectively reach young people with the message of personal freedom and limited government.

To cap off the weekend, the group visited the Reagan Ranch on a tour hosted by Governor Walker, who discussed the Foundation’s work to preserve our 40th President’s home and YAF’s Long Game plan to reach more young people than ever before with conservative ideas.

The Bradley Impact Fund’s retreat builds on YAF’s long history of welcoming like-minded organizations to the Reagan Ranch Center and Reagan Ranch. Other organizations that YAF has recently hosted include the American Legislative Exchange Council, Hillsdale College, National Review Institute, Foundation for Economic Education, Liberty Fund, and Institute of World Politics, among others.

To inquire about holding your organization’s meeting at YAF’s facilities in Santa Barbara, please call the Reagan Ranch Center at 888-USA-1776.

Gabe Conger, president of the Bradley Impact Fund, thanks friends of the Fund for their generous support of organizations that protect America’s founding principles and institutions.

Supporters of the Bradley Impact Fund join YAF President Governor Scott Walker on a tour of Ronald Reagan’s modest adobe home at Rancho del Cielo.

NegarJadidicametoAmericaasanIranianrefuge.Afterbecomingdiscouragedby theleftismrunningrampantonhercampus, shejoinedYAF. Negarwas strengthenedbyherfellowconservativestudentsandreceivedpracticalactivism trainingthatempoweredhertochangeheartsandmindsonhercampus.

NegarJadidicametoAmericaasanIranianrefuge.Afterbecomingdiscouragedby theleftismrunningrampantonhercampus, shejoinedYAF. Negarwas strengthenedbyherfellowconservativestudentsandreceivedpracticalactivism trainingthatempoweredhertochangeheartsandmindsonhercampus.

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ToreceiveafreeEstatePlanningGuideortolearnabouttheexcitingbenefitsofmembership inYoungAmerica'sFoundation's RanchintheSkyLegacySociety, pleasecallClareHinshawat 1-800-USA-1776orvisitwww.yaf.org/legacy.

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Why I Hosted a YAF Lecture on My Campus

By Bailey Parks-Moore, Chairwoman, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign YAF

About YAF’s What is a Woman? Tour

The What is a Woman? campus tour is a partnership between Young America’s Foundation and the Daily Wire that brings Matt Walsh—one of today’s most in-demand conservative speakers on social and cultural issues—to student audiences nationwide.

For more than 60 years, YAF has led the Conservative Movement in directly addressing the key issues of the day for young people. As gender ideology is being forced upon America’s students, YAF has joined with Walsh to challenge this climate of groupthink and bring a dose of reality to campus audiences.

Walsh is a popular writer, speaker, host of The Matt Walsh Show, and author of the bestselling children’s book, Johnny the Walrus His new documentary—What is a Woman?—has become a cultural phenomenon and is one of the most viewed documentaries of 2022.

Walsh remarked when announcing his YAF tour, “I literally traveled the world to find a leftist who could coherently answer the question, ‘What is a Woman?’…. I can’t think of a better way to continue my journey than to go into the belly of the beast—American college campuses—and expose radical gender ideology.”

In addition to standing-room-only audiences on campuses from coast to coast, hundreds of thousands have viewed Walsh’s tour appearances on YAF’s YouTube channel, YAFTV (YouTube.com/YAFTV).

Since its founding in November 2021, our Young Americans for Freedom chapter has made waves at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Through tabling, hosting weekly meetings, and standing firmly for traditional American values, our YAF chapter has become the premier conservative outreach organization on campus. We have grown even more by hosting Matt Walsh’s What is a Woman? tour (see page 13) at UIUC in October 2022.

“Despite empty threats, failed protests, defaced posters, and angry leftists, our

UIUC YAF chapter hosted the largest conservative student event of the year.”

— BAILEY PARKS-MOORE

Shortly after recognizing that gender identity and transgenderism were growing issues on campus, our chapter determined that there was no better person to address these topics than Daily Wire commentator Matt Walsh, whose recent documentary— What is a Woman?—has drawn a great deal of attention.

With the support of Young America’s Foundation, we announced a campus event featuring Walsh, generating excitement among our YAF chapter members and anger from many other students at UIUC.

During the first week of classes this fall semester, I entered a women’s restroom in a campus building and saw a sign that read, “Per Illinois state law, Illinoisans have the right to use the bathroom that is consistent with your gender identity.” Surprised and uncomfortable with such a law, I brought it to the attention of our chapter members and Young America’s Foundation, our national organization.

To advertise the event, members of our chapter spent weeknights posting flyers in buildings on nearly every part of campus, including the engineering, business, and agricultural colleges. We especially targeted the buildings that house majors such as gender and women’s studies and political science.

Our very first encounter with the campus Left was on the

Daily Wire Host Matt Walsh

Young America’s Foundation

Libertas

A packed audience of students and community members turn out to hear Matt Walsh’s message during his YAF-sponsored visit to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Leftist activists attempt to disrupt the YAF chapter’s campus lecture featuring Daily Wire commentator Matt Walsh.

Bailey Parks-Moore, chairwoman of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign YAF chapter, introduces her club’s What is a Woman? event on stage.

Fall 2022 What is a Woman? Campus Tour

• October 4: The Catholic University of America

• October 6: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

• October 11: University of Central Florida

• October 13: University of Houston

• October 24: University of Wisconsin-Madison

• October 27: University of Alabama

• November 17: University of California, Berkeley

(Continued from page 10)

first night of flyering, when 15 of our flyers were ripped down just minutes after we hung them. This was a teaching moment for the new members of our chapter, as we recorded the incident and confronted the two students who vandalized our flyers. When asked why he tore down our ads, one student told us that Matt Walsh was “super far-right.” Because of this, the student believed he had a right to destroy our materials.

That incident was only the beginning of the Left’s attempts to stop our event. Campus ideologues attempted to organize a protest, but it fell apart before they could get it planned. One night, we chalked on sidewalks to advertise the date and details of our event, but the next morning, we discovered that our writing had been vandalized in some areas and completely scrubbed and washed away in other spots.

However, with the help of Young America’s Foundation and local supporters, we were able to distribute nearly a thousand flyers and use three buckets of chalk to advertise our event. We thoroughly conveyed the message that UIUC YAF would not back down in response to protests and opposition from the campus Left.

