By Catharine Debelle
Youth for Western Civilization (YWC) is a student run network of campus organizations. YWC made its first appearance on the scene was at the CPAC conference in 2009; however it has long been friendly with questionable organizations and individuals. According to an interview with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), “similar groups are emerging nationwide, though they lean more toward white nationalism as opposed to raw hatred ideologies”. This week’s blog will expose YWCs ties to national political extremists including the Tanton Network.
YWC associates run the gamut of ultra-conservative politicians and hate groups that have connections to the Tanton network. YWC initiation at the CPAC conference, was made possible by financial contribution from the Leadership Institute. The Leadership Institute is a right wing training and financing organization. Among its alumni are Karl Rove, Sen. Mitch McConnell, Rep. Mike Pence, Grover Norquist, and seven new members of the current U.S. Congress. YWC also lists former Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo as its honorary chairman.
Tancredo founded the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus, a group that has received support from John Tanton and Federation for American Immigration Reform.
Since its inception, YWC has formed just over a dozen chapters on different university campuses across the country. In October 2010, the Vanderbilt chapter hosted Richard Spencer, the director of the white nationalist National Policy Institute and editor of Alternative Right website. According to SPLC Intelligence Report, the National Policy Institute is a think tank out of D.C., established in 2005 by far-right publisher William Regnery.
The institute’s mission statement says it aims “to elevate the consciousness of whites, ensure our biological and cultural continuity, and protect our civil rights.” Regnery has also written material for white nationalist magazine American Renaissance and the anti-immigrant website VDare.
The institute’s senior fellow, Wayne Lutton, and its spokesman Kevin Lamb, should alert us about the Institute’s agenda and ideology. Its board includes Louis R. Andrews, American Renaissance Editor Jared Taylor, and James B. Taylor, who is also on the board of directors of the Reagan Ranch Program. Its advisory committee includes Kevin MacDonald.
Phil Tignino is the student coordinator for the Washington State University (WSU) chapter and the latest figurehead for YWC. WSU chapter and the nearby University of Idaho have recently combined resources to form the Northwest Alternative. The Northwest Alternative is a campus newspaper that rallies in favor of “Straight Pride” and against multiculturalism on college campuses. The Northwest Alternative was launched with grants provided by YWC national chapter and The Leadership Institute.
In October 2010, national YWC president and founder Kevin DeAnna spoke at a workshop sponsored by the white nationalist publication The Social Contract Press (TSCP). John Tanton runs the Social Contract Press, which reprinted the novel The Camp of the Saints, a racist book which tells the tale of immigrants from the east who come to France and destroy western civilization.
YWC represents a dangerous trend in American politics towards staunch conservatism and the spewing of hateful rhetoric. Derek Spady, president of the College Republicans and expected to lead WSU chapter next year, said “Certain heads are never going to turn, so we’re trying to reach the people that stand for what we already stand for.” YWC and its associates threaten our campus communities. Students across the US need to unite against messages of pure hatred and stand for the American values that we hold dear; freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and the freedom from fear.