(Editor's Note: This article was first published in the January/February 2022 print edition of The Stand.)
“Twenty-eight years ago, I had just finished working 12 years for the U.S. Department of Education in President Ronald Reagan’s and President George H.W. Bush’s administrations, and I had to decide what to do next,” Michelle Easton told The Stand.
“One area where we as conservatives seemed weak was in promoting our women. Not that we didn’t have them – we’ve always had great women – but we didn’t promote them the way the Left promotes their women.”
Identifying conservative mentors
Based on that observation, Easton founded the Clare Booth Luce Center for Conservative Women (CBLC) in 1993 in Herndon, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. CBLC impacts and mentors young conservative women, high school through college age, as leaders through training in speaking, writing, internships, and the example of female conservative role models.
Women such as U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN); activist Star Parker, founder of Center for Urban Renewal and Education and a frequent guest on American Family Radio; and Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life, are among the role models CBLC spotlights.
“They’re all women of faith who have stepped out in a strong way to promote the conservative ideas that we believe in, the policies that promote traditional families, and the importance of faith in life,” Easton said. “I assure you, most girls in most colleges around the country never hear of these kinds of women. Feminists maintain there are no conservative women role models, that you have to be liberal or be quiet to be successful.”
Easton is very familiar with life as a godly, conservative woman, a leader in the public sphere, a wife, and a mother.
“I raised three sons,” she said. “But the girls at the center are so wonderful. They’re what inspired me to write the book How to Raise a Conservative Daughter. I wanted to share what I’ve learned about these gracious, smart, courageous young women.”
Introducing principles for parents
While Easton works at CBLC to build up conservative values in young women, she firmly believes that instilling conservatism in the next generation begins at home. Thus, she hopes to encourage parents to invest in raising conservative children.
“Family is the building block of civilization, and parents are a child’s greatest role models,” she said. “Moms and dads have to model the behavior they want to see in their daughters. In the book, I suggest how to introduce and reinforce conservative concepts in ways that become part of girls’ lives.”
However, while the focus of the book is on daughters, the same concepts clearly carry merit for sons, or for men and women of any age.
“The No. 1 issue, and the subject of the first chapter of the book, is that faith and freedom are inextricably linked,” Easton said. “The most important concept to understand is that you’re uniquely made and loved by God, and that government can’t substitute for God or for a good father and mother.”
Easton backs up her statements with her own professional experiences and anecdotes involving women with whom she has worked at CBLC. “I’ve found that the most successful, happy women are those who have conservative values,” she said.
“Conservative ways of living make for happy, contented girls and women.”
Raising a conservative
Michelle Easton’s book urges conservative parenting in chapters focused on:
- Belief in God
- Centrality of family
- America’s exceptionalism
- Value of hard work
- One’s unique strengths
- Sanctity of life
- Money management
- Service to others
- Activism
Learn more about the Clare Booth Luce Center at cblwomen.org or 888.891.4288. Easton’s book is available at online booksellers.