Despite empty threats, failed protests, defaced posters, and angry leftists, our UIUC YAF chapter organized the largest conservative student event of the year. On the day of Matt Walsh’s visit, more than 1,000 students and community members turned out to hear his message—with 150 viewing a screening of his documentary, 350 participating in his live lecture and question-and-answer session, and 250 watching the event in an overflow room. Due to the university’s restrictions, more than 500 additional students waited to gain entry to hear from Walsh!

During the question-and-answer

period, we heard from a student who detransitioned and was subsequently criticized by the Left. She lost friends and was attacked because she chose to stop taking testosterone and living as a male. She asked Walsh about the dangers and health risks of transitioning, and the audience applauded in support of her decision to live her life authentically.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the venue during Walsh’s remarks. Though these students violated the university’s protest and safety policies, officials unsurprisingly did not remove them from the building. After the conclusion of the event, many of these agitators dispersed, but a few lingered to heckle students and staff who worked the event. I was happy to face protesters and even attempted to have conversations with those who were interested in talking.

After hosting this event, facing protesters, and participating in multiple media appearances, our YAF chapter has successfully pushed its way into campus discourse at the University of Illinois.

I came into my role as chairwoman of UIUC YAF knowing that it was critical to grow our chapter this year. Through campus activism and giving conservative students a platform at our university, our chapter has grown nearly three-fold since its founding.

Young America’s Foundation has been instrumental in providing support to young conservatives at UIUC, and we are incredibly excited to use the momentum from our YAF chapter’s What is a Woman? event to advance the Conservative Movement on campus!

By tabling consistently, Bailey Parks-Moore (far right) and her fellow students turn their YAF chapter into a prominent conservative presence at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

What is a Woman?

Remarks by Daily Wire Host Matt Walsh at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

October 6, 2022

Thank you. Thank you all for being here, especially those of you who attended the screening of the film, What is a Woman?

It’s been a busy week. If you were not apprised of this, there were three medical associations that sent a letter on Monday to the attorney general, calling for the investigation and prosecution of “high-profile social media personalities” who are spreading “misinformation” about “gender-affirming care” and are “provoking threats” against medical professionals.

That’s a lot of air quotes that are necessary for one sentence.

If we can sift through the euphemisms and defamatory lies, we see that by “misinformation,” they mean, of course, factual information. When they say “gender-affirming care,” they mean castrating and mutilating children. And when they say “provoking threats,” they mean reporting accurately on their own medical practices.

If we stitch this together, we see that the American Academy of Pediatrics and other associations want the federal government to arrest critics of gender ideology who accurately

point out and oppose what they’re doing to kids.

If you want me to be silent about the butchery of children, it’s going to take a lot more than smear campaigns.

This is above Media Matters’ pay grade. You’re going to have to throw me in a jail cell. And even that won’t do because I can still talk to my cellmate about these issues— unless they gather all the Daily Wire people and throw us into one cell. Then I won’t be able to get a word in edgewise with Michael Knowles and Ben Shapiro there.

But while I’m still on this side of the prison wall, I’d like to talk about my film, what I learned while making it, and what we can all learn from it now.

As you may have noticed, we live in a culture—a country—that seems to have almost entirely lost its mind. We just heard people out there who were in the process of losing their minds. (NOTE: YAF’s campus lecture featuring Matt Walsh at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was met with protests and vandalism on campus.)

We’re living through a period of mass psychosis that is

Matt Walsh dispels the Left’s narrative on gender ideology during his Young America’s Foundation campus lecture at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

“A mental disease called gender ideology has gripped hold of a large swath of the American public and totally taken over all of our most powerful institutions.”

what is a womaN?

Backing up just a few years, it occurred to me sometime shortly after Bruce Jenner became Caitlyn Jenner and was immediately crowned “Woman of the Year”—it occurred to me around then that the word “woman” ceases to have any meaning if a guy named Bruce can be considered one. The word “man,” too, is emptied of all meaning. And it occurred to me also that this is a major problem for the Left—for the people who are promoting this agenda.

If the word “woman” no longer means adult human female, then what does it mean exactly? If the Left cannot tell us what it means, then how can they use the word? And if they cannot use the word or tell us what it means, then how can they have women’s marches and talk about women’s rights and say anything at all about women?

very truly unprecedented in the history of human civilization. Everyone always thinks that the time period they’re living through is unprecedented, but for us, it actually happens to be the case.

It seems as though all at once, millions of our countrymen woke up one day having forgotten some of the most basic facts about reality—like this giant epidemic of the weirdest sort of amnesia. Lying at the heart of this intellectual chaos is the confusion—or apparent confusion—over human biology. A mental disease called gender ideology has gripped hold of a large swath of the American public and totally taken over all of our most powerful institutions.

The disciples of this cult have been convinced—or pretend to have been convinced—that men are women, and women are men. That men can have babies. That a woman can impregnate a man, who can then give birth to and breastfeed a child. That somehow, the most basic facts of reality and biology—facts which all people everywhere across the world, for thousands and thousands of years, recognized innately—are no longer valid.

It’s total madness, and it is a madness that has infected our society and is now threatening to tear it apart at the seams.

It was for this reason that we decided we had to make our film, What is a Woman?, which documents my year-long effort to confront and expose gender ideology. Our goal broadly was to explore gender ideology to show it for what it is. But, as the title suggests, the larger goal centered around this one seemingly quite basic and specific question, which is, “What is a woman?”

Indeed, how can a man say, “I identify as a woman,” if the word “woman” doesn’t mean anything? If the word doesn’t mean anything, it’s about as meaningful as saying that you identify as a whosie-whatsit or a fliffer-doodle.

How can anyone identify as gibberish? And if they do, how are we supposed to affirm or respect that? I couldn’t affirm gibberish even if I wanted to, and I don’t want to. If you’re telling me, “I identify as a woman,” it’s very fair for me to respond, “What do you mean? What are you trying to say about yourself?” But somehow that question is not allowed.

It became obvious to me that this question—“What is a woman?”—presents an insurmountable logical problem for the Left. So, I kept asking the question in every form. But they simply ignored the question and carried on pretending like their worldview was not fatally incoherent and selfcontradictory.

After years of this game of them ducking and dodging the question, I finally decided that it was time to take this query to them—to put it in front of their faces, confront them directly with the incoherence of their beliefs.

That began a quest that took us all over the country, even halfway around the world to Kenya and to some other

Remarks by Daily Wire Host Matt Walsh at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

A student asks a question of Matt Walsh during one of his seven fall 2022 campus tour stops sponsored by Young America’s Foundation.

