By: Illiana Lievanos
The official student newspaper for the University of Alabama labeled Young Americans for Freedom an organization for bigotry and extremism in a recent op-ed, according to a tip submitted through Young America’s Foundation’s Campus Bias Tip Line.
The Crimson White wrote an op-ed in which they threw punches at YAF, explaining their decision of withdrawing their support for SGA presidential candidate Sarah Shield. The decision comes after an Instagram photo of Shield attending a YAF conference back in 2020 resurfaced. Several other student groups have simultaneously also withdrawn their support for Shield due to this photo.
The Crimson White seems to not have done their homework when it comes to understanding YAF. YAF promotes free speech and upholds the values this country was founded upon. If there is an organization whose purpose exists to preserve this nation’s freedoms, believing whatever you want, and voicing your opinions, it is YAF.
In response, Shield’s campaign released a statement Monday night trying to distance herself from YAF, claiming she is “not a member of YAF and was simply at the conference for purposes of networking and civic development.”
“At the University of Alabama opposing opinions and viewpoints have always been welcome, discussion encouraged. I was shocked to this morning to find that The Crimson White published an article this morning under the guise of discussing the 2022 SGA Election, to debase Alabama Young Americans for Freedom,” said UA YAF Chairman Emily Schulze. “I’m a firm believer that one should always look at another’s character, not make overarching judgements solely on their political beliefs. If the CW still wants a comment from me, it would be this: ‘The Crimson White should be defunded.’”
The actions by the newspaper and the student organizations are sadly unsurprising, and an example of how threatened the leftist mob is by conservatism. They will stop at nothing to punish those who have any affiliation with conservative groups like YAF––all under the guise of “diversity” and “inclusion.”
