One of the top conservative commentators in America spent hours in Houston talking with hundreds of college students. Ben Shapiro kicked off the YAF's National Conservative Student Conference Monday night at the Marriott Marquis in downtown. He spoke about the challenges young conservatives face on college campuses and encouraged them to fight back against a leftist ideology.
“That requires you to be strategic… outgoing and warm… and most of all, it requires you to be aggressive enough to confront the left without being so aggressive that you’re off putting to people in the middle,” Shapiro said. “I think all of you are capable of doing that. I think conferences like this arm you with the facts and with the strategies to do that.”
He also says conservative students need to learn how to unite to push back against a liberal agenda (often on their own campuses) which undermines their values.
“All they are interested in doing is finding your bad, old Facebook posts and then destroying you. Or holding it over your head, blackmail style, until you repeat what they want,” Shapiro explained “Silence is violence.”
The students attending the convention will hear speeches throughout the week from Ken Paxton, Ted Cruz, Dan Crenshaw, Allen West, and former Vice President Mike Pence. The convention is usually held in Washington, but due to DC’s COVID restrictions, organizers decided to move the conference to Houston.