“Gender ideology paves the way for itself with intimidation, threats, and coercion. Fear is a big part of the story.”

what is a womaN?

Remarks by Daily Wire Host Matt Walsh at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

regions of the Third World, like Los Angeles.

We spoke to alleged experts—doctors, therapists, professors, surgeons. We spoke to trans people themselves. We spoke to activists, politicians, and average people on the street. We spoke to nomadic tribesmen living in huts made out of cow dung. We spoke to everyone who would speak to us. And surprisingly, I only had to use a bullhorn one time.

I learned quite a bit through this extraordinary and often bewildering and disturbing adventure. Some of what I learned came as a revelation. Other lessons simply emphasized and illustrated things that I already knew. But in either case, it was enlightening for me—just as I hope it’s enlightening for the viewer.

What I want to do now is talk about the five main lessons I learned or relearned through the course of shooting the film and researching the subject.

Number one: Gender ideology is totally pervasive.

This is not, as conservatives sometimes like to reassure themselves, strictly the province of gender studies professors and weirdos on TikTok, many of whom are also gender studies professors.

The basic tenets of gender ideology are that gender is fluid; people can decide for themselves whether they’re men or women; transgenderism is a valid and healthy state of being that should be affirmed and encouraged; sex is not binary; and there are dozens, if not an infinity, of valid identities outside of man and woman.

These beliefs, however half-baked and incoherent, can be found everywhere in the country. You can stop any average person on the street no matter what they look like or how old they are, and they are likely to talk about gender in ways that are very similar to how a gender studies professor would talk about it. They may not realize they’re parroting anyone or who they’re parroting, but they are parrots nonetheless. They have adopted these beliefs or pretended to.

Beyond the average adults walking down any average sidewalk, the most powerful institutions are fully in thrall to this madness. This is particularly the case among the medical,

pharmaceutical, and psychological industries—and within education, of course.

I talked to a therapist who was ready to affirm me as a woman because I confessed to enjoying scented candles. In fairness to me, it is mainly the manly scents I like—like leather. That’s the only manly scent I can think of—maybe also beef and gym socks.

I talked to a pediatrician who refused to even agree that only female chickens lay eggs, insisting that we cannot know the chicken’s gender identity.

I talked to a college professor who called me condescending and rude because I merely said the word “truth.”

Here’s the point, though. These people are not fringe within the institutions they represent. They are utterly standard and commonplace. And through these institutions, these ideas are fed to the public. They’re dumped out onto the masses like a sewage line.

Children are the most susceptible, as many children in our country today are indoctrinated into the gender cult practically from birth. They’re put on the path to identity crisis, mutilation, and despair before they’re even out of diapers. They’re exploited, indoctrinated, lied to, and drugged. They are chemically castrated with drugs that were originally made for cancer patients.

If you saw my film, you know about the drugs [that pediatrician] gives to children. She threatened to get up

The standing-room-only audience gives Matt Walsh a rousing ovation prior to his YAF speech at the University of California, Berkeley.

Remarks by Daily

what is a womaN?

Host Matt

at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

and leave the room. She called my questions malignant and harmful, which is quite a statement coming from someone who literally castrates children.

The effect is that now, trans-identification among the youngest generation has increased twenty-fold over previous generations. Overall, 20 percent of Generation Z identifies as LGBT. To understand how dramatic of a rise that is, you have to understand that among their grandparents’ generation— many of your grandparents—that number is 0.8 percent.

stop working, and she’ll die because of these procedures.

None of the doctors who did this to her will help her. Most other doctors don’t know what to do with her because these are fake body parts that have been put on her body, and a lot of normal doctors just don’t know how to treat her.

Now, it’s her mission to warn other people against falling into the same trap. And that’s the part that haunts me because she said to me, “It got me at 42. Your child doesn’t stand a chance.” And she’s right—many children don’t stand a chance.

Keep in mind that as the LGBT club expands generationally, it expands alphabetically—adding new letters to the initialism every year. New categories of identity are plucked out of the ether and then immediately affirmed by everyone. The categories don’t have to make any sense. They could be quite redundant.

LGBT identification has almost exactly doubled every generation for the past five generations and counting. This is especially the case for the trans population—where we’ve seen ten, twenty-fold increases generation over generation. This cannot be natural. Changes like this don’t happen naturally. They don’t happen biologically. They also don’t make sense.

The Left contradict themselves because they’ll say, “There have always been this many trans people. It’s just that they were not affirmed. They were hiding in the closet.” Then they also tell you that if you don’t affirm trans people, you make them hide in the closet. And if you don’t affirm them, huge numbers will kill themselves.

What that should tell us is that historically, we should see a centuries-long epidemic of people—kids especially— mysteriously killing themselves. And we do not see that. It did not happen. In fact, the epidemic of kids killing themselves is happening now, in direct correlation with the rise in trans-identification. What does that mean? It means that our children face a very sophisticated, coordinated, and vast indoctrination campaign.

I’ll never forget the words said to me by Scott Nugent, a woman who, as an adult, transitioned to a man—or “to appear like a man,” as she puts it herself. And her experiences with transitioning have been hellish, like so many others’—so bad, in fact, that the complications from her surgery will one day kill her, and she knows that. One day the antibiotics will

For example, one of the newer ones that I’m aware of is called demisexual. A demisexual, I’m told, is someone who needs to be emotionally attached to someone in order to be attracted to them. I hear that and think, “So women, in other words, is what you’re talking about?” Every woman in here, you’re a demisexual. So, you get to be on the flag. Congratulations.

In my film, I interviewed a therapist who was once transaffirming but has now backed away from that approach. She saw how far things had gotten—how bad they were and the depths of madness that the affirming strategy takes us to. She told me about kids in school who identify as cats and are thus affirmed by teachers and administrators as cats.

If you don’t believe that, I talked to a man who identifies as a woman but also as a wolf—I assume as a female wolf, although it would be interesting if one identified as a woman and as a male wolf. I still regret that I was not able to convince him to provide me with a demonstration of his wolf howl. We laugh at the absurdity because it is absurd, but then you realize what lies underneath.

Number two: There’s an immense amount of fear driving gender ideology.

So many of the people I encountered on the street appeared to be confused. Some of them actually were confused.

