In the aftermath of our New York City Dissident Summit, our dissident speakers made media appearances and went viral twice! Turns out: debating socialists in the Big Apple is popular.
Iranian dissident Yasmin Pacella and Cuban dissident Carlos Manuel Fadraga joined Elizabeth Vargas and John Stossel on NewsNation for a townhall-style event on socialism. Local New Yorkers filled the room and asked some tough questions. One, a self-avowed communist, passionately argued that the communist Soviet Union and People's Republic of China were responsible for lifting millions out of poverty with their policies. Untrue! Deregulatory policies and greater social freedom -- essentially liberalism -- created more growth opportunities for Russian and Chinese citizens the past 40 years.
Click here to watch Yasmin Pacella engage with this mistaken audience member or here to watch Carlos Manuel Fadraga share his gratitude for being an American.
These clips reached over half a million on Instagram and came as a direct result of media hits we landed during the Dissident Summit.
Over the course of two days, the new dissident speakers wrote and captured long- and short-form video content, structured personal-experience-driven articles, networked with editors and publishers, and shared their stories with our supporters.
From left to right: Maggie Anders Zviovich, Daniel Piñero, Aaron Andrews, Reem Ibrahim, Carlos Manuel Fadraga, Yasmin Pacella, Gabriela Puckett, Pouya Nikmand, Sam Raus, Alexander Norton III, and Jason Reed.
To cap it all off: Four of the six dissidents made appearances on Fox News, Newsmax, and NewsNation. Thank you to our supporters, partners, and friends for your help making a successful summit happen. Our new class of dissidents are ready to hit the road spreading the message of freedom to classrooms across the country!
New Mexico Trip
To bring greater appreciation of America's 250th anniversary to young people in rural communities, we planned a slew of media-ready events in New Mexico with Daniel Chang Contreras and Grace Jo. The dissidents spoke to 900 high school students each day in Artesia; they also participated in a panel discussion with community leaders and spoke about their experiences on a livestreamed radio show. A success for our digital-first approach. Click here to watch Daniel and here to watch Grace.
A big thank you to the PY Foundation, who hosted and supported our speakers and team!
Campus Visits
We have a plethora of high school and college campuses to visit next month, but we’re always looking for more! To invite a dissident speaker, you can simply reply to this email or submit a request through our online form!
