About The George Washington University Young America's Foundation

The George Washington University Chapter of Young America’s Foundation (GW-YAF), the first and only of its kind in the nation, was founded in 2007 by Conservative students at George Washington looking for an outlet for their activism. GW-YAF’s mission is to ensure that increasing numbers of young Americans understand and are inspired by the ideas of individual freedom, a strong national defense, free enterprise, and traditional values.

During its time at the University GW-YAF has controlled and defined Conservative activism at The George Washington through an aggressive agenda of campus activism events as well as hosting notable Conservative speakers. Two of the most notable events include the 9/11 Never Forget Project and Islamo-Fascism awareness week.

Each year National Young America's Foundation helps students across the country properly remember the anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks through our 9/11: Never Forget Project. Young America's Foundation began this program in 2003 when we discovered that most college campuses were either completely ignoring the anniversary of the terrorist attacks or scheduling a politically-correct activity instead.

During Islamo-Fascism awareness week, GW-YAF joins hundreds of campuses across the country to work with The David Horowitz Freedom Center, national sponsor of the event. They have defined an Islamo-Fascist regime as a ruling organization that suppresses freedoms and civil liberties as well as serves as a sponsor for terrorist activities against America and her allies. The goal of the week is to spread awareness and tolerance and educate students and professors about the difference between the vast majority of Muslims who practice moderate and peaceful Islam and those who have radicalized and perverted their religious texts and used them to justify political violence.

Speakers are also an important component of GW-YAF’s effort to spread the conservative message on our campus. With the help of national Young America’s Foundation, GW-YAF brings an ambitious line-up of A rate speakers year after year. Past speakers hosted at the University include Ann Coulter, Karl Rove, Dinesh D’Souza and David Horowitz.

As long as the atmosphere of the George Washington University is dominated by leftist thought with a mission of liberal indoctrination, the George Washington University chapter of Young America’s Foundation will continue their campaign to bring balance to college education and promote an intelligent discussion of ideas at our University.

Past Speakers

Ann Coulter

Ann Coulter is the author of seven New York Times bestsellers —Guilty: Liberal Victims and Their Assault on America (January 2009);If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans (October, 2007); Godless: The Church of Liberalism (June 2006); How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must)(October, 2004); Treason: Liberal Treachery From the Cold War to the War on Terrorism (June 2003); Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right (June 2002); and High Crimes and Misdemeanors:The Case Against Bill Clinton (August 1998).

Coulter is the legal correspondent for Human Events and writes a popular syndicated column for Universal Press Syndicate.

She is a frequent guest on many TV shows, including The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Early Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Hannity, The O'Reilly Factor, The Glen Beck Show, HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, and has been profiled in numerous publications, including TV Guide, the Guardian (UK), the New York Observer, National Journal, Harper's Bazaar, and Elle magazine. She was the April 25, 2005 cover story of Time magazine.

In 2001, Coulter was named one of the top 100 Public Intellectuals by federal judge Richard Posner in 2001.

A Connecticut native, Coulter graduated with honors from Cornell University School of Arts & Sciences, and received her J.D. from University of Michigan Law School, where she was an editor of The Michigan Law Review.

Coulter clerked for the Honorable Pasco Bowman II of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and was an attorney in the Department of Justice Honors Program for outstanding law school graduates.

After practicing law in private practice in New York City, Coulter worked for the Senate Judiciary Committee, where she handled crime and immigration issues for Senator Spencer Abraham of Michigan. From there, she became a litigator with the Center For Individual Rights in Washington, DC, a public interest law firm dedicated to the defense of individual rights with particular emphasis on freedom of speech, civil rights, and the free exercise of religion.

Karl Rove

Karl Rove served as Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush from 2000–2007 and Deputy Chief of Staff from 2004–2007. At the White House he oversaw the Offices of Strategic Initiatives, Political Affairs, Public Liaison, and Intergovernmental Affairs and was Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, coordinating the White House policy-making process.