One woman was particularly committed to the relativistic view that we all have our own truth. I asked her, “What would happen if it was my truth that you don’t exist?” She looked me dead in the eye and said, “Well, if you think I don’t exist, then I don’t exist.”

Wire

Walsh

“The disciples of this cult have been convinced—or pretend to have been convinced— that men are women, and women are men.”

what is a womaN?

More often, I encountered people whose confusion was more of an affectation. They gave vague and dodgy answers to my questions because they were afraid to speak basic biological truths on camera. Many refused to say anything at all, telling me that they couldn’t talk about this on camera because if they did, it would destroy their lives, their careers.

Think about that—their lives would be destroyed if they said something like, “Only women can have babies.” Gender ideology paves the way for itself with intimidation, threats, and coercion. Fear is a big part of the story.

Number three: Gender ideology is not new, at least not as new as it seems.

The roots of modern gender ideology can be traced all the way back to the 19th century—arguably even earlier than that, as the author Carl Trueman, who wrote a book titled The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, explains.

The stage was set with the birth of what some philosophers have dubbed “psychological man.” That is when human beings began to prioritize their own emotional wellbeing above all else—and to see emotional contentment as life’s primary aim and purpose.

Man moved away from defining himself based on seeking joy in his roles and responsibilities within larger social structures like the family, the church, the nation, and even the workplace. Increasingly, his life revolved around his own self-perception. Whatever he did was in service to that selfperception.

Now, it’s gotten to the point where not only does an individual focus his entire life around his self-perception,

but he also expects you to focus your life around his selfperception. So, his self-perception becomes your project. It becomes your chore. It becomes your responsibility. If people perceive themselves a certain way, then you must affirm whatever that perception is.

This is the kind of thing that to people in the past would have been inconceivable. They wouldn’t have understood what this even means. This is the grand stage upon which the gender ideology drama has played out. It really began to take its current shape in the mid-20th century, thanks to the work of two hideously evil crackpots named Alfred Kinsey and John Money, who, along with a few others, shaped gender ideology as we know it today.

Number four:

The ultimate goal of gender ideology is to undermine, destroy, and erase truth itself.

Leftism is relativism, and relativism is the belief that there is no objective truth. There is no shared reality, no universal fact that we all must conform around and submit ourselves to.

The relativist claims the right to invent his own universe for himself, even to the point of inventing himself. He seeks to be an entirely self-created being, making and remaking himself as he sees fit down to the biological level. He believes that ego overrides everything else. Everything must bow before his ego—language, institutions, science, and even his own DNA.

This is why I found myself speaking to Pontius Pilate over and over again, asking, “What is truth? Whose truth? Which truth? How do you know there is a truth?”

But here’s the good news, finally.

Remarks by Daily Wire Host Matt Walsh at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

More than 700 students attend YAF’s lecture featuring Matt Walsh at The Catholic University of America in the nation’s capital.

what is a womaN?

Number five: We can win this fight.

It’s not going to be easy. Gender ideology is insane. It’s destructive, pervasive, and ubiquitous, but it’s also beatable.

I get asked all the time, “Do you really want to die on this hill, Matt?”

The answer is very easy. The answer is, “Yes. If there’s any hill worth dying on, it’s the hill of objective truth. If we give that hill up, then what else is there left to fight for?”

So, when I hear conservatives say, “We don’t need to talk about this stuff. Let’s just try to be polite and get along,” I ask, “Where are you going next? Where’s the next hill?” You’ve just given up the truth.

Though I’m willing to die on this hill, I don’t plan on it. As General Patton said, “No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making some other poor dumb bastard die for his.”

I would say the same metaphorically for this hill that we’re on—this fight for truth, this struggle against gender lunacy.

We can win because the other side can be crushed under the weight of simple questions. I saw this happen before my eyes, time and time again. The learned, the educated, the experts—they crumpled, collapsed, and panicked in front of me, a bumpkin in flannel armed with a high school diploma.

Is it because I’m brilliant? That is my preferred adjective and how I self-identify, but no, there was no actual brilliance required.

Thankfully, all we have to do is stand up, look this thing directly in its face, ask it questions, serve it a healthy dose of

skepticism, and force it to explain itself. Because it cannot. It is hollow at its core.

The gender ideologues are weak, scared, and vulnerable. They have perched themselves on a limb that isn’t even connected to the trunk of the tree. It’s just floating there. They are anchored in nothing. Their worldview is empty, frail, and flimsy.

So, we don’t need to be armed with anything but a spine and some skepticism—enough to stand up straight and ask the questions that cannot be answered, the questions that are not supposed to be asked. But we have to actually ask them. And if we do, we win. And we have to win.

Thank you.

These remarks have been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. You may access the full lecture on YAF’s YouTube channel, YAFTV (Youtube.com/YAFTV).

Remarks by Daily Wire Host Matt Walsh at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

“We don’t need to be armed with anything but a spine and some skepticism—enough to stand up straight and ask the questions that cannot be answered, the questions that are not supposed to be asked.”

On the heels of Matt Walsh’s YAF lecture at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, students at the University of Central Florida line up well in advance to gain entry into Walsh’s appearance on their campus.

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Writing Books, Opening Minds: The Influence of Young America’s Foundation’s Alumni Authors

By Raj Kannappan, Editor

In his 1993 address to Young America’s Foundation’s National Conservative Student Conference, President Ronald Reagan told the audience,

Young America’s Foundation has been a refuge for students seeking an alternative to the politically correct environment enforced on many campuses. I know the conference will send you back to your campuses better informed, motivated, and trained. Your work is vital to the future of the nation.

Indeed, since the founding of Young Americans for Freedom in 1960—and the establishment of its successor organization, Young America’s Foundation, in 1969—YAF has exposed generations of students to the “alternative” ideas of individual freedom, a strong national defense, free enterprise, and traditional values.

For decades, young people have come through YAF’s doors at student conferences; campus lectures; premier Presidential sites like the Reagan Ranch, Reagan Ranch Center, and Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home; and programs offered by the National Journalism Center and Center for Entrepreneurship & Free Enterprise. Here, they’ve learned and gained inspiration from the most articulate advocates of freedom, including public officials, faculty members, intellectuals, journalists, and authors, among others.

Even the New York Times in 2017 declared YAF “the conservative force” behind the spread of freedom’s principles on college campuses, highlighting the Foundation’s mission of developing “future conservative leaders.”

Yet, one might ask, what impact does all of this have?

To answer this question, one simply needs to look at the accomplishments of YAF alumni.

