During my freshman year at Harvard College, I was paired with a roommate whose worldview was drastically different than my own. My new friend characterized herself as a “woke” feminist. For the first few weeks, we got along rather well. I worried that this would change if we ever talked politics, so for a time, I avoided it.
Finally, the day came when there was no more skirting around the issue. It was time to tell her that I was a conservative. “Oh, I guess it makes sense — with your background,” she curtly responded. This comment was the first in a series from her that felt like slaps in the face.
I was born and raised in a small town in southern West Virginia. I went to football games on Fridays and church on Sundays and watched my mother proudly vote the Republican ticket every election. Like my freshman year roommate, often when someone on campus learned of my background, they assumed my upbringing is why I am conservative today. It is not.
While my experiences growing up helped influence my worldview and values, I developed my political views on my own.
In high school, I watched the news around the clock and devoured memoirs and history books. I became convinced of the power of limited government, free markets, personal responsibility, and self-determination. The books on our country’s founding and the leaders who shaped it taught me to have faith in the American Dream.
The day I realized I am a conservative came when I found myself red in the face, flabbergasted after a