Karl has been described by respected author and columnist Michael Barone in U.S. News & World Report as “…unique…no Presidential appointee has ever had such a strong influence on politics and policy, and none is likely to do so again anytime soon.” Washington Post columnist David Broder has called Karl a master political strategist whose “game has always been long term…and he plays it with an intensity and attention to detail that few can match.” Fred Barnes, executive editor of The Weekly Standard, has called Karl “the greatest political mind of his generation and probably of any generation… He knows history, understands the moods of the public, and is a visionary on matters of public policy.”

Before Karl became known as “The Architect” of President Bush’s 2000 and 2004 campaigns, he was president of Karl Rove + Company, an Austin-based public affairs firm that worked for Republican candidates, non-partisan causes, and non-profit groups. His clients included over 75 Republican U.S. Senate, Congressional, and gubernatorial candidates in 24 states, as well as the Moderate Party of Sweden.

As a Fox News contributor, Karl provides a “genuine feel of inside knowledge,” says David Zurawik, Baltimore Sun television critic. Megan Garber, of the Columbia Journalism Review, says Karl has “focused his punditry on what he knows best: strategy.” Even the New York Times acclaims that “Rove’s substantive contributions may now inspire a little work ethic among the celebrity talking heads who may be forced to bring to the news a little more data and a little less opinion, a recalibration that would be welcome to its devoted viewers.”

Karl writes a weekly op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, is a Newsweek columnist, and is also completing a book to be published by Simon & Schuster.

A Colorado native, he attended the University of Utah, the University of Maryland-College Park, George Mason University, and the University of Texas at Austin.

Karl has taught graduate students at UT Austin’s Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and undergraduates in a joint appointment from the Journalism and Government departments at the university. He was also a faculty member at the Salzburg Seminar.

He was previously a member of the Board of International Broadcasting, which oversaw the operations of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty, and served on the White House Fellows regional selection panel. He was also a member of the Boards of Regents at Texas Women's Union and East Texas State University.

Karl now serves on the Board of Trustees for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation and the Texas State History Museum Foundation. He is also a member of the McDonald Observatory Board of Visitors and the Texas Philosophical Society.

Dinesh D’Souza

Dinesh D'Souza’s new book What's So Great About Christianity is published by Regnery. It is the comprehensive answer to a spate of atheist books denouncing theism in general and Christianity in particular.

D'Souza has been called one of the "top young public-policy makers in the country" by Investor’s Business Daily. The New York Times Magazine named him one of America's most influential conservative thinkers. The World Affairs Council lists him as one of the nation's 500 leading authorities on international issues. Newsweek cited him as one of the country's most prominent Asian Americans.

A former policy analyst in the Reagan White House, D'Souza also served as John M. Olin Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and the Robert and Karen Rishwain Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College in 1983.

Mr. D'Souza's books have had a major influence on public opinion and public policy. His 1991 book Illiberal Education was the first study to publicize the phenomenon of political correctness. The book was widely acclaimed and became a New York Times bestseller for 15 weeks. It has been listed as one of the most influential books of the 1990's.

In 1995 D'Souza published The End of Racism, which became one of the most controversial books of the time and a national bestseller. D"Souza's 1997 book Ronald Reagan: How an Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader was the first book to make the case for Reagan's intellectual and political importance. In 2000, D'Souza published The Virtue of Prosperity: Finding Values in an Age of Techno Affluence, which explores the social and moral implications of wealth.

In 2002 he published his New York Times bestseller What’s So Great About America , which was critically acclaimed for its thoughtful patriotism. His 2003 book Letters to a Young Conservative has become a handbook for a new generation of young conservatives inspired by D'Souza's style and ideas. The Enemy at Home: published in 2006, stirred up a furious debate both on the left and the right; even so, it became a national bestseller and will be published in paperback, January 2008, with a new Afterword by the author responding to his critics.