While Foundation graduates can be found making contributions in virtually all areas of the Conservative Movement and beyond— from government to business and journalism

Peter Schweizer

Malcolm Gladwell

Katie Pavlich

Wynton Hall

Greg Gutfeld

Prolific author William F. Buckley Jr., at whose home Young Americans for Freedom was founded, signs copies of his books following his YAF lecture at Wabash College in 1993.

to entertainment—a review of YAF’s alumni authors demonstrates the organization’s track record of developing future leaders.

As seven-time New York Times bestselling author Peter Schweizer— who also serves on YAF’s Board of Directors—recalls about his 1982 experience attending the National Conservative Student Conference,

We were given a stack of books by Milton Friedman, Bill Buckley, and other leading thinkers of the time. I had read National Review, but the conference was my first exposure to conservative books. I discovered then and there that, unlike articles or lectures, books can really influence a person over the long term. That’s why I turned to writing books after college.

Not only has Schweizer influenced millions of readers with his own books, but he has also made a tangible impact on public policymaking.

In 2011, for instance, CBS’s 60 Minutes featured Schweizer and his book, Throw Them All Out—an investigation into the corrupt behavior of public officials. Schweizer’s findings spurred the passage of the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act, which prohibits members and employees of Congress from using non-public information for private gain (i.e., insider trading).

The National Conservative Student Conference inspired another future author in 1992—this time Stanford University undergraduate David Sacks. Sacks subsequently co-wrote the book, The Diversity Myth: Multiculturalism and Political Intolerance on Campus, with fellow Stanford student Peter Thiel. The book offered a timely behind-the-scenes look at the speech codes, racial preferences, and anti-American curricula being passed off as education and scholarship at the nation’s leading universities.

Sacks went on to become a successful technology executive and an early investor in Uber, SpaceX, and Palantir Technologies. He was also recently reported to have been involved with Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter and in advising the new owner of this social media platform.

But it’s not just the National Conservative Student Conference that has shaped the minds of future authors. In 1995, Wynton Hall attended a regional Foundation conference in Atlanta after learning about YAF from a fellow University of Florida student. He states about his career trajectory,

Now having ghostwritten 21 books and seven New York Times bestsellers, I have been blessed along my journey with influential mentors who invested time and sagacity into honing the craft of writing… That first YAF conference in Atlanta left an indelible and lasting mark on my intellectual and career development…It was intellectually liberating and a harbinger of things to come.

Like Schweizer, Hall today helps develop the next generation of conservative leaders through his role as a Foundation director.

Alex Marlow

Marc Thiessen

Jason Mattera

John Tamny

Mark Levin

Ying Ma

During the Foundation’s 1996 National Conservative Student Conference, legendary spy novelist Tom Clancy (front row, center) encourages students to read and write widely.

A few years after the conference Hall attended, YAF would acquire the Reagan Ranch and build the Reagan Ranch Center in downtown Santa Barbara, where, in 2007, a young conservative named Alex Marlow from the University of California, Berkeley, would attend a YAF seminar. There, Marlow was inspired by the legendary Andrew Breitbart, who shared his experience of growing up in liberal Los Angeles and becoming editor of The Drudge Report.

By the end of the weekend, Marlow had secured a job offer from Breitbart himself. He hasn’t looked back since, becoming editor-in-chief of Breitbart News and writing the New York Times bestseller, Breaking the News: Exposing the Establishment Media’s Hidden Deals and Secret Corruption

Only a year later, a University of Arizona student would attend another YAF conference at the Reagan Ranch, meeting like-minded young people from across the country

Quick Facts About

YAF’s

• More than 150 alumni have authored or co-authored books

and taking an unforgettable tour of Ronald Reagan’s Rancho del Cielo. As Katie Pavlich tells it,

I was one of those college kids who had no idea what field I should have gone into until I went to my first YAF conference…I immediately knew I wanted to do something that made a difference.

Pavlich began a career in media, rising quickly through the journalism ranks to become editor of Townhall and rotating cohost on Fox News’ The Five. At the age of just 24, she wrote the New York Times bestseller, Fast and Furious, which broke open the Obama administration’s anti-Second Amendment scandal in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

More recently, in 2021, Foundation alumnus Kenny Xu— who founded the Davidson College YAF chapter—wrote An Inconvenient Minority: The Attack on Asian American

Alumni Authors and Their Books

• 15 alumni have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list multiple times

• In 1986, alumni William F. Buckley Jr. and his son, Christopher Buckley, became the only father and son to appear simultaneously on the Times bestseller list for their books High Jinx (William F. Buckley Jr.) and The White House Mess (Christopher Buckley)

• Three of Christopher Buckley’s novels were adapted into films: Thank You for Smoking, Little Green Men, and Boomsday

• Alumnus and YAF Director Peter Schweizer’s seven Times bestsellers include the #1 bestsellers Red-Handed, Secret Empires, Profiles in Corruption, and Clinton Cash

• At just 24 years of age, alumna Katie Pavlich became a Times bestselling author—the youngest YAF alum to make

the list—for her book, Fast and Furious

• Alumnus and YAF Director Wynton Hall has ghostwritten seven Times bestsellers, including President Donald Trump’s book, Time to Get Tough

• Economist and alumnus Todd Buchholz’s books have been translated into a dozen languages and are used at universities worldwide

Future economist and author Todd Buchholz (front row, third from left) attends YAF’s 1980 National Conservative Student Conference in Washington, D.C.

YAF alumnus and now-director Wynton Hall (right) works with Dick Wirthlin, President Ronald Reagan’s chief strategist and pollster, on Wirthlin’s book, The Greatest Communicator.

Excellence and the Fight for Meritocracy. As the U.S. Supreme Court currently takes a more critical look at American universities’ race-based admissions policies, Xu’s work serves as a timely exposé of the dumbing down of education in the name of racial equality.

Altogether, YAF’s alumni have written more than 600 books on a wide range of topics.

For example, alumni books on education include God and Man at Yale by YAF founder William F. Buckley Jr., How to Raise a Conservative Daughter by Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women President Michelle Easton, and Freedom’s College: The History of Grove City College by Heritage Foundation Distinguished Fellow Lee Edwards.

YAF alumni have also written numerous historical works, including The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Civil War by H.W. Crocker III, A Generation Awakes by former YAF Executive Director Wayne Thorburn, The Theme is Freedom by National Journalism Center founder M. Stanton Evans, and Funding Fathers by former YAF President Ron Robinson and current YAF Director Nicole Hoplin.

