Chinese high school students in New York State have finally formed a conservative youth organization at their high school after a two-year fight. Pictured here are students asking questions at an event the group held at a Texas college in 2019.
A third-generation immigrant teenager of Chinese descent has founded a conservative club at his high school and is holding the club’s first networking meeting this week. The on-campus club, which aims to defend free speech, was licensed after he fought for two years.
The teenager, Luke Wong, 17, is a student at Garrusib High School in Westchester County, just outside of northeastern New York City. He applied to a conservative student organization, The national Young Americans for Freedom (YAF), since he was in high school, but was never approved.
In an interview with the New York Post, Wang said the school did not give a reason for not allowing it, or that each rejection was for a different reason. He said he wanted to create an atmosphere of freedom to speak out on his high school campus.
Luke Wang said it’s not easy to stay “red” (Republican or conservative) on campus these days. He is labeled “racist” and his classmates won’t talk to him. This atmosphere has kept some conservative students from speaking out for fear of being ostracized.
Still, 25 students were interested in his club.
After two years of unsuccessful applications, Luke Wang approached a lawyer from the Alliance Defending Freedom last spring. The latter said the school’s action was unconstitutional and discriminatory, and that failure to approve the application could lead to legal action.
The school eventually approved Luke Wang’s application on Dec. 16, 2020. The principal told The Post that the school approved the organization after Wang provided more information as well as made adjustments.
Luke Wang said, “Free speech is really important – especially on high school and college campuses.”
“The parent organization of Young Americans for Freedom is the Young America’s Foundation (YAF). According to its website, the 70-year-old Young Americans for Freedom aims to ensure that “more and more young Americans understand and are inspired by the importance of individual liberty, a strong national defense, free enterprise and traditional values.
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