D'Souza's articles have appeared in virtually every major magazine and newspaper, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly, Vanity Fair, New Republic, and National Review. He has appeared on numerous television programs, including the Today Show, Nightline, The News Hour, O'Reilly Factor, Moneyline, and Hannity and Colmes.

D'Souza writes a daily blog for AOL and a weekly column for Townhall.com

D'Souza speaks at top universities, business groups, civic groups, and churches across the country.

David Horowitz

David Horowitz was one of the founders of the New Left in the 1960s and an editor of its largest magazine, Ramparts. He is the author, with Peter Collier, of a number of best selling dynastic biographies: The Rockefellers: An American Dynasty (1976); The Kennedys: An American Drama (1984); and The Fords: An American Epic (1987). With Collier he wrote Destructive Generation (1989), a chronicle of their decision to leave the 1960s left that has been compared to Whittaker Chambers’ Witness and other classic works documenting a break from totalitarianism.

Among Horowitz’s more recent books are Radical Son (1996), a memoir tracing his odyssey from red diaper baby to conservative activist that has been described as “the first great autobiography of his generation.” Uncivil Wars (2002) chronicles his crusade against intolerance and racial McCarthyism on college campuses. Left Illusions ( 2003) is a one volume course on the history of our time-from the Cold War to the war on terror. Unholy Alliance (2004) examines the relationship between Radical Islam and the American Left. The Professors: the 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America (2006) reveals a shocking and perverse culture of academics who are poisoning the minds of today's college students. Horowitz is also author of The Politics of Bad Faith, How to Beat the Democrats and The Art of Political War, described by White House political strategist Karl Rove as “the perfect guide to winning on the political battlefield.”

David Horowitz has spoken at over 250 colleges and universities. He has appeared on Nightline, Crossfire, Today, Hannity and Colmes, the Bill O’Reilly Show, Good Morning America, C-SPAN, CNBC, Fox News Channel, CBS This Morning, and other programs. He gives hundreds of interviews yearly on radio and television.

Nonie Darwish

Nonie Darwish is the daughter of Lt. General Mustafa Hafez, a former lieutenant in the Egyptian army. He founded the fedayeen who during his tenure were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Israelis. As a child, she was indoctrinated into this extremism by being forced to recite chants calling for the destruction of Israel and other infidels. After her father’s death, she moved to Egypt. In 1979, she immigrated to the United States and converted to Christianity. After September 11, 2001, she became active against extremism and moderate Muslims who did little to speak out against these atrocities. In 2006, she wrote Now They Call Me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel, and the War on Terror. Her second book Cruel And Usual Punishment: The Terrifying Global Effects of Sharia Law is set to hit bookshelves this November.

Events

9/11: Never Forget Project

Each year National Young America's Foundation helps students across the country properly remember the anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks through our 9/11: Never Forget Project. Young America's Foundation began this program in 2003 when we discovered that most college campuses were either completely ignoring the anniversary of the terrorist attacks or scheduling a politically-correct activity instead.

Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week

During Islamo-Fascism awareness week, GW-YAF joins hundreds of campuses across the country to work with The David Horowitz Freedom Center, national sponsor of the event. They have defined an Islamo-Fascist regime as a ruling organization that suppresses freedoms and civil liberties as well as serves as a sponsor for terrorist activities against America and her allies. The goal of the week is to spread awareness and tolerance and educate students and professors about the difference between the vast majority of Muslims who practice moderate and peaceful Islam and those who have radicalized and perverted their religious texts and used them to justify political violence.

Freedom Week

Every November during the week containing Veterans’ Day, GW-YAF joins several student organizations from college campuses across the country to participate in Freedom Week, a week-long event designed to advance ideas of liberty and honor America’s veterans.

While spreading ideas of freedom and liberty, the week focuses on several key events that have drastically altered the course of freedom around the world including the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Another goal of the week is to honor our veterans and make sure that schools are doing all that they can to be military friendly to facilitate both ROTC programs as well as those returning from combat.