Foundation alumni have naturally produced several influential books on public policy, including Liberty & Tyranny by talk radio host Mark Levin, The Price of Prosperity

by economist Todd Buchholz, Popular Economics by FreedomWorks Vice President John Tamny, Losing Bin Laden by Richard Miniter, Divider-in-Chief by YAF Director Kate Obenshain, and Let Trump Be Trump by Citizens United President David Bossie.

Not to be outdone, alumni—including William F. Buckley Jr., who wrote dozens of novels throughout his life, and his son, Christopher Buckley—have even been prolific fiction writers. One of the younger Buckley’s novels, Thank You for Smoking, was produced into a Golden Globe-winning film in 2005 by fellow YAF alumnus David Sacks. The book and film serve as politically incorrect satires about the behavior of elected officials, lobbyists, and society writ large.

The breadth and depth of the books produced by YAF’s alumni authors reflect the impact of the Foundation over the course of six decades. These alumni are the leaders educating and inspiring today’s YAF students, who are in position to accomplish over the next 60 years even greater things for the Conservative Movement and the country.

As Ronald Reagan said to another audience of students— this time at Westminster College in 1990—“So long as books are kept open, then minds can never be closed.” What a fitting message for today’s young people.

Brent Bozell, founder and president of the Media Research Center and a YAF alumnus, signs copies of his book, Weapons of Mass Distortion, during the Foundation’s 2006 National Conservative Student Conference.

Young America’s Foundation

Former YAF President Ron Robinson (right) congratulates Foundation alumnus Jerome Hudson during a booksigning event in 2019 for Hudson’s book, 50 Things They Don’t Want You to Know.

In 2012, YAF alumna Katie Pavlich discusses her New York Times bestselling book, Fast and Furious, during an interview on Fox News.

Davidson College YAF alumnus Kenny Xu meets with guests following remarks on his book, An Inconvenient Minority, in 2021 at YAF’s national headquarters.

Preserving the Legacy of the Reagan Ranch in an Age of Historical Revisionism

By Maddie Dermon, Assistant Curator at the Reagan Ranch

There is no better place to understand President Ronald Reagan’s character and principles than Rancho del Cielo. From the humble 1,884-square-foot home to the telephone pole fence built with his own hands, the Ranch represents President Reagan’s humility and dedication to hard work.

Important events in Rancho del Cielo’s history, such as the signing of the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 and a visit by former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev, represent our 40th President’s commitment to free enterprise and international leadership.

When Young America’s Foundation purchased the Ranch from the Reagan family in 1998, we had a dual mission: to preserve not only the physical structures and artifacts of Rancho del Cielo, but also the legacy and character of President Reagan embodied by the 688-acre retreat.

These were once the goals of all museum professionals working at Presidential homes. But, as in much of our culture, a deep ideological bias has now permeated the museum world.

According to data group Verdant Labs, 89 percent of museum directors and 94 percent of museum curators identify as liberal. This has become apparent in recent years, as exhibits, tours, and narratives at Presidential sites have been manipulated and tarnished by those who would sacrifice historical accuracy for a modern ideological statement.

For instance, a July 2022 report by the Heritage Foundation notes, “Visitors could leave Montpelier knowing…little about Madison and his great work as America’s political philosopher.” Indeed, President James Madison’s Montpelier has received ongoing criticism for its disproportionate focus on slavery.

As a Founding Father and the author of the Federalist Papers and Bill of Rights, Madison played an essential role in the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. But at Montpelier, displays gloss over these important accomplishments; instead, they criticize the Constitution as a pro-slavery and racist document. One particular exhibit displays the photos of 18 American Presidents with details about their connections to slavery.

Additionally, factual errors in support of the Left’s narrative abound—with one exhibit noting that New Hampshire’s slave population was 11 percent, while the true number was 0.11 percent.

Sadly, Montpelier is merely one example of the influence of ideological bias at America’s leading historical sites.

Although I was already aware of this historical revisionism prior to joining the Reagan Ranch curatorial department, my recent experience at the annual conference for the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) confirmed the bias that has pervaded the museum world. The AASLH describes itself as “the only comprehensive national organization dedicated to state and local history.”

Conference sessions that focused on “queer history,” “indigenous voices,” and “climate change” quickly erased any optimism I had for an educational experience. Throughout networking events and keynote sessions, I was met with disdainful looks and disparaging responses when discussing my work with Young America’s Foundation and the Reagan Ranch.

During a keynote panel session titled “Historical Thinking Under Fire Town Hall,” the Montpelier curatorial staff received

President James Madison’s Montpelier home is one of many historical sites in America that have succumbed to historical revisionism.

Photo credit: Rob Pauley/Shutterstock

a standing ovation. One panelist from the National Civil Rights Museum remarked, with no evidence, that the Heritage Foundation’s report was “bigoted” and “hateful.” She warned attendees, “They’re going to come after you next. It’s just a matter of time.”

The discussion morphed into a brainstorming session about how to keep Critical Race Theory (CRT) in classrooms and museums. Though nine states have placed a formal ban on Critical Race Theory education in the classroom, a panelist had identified a loophole in state laws, noting that the state bans do not prohibit museums from teaching CRT. Panelists encouraged museum professionals in the audience to use this opening to continue teaching young people CRT through field trips and guest speaker programs—and to partner with teachers who are no longer permitted to teach this ideology in their classrooms.

A participant from the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum insisted that CRT “is not an alternative narrative.” She argued, “It is a comprehensive, collective narrative. It is not a theory, it is history.”

Museum professionals and educators shared their fear that conservative organizations threaten their ideological efforts. A former museum educator remarked, “We are worried. We are fearful. We are afraid that our funders will go away, our docent guild will kick up a storm.”

I learned several lessons about my field of work from this experience.

First, leftism has permeated the museum world. Many museum professionals no longer strive for truth and accuracy, instead catering to an ideological narrative. This bias impacts not only museum design, but also relationships among professionals.

Second, while other forms of diversity are encouraged, diversity of thought is neglected.

Third, museum professionals are fearful of those who question their narrative. They understand their narrative is only successful when unchallenged.

This is all the more reason we must continue to expose

distorted, manipulated, and false history when we see it. We must also strive to avoid presentism, judging history not by the values of society today, but with a comprehensive understanding of the past.

As a museum professional in the ideological minority, it is reassuring to know that some historical sites refuse to succumb to cultural and social pressure. Thanks to Young America’s Foundation and its generous supporters, President Ronald Reagan’s legacy will never be tarnished by those who value political correctness over truth.

As a conservative organization led and staffed by conservatives—and supported exclusively by patriotic individuals, families, and foundations instead of government sources—YAF is ideally positioned to pass on President Reagan’s values for generations to come.

Since 1998, Young America’s Foundation has preserved the Reagan Ranch—as it was when President Ronald Reagan lived here—as a venue to teach his ideas and values to future generations.

The interactive exhibit galleries at YAF’s Reagan Ranch Center allow young people to absorb the lessons of Ronald Reagan’s life.

2023

REAGAN RANCH GETAWAY WEEKENDS

You are cordially invited to an exclusive weekend getaway at Ronald Reagan’s mountaintop home, Rancho del Cielo, in Santa Barbara, California. You will be joined by an intimate group of seven other couples from around the country for a weekend experience hosted by Governor Scott Walker and his wife, Tonette.

When

you arrive in Santa Barbara, your every need will be met based on an all-inclusive price, including:

• Complimentary transportation to the Hotel Californian (from Santa Barbara Airport).

• Welcome luncheon featuring a notable conservative leader.

• Two-night, five-star accommodations at the luxurious Hotel Californian.

• VIP visit experience at Ronald Reagan’s “Western White House,” Rancho del Cielo.

• Behind-the-scenes tour of the Reagan Ranch Center and Exhibit Gallery.

• All meals, including two luncheons, two receptions, two dinners, and a full breakfast.

hosted by YAF’s president, Governor Scott Walker, and his wife, Reagan Ranch Board of Governors member Tonette Walker

From Ukraine to America: Reflections of Reagan Ranch Center Welcome Desk Officer Vera Markov

By Kelleigh Clarke, Director of Foundation Relations

Vera Markov serves as the welcome desk officer at the Reagan Ranch Center, hosting students, supporters, and guests of Young America’s Foundation who visit the Center. In her role, she also oversees aspects of the docent program at the Center.

The 22,000-square-foot Reagan Ranch Center serves as YAF’s “Schoolhouse for Reaganism” in downtown Santa Barbara, offering dynamic, interactive exhibits, a library of conservative resources, and dedicated conference space. Situated in a prime location on State Street, the Center is the premier venue for the Conservative Movement on the West Coast.

Vera grew up in the former USSR, where she and her family were regularly persecuted for their conservative and Christian beliefs. She left Ukraine to obtain a degree in nursing in St. Petersburg, Russia, where she also met her husband.

They moved to the United States in 1992 in an effort to leave behind the weight and pressure of communism. Vera is thankful for America’s freedoms that allow her to openly practice her beliefs.

In her free time, she enjoys interior design, writing poetry, taking walks on the beach with her husband and daughter, and attending Bible study.

Libertas: Where were you born?

Vera: I was born in Rivne, located 200 miles west of Kyiv City in Ukraine. Rivne was part of the former Soviet

Union and under communist rule.

I was born into a family of nine children. My father, Vsevolod Rozhko— an electromechanical engineer—and mom, Valentina—a professional tailor— were church choir singers.

We kids often heard them sing hymns together at home. My dad loved singing while strumming his guitar and always invited us to join. Soon, we were a family band with all of the children playing our own instruments.

Church, traveled for his work and ministry but ensured that we were familiar with Bible stories whenever he was home. These stories were engraved in my memory and carried me through challenging years in school.

My dad visited nearby regions to plant new churches and encourage fellow believers to stay firm in their faith. Several years of his ministry had already drawn attention from local government officials, and now, his young family was constantly under the communist radar.

Libertas: What was your childhood like?

Vera: My childhood was bright for the most part—filled with warmth, love, music, and books. But it was also tainted by communism.

We were a close-knit family. The kids looked after each other and helped our parents with chores. Every Sunday after church, my mom made sure we had a meal together as a family.

My dad, a passionate Christian evangelist at the Rivne Christian Baptist

We didn’t have Sunday school, so attending weekly children’s Bible studies away from church was normal for us. These gatherings were kept secret, as the USSR’s Communist Party forbade anything but their agenda from being taught.

I recall a terrifying time when one day, my dad didn’t return home from work. Our family didn’t know where he was. He had been missing for a couple of days when my mom took us to the Rivne KGB office and demanded answers about his whereabouts. Only then was he released from a detention cell, where he was held for exercising his beliefs as a Christian minister.

Vera Markov serves as Young America’s Foundation’s welcome desk officer at the Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara, California.

“If my parents didn’t open the door, the KGB agents and militia would bang on the door with their boots.”

— VERA MARKOV

Libertas: How else did your family’s beliefs affect your life in the Soviet Union?

Vera: So many times, our family was awakened by long and loud doorbell rings early in the morning that scared us. If my parents didn’t open the door, the KGB agents and militia would bang on the door with their boots.

Once inside, they would search our apartment for Christian literature, hymnals, and Bibles. This type of literature was regarded as anti-Soviet by the government and had to be confiscated immediately.

Our neatly folded clothing and books on the shelves were thrown all over the floor. The men purposely stomped on them with heavy boots. Furniture was toppled over in search of “forbidden” material.

If anything was found, my parents were immediately considered criminals. Swift punishment would follow.

Libertas: What memories stand out to you outside of your home life?

Vera: My schooling was marred by unpleasant experiences as well. All of my teachers made sure I felt ostracized from the rest of the student body.

In second grade, I wanted to be the class “first-aid agent,” which was an honorable role created by the teacher. Being an outstanding student, I voiced my desire but was quickly told I was not eligible because I was not a Little Octobrist—a member of a Soviet-led children’s ideological organization. It was painful for my eight-year-old self to understand that my dream wouldn’t come true.

I had a choice to join the Little Octobrists, but I felt I’d have to abandon my family whom I loved.

At the time, one had to believe that Vladimir Lenin was the greatest

leader who paved the way for a better life. But this felt wrong. I never ended up joining the Octobrists and never became my class first-aid agent.

The intimidation became worse as the years passed. The school administration and teachers were creative in persecuting me for my faith— from mocking me in front of the class and even in front of the entire school assembly, to assigning a classmate to report anything and everything about me to the teachers, to lowering my exam grades.

