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Our Real Problem-Solvers and Victories Don’t Come from Washington
Amidst hard-fought political and cultural battles waging across the US today, it is increasingly evident that solutions and victories won’t, and don’t, come from Washington. Or almost any elected officials, for that matter.
They will come from people like Beth Ann Rosica and Kenny Xu.
As my friend, Philadelphia and Kansas City talk show host and Townhall.com columnist Chris Stigall opined last week, Beth Ann singlehandedly defeated – in more ways than one – her local school board in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The school board insisted on an unconstitutional mask mandate, and Rosica fought back. It’s a great story of how one mom and co-founder of Back to School PA did her research, took on her school’s mask mandates, and won. She further petitioned the judge to fire the school board when they ignored his order. He did.
Meanwhile, with many of us content to toss verbal bricks at critical race theory and its proponents, Xu chose a different strategy. He created Color Us United. Their mission:
“Color Us United is a home for those who want to live in an America united in our individuality and freedoms. We will support those who fight for a united and free America.
We are the voice of those who oppose dividing America by race, religion, sexual orientation or any other characteristic. We resist those who divide Americans in the name of “racial equity” — in government, schools, corporations, journalism, or social media.
We will promote “We the People of these United States of America.”
Xu told the North State Journal’s A.P. Dillon: “We should not use it [race] to hire. We should not use it to promote. We should not use it to admit either for or against anybody,” Xu said. “We should strive to treat people as individuals.”
The 24-year-old Raleigh, North Carolina resident has not only written a book – Inconvenient Minority, but hosts a podcast by the same name which dives deep into race, identity, and culture. He previously worked for Young America’s Foundation – which owns and operates the Reagan Ranch, Rancho Del Cielo, near Santa Barbara, California. More from the North State Journal.
“The current narrative, unfortunately, is propagating a very divisive view that says that we need to use race in everything and furthermore that America is a racist country and they use the racist country to justify that,” said Xu. “And I think both of those tenants are seriously questionable and need to be taken down, which is why we [Color United] started.”
Xu is a graduate of Davidson College with a major in math and minor in philosophy. He currently resides in Raleigh. Before leading Color Us United, Xu worked at Young America’s Foundation before writing his book.
“I fell in love with NC while at Davidson and always knew it would be the place to make my home and build a national nonprofit based upon the ordinary goodness of Americans,” said Xu of his decision to live in the Tarheel state.
Xu says his organization also does an “activists response to Black Lives Matter,” but that his own involvement in the debates on race stemmed from what he saw as discrimination in university admissions policies.
“We all knew in high school, that – Harvard, Princeton, Yale – those colleges are only going to take a certain number of Asians from our school,” Xu explained. We knew that we were going to be judged at a higher standard. That was common knowledge in my Chinese American Community where I lived in New Jersey.”
“And so, for me, that sparked an awareness about what’s going on in our country,” said Xu. “Then I saw it spreading. I saw it spreading and gifted talented programs, DEI [Diversity, Equity, Inclusion] programs across the country and I decided this is something I have to start speaking out on.”
Xu is doing more than speaking out. And the US Supreme Court will be speaking out next when it rules in Students for Fair Admission vs. Harvard, “A chance for the Supremes to end Harvard’s ugly discrimination against Asians,” opined the New York Post.
Make no mistake, the left is calling out all the stops and conducting a full-court press in defense of race-based admissions to colleges and universities. Here’s David Hinojosa from something called “The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.” Pay careful attention to the woke language:
“If we fail to have racially diverse and inclusive campuses and classrooms, then we will only be aiding the systemic racism and structural inequality that exists in this country. Race touches every part of these students’ lives, and a color blind admissions policy is counter-productive to creating an environment that is representative of the world that surrounds us (emphasis added).”
Meritocracy is an affront to critical race theorists. Instead of working to raise standards and promote meritocracy among all classes of people, the woke insists on dumbing down standards – including eliminating SAT scores and other admission standards to the lowest common denominator. That’s what led to lower admission standards at the top-rated high school in America, the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in northern Virginia. Talk about the bigotry of soft expectations. New Governor Glenn Youngkin has promised to reinstate admission standards, after his Democratic predecessor stood by and did nothing.
Local activists like Beth Ann Rosina and Kenny Xi inspire us all. You can follow their example. We must.
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All good stuff. But conservatives can act strategically as well as tactically.
1. Destroy journalism. Let Big Tech drive the remnants of the corporate media into the dustbin of history, then (and only then) break up Big Tech. Change laws and regulations that require money – public or private – to go to legacy media e.g. requirements to publish public notices in newspapers, or the practice of placing public service job ads in same. Train conservative office-seekers and -holders to avoid the traditional media and seek out alternative channels such as blogs and podcasts.
2. Restructure education. Get the government out of schools and universities. Encourage a 21st century customized approach to educating youth rather than a 19th century ‘one size fits all’ approach. Almost no-one ‘needs’ to go to university – there are so many better ways to supply post-secondary education. There is no reason in today’s world with today’s school systems that attendance at a school should be compulsory.
3. Eliminate the permanent progressive bureaucracy. Ideas welcome!
4. Eliminate public unions. (like FDR wanted)
What he said:
Great post in highlighting these conservative soldiers! It is ultimately “the people” rather than the leaders who decide public policy in our democratic system, no matter how many conservatives complain that we have no power against the Deep State.