During my senior year of high school, I studied hard for my algebra exam and knew I did well. But the grade I saw on the paper was not stellar. I went to talk to the teacher, who told me she knew why I was there. She confirmed I earned an A+, but she wouldn’t actually give me that grade—and she said I should know why.

It was because I was not a member of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League, also known as Komsomol. My entire senior year, the teacher never missed a chance to make degrading comments about my beliefs and Christians in general.

Vera and her husband, Viktor, enjoy life in the United States following their experience under communism in the Soviet Union.

Welcome Desk Officer Vera Markov leads a YAF audience in prayer during the March 2022 High School Conference at the Reagan Ranch.

My lower grade on the exit exam was the price I had to pay for the freedom to exercise my beliefs.

Libertas: Why did you decide to move to the United States?

Vera: Once emigration became possible in the late 1980s, many people left Ukraine and moved to the United States, Israel, Canada, West Germany, and other Western countries as quickly as they could.

Three of my brothers and their young families sought the opportunity for better lives in the United States. In 1992, my husband and I—along with our baby daughter—and the rest of my family also made the decision to immigrate and reunite in Santa Barbara.

Libertas: How did you learn about Young America’s Foundation?

Vera: A friend of mine introduced me to YAF and its mission. I was delighted to see an organization cultivating conservative values among high school and college students throughout the country.

The Foundation’s work is inspiring because it invites young people to think for themselves. YAF’s speakers don’t blindly feed ideas to students. They provide historical context and examples of totalitarian regimes and ideological tyranny, then invite students to engage in conversation and draw their own conclusions.

I feel blessed to be part of an organization where my colleagues share my values. Knowing that I’m not going to be mocked for my conservative beliefs gives me a sense of belonging and security.

Libertas: What do you enjoy most about your role as welcome desk officer at the Reagan Ranch Center?

Vera: I enjoy how multifaceted my role is. It consists of running front desk operations, interacting with visitors, providing information on YAF and

the Reagan Ranch, and managing our museum docent schedules and gallery operations.

Since the Reagan Ranch Center museum galleries are open to the public, I often hear visitors’ fond recollections of Ronald Reagan as a humble and personable leader who cared about the American people and the country we call home.

It’s also inspiring to see young people absorb the information presented to them during YAF’s student programs. The Foundation’s efforts to preserve history and conservative values will make a difference for years to come.

“The Foundation’s work is inspiring because it invites young people to think for themselves...[YAF’s speakers] provide historical context and examples of totalitarian regimes and ideological tyranny, then invite students to engage in conversation and draw their own conclusions.”

— VERA MARKOV

Libertas: Having grown up in the Soviet Union, what does it mean to you that you are able to preserve the legacy of Ronald Reagan through your work with YAF?

Vera: After living in America for several decades, it’s hard not to notice the recent attacks against the freedoms on which this great country was founded. It

As YAF supporters visit the Reagan Ranch Center, Markov shares her story of growing up in Ukraine and joining the Foundation team.

appears that arrogance, disorder, anarchy, and chaos are celebrated and even encouraged.

Hard work and strong character have seemingly become obsolete. Many feel entitled to take what they have not worked for and believe the government will provide for all their needs.

President Reagan believed strong character comes first. He was hardworking from a young age. Later, as the leader of this country, he believed every person had a right to the pursuit of happiness and freedom from the tyranny of totalitarian regimes.

He played a monumental role in rolling back communism in Eastern Europe during the late 1980s. Together with Mikhail Gorbachev, President Reagan made it possible for many people to leave the oppressive communist regime and begin a better life in America and elsewhere.

My personal story is an example of why President Reagan’s legacy should be preserved.

Libertas: Can you share your thoughts on the Russian invasion of Ukraine?

Vera: Ukraine is a legitimate, sovereign Eastern European country with its

own government, population, borders, language, currency, and culture. After the fall of communism in 1991, the Ukrainian people voted for independence from the former USSR and its ideology.

Currently, the so-called Russian operation in Ukraine is not an operation. It’s the invasion of a sovereign country and a brutal war against the Ukrainian people. Constant attacks on cities, hospitals, shopping centers, humanitarian corridors, and citizens have been intentional. It’s unbearable to watch young lives being destroyed, families left without mothers or fathers, and children wounded or killed by shelling and bombs.

But as much as Russia tries to destroy Ukraine, the more the Ukrainian people stay united to withstand the invasion and claim their territory back.

Libertas: Regarding Ukraine’s resistance, what should Americans know about the country and its people?

Vera: Ukrainians have a rich heritage. From the 12th century to today, the Ukrainian people have fought for independence—from the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth, the Russian Empire, and more recently, the former USSR.

This longing for freedom has been described in songs and literature by Ukrainian singers, composers, thinkers, philosophers, and poets.

The current situation displays Ukraine’s resilience and ability to come together during a difficult time.

Libertas: Today in America, young people state that they are more supportive of socialism. What would you say to these students?

Vera: People often gain a better understanding of something when they experience it first-hand. Embracing socialism without experiencing it or knowing how it can affect a society is, frankly, foolish.

Life in a socialist society means total government control and, often, oppression.

Imagine being unable to get an education or a job you desire. Imagine being unable to hold your own opinions or practice your religious beliefs. Picture yourself being waitlisted for buying a car, washer, or dryer, or being unable to buy a home because personal property ownership is outlawed.

Imagine being unable to run your business the way you’d like or having to simply give away your belongings. Imagine grocery stores with empty shelves and food being rationed the way the government sees fit.

I can confidently say the following: Don’t give socialism or communism a try. Whatever socialism promises,

it never delivers. Don’t allow for your personal freedoms to be taken away. When these regimes and their policies are in place, it’s already too late. Reversing them is incredibly challenging.

“Don’t give socialism or communism a try. Whatever socialism promises, it never delivers.”

— VERA MARKOV

During a memorable visit to Rancho del Cielo, (from left) Vera and her husband, daughter, and parents appreciate the legacy of Ronald Reagan.

Peter Schweizer

Ron Robinson

Michelle Easton

Governor Scott Walker

Young America’s Foundation’s Alumni Books

Since 1960, thousands of students have entered the doors of Young America’s Foundation to learn about the ideas of individual freedom, a strong national defense, free enterprise, and traditional values. They have since made significant contributions in a wide range of fields, including public policy, journalism, business, and more. Highlighted here is a selection of books from the hundreds written by YAF’s alumni authors (see inside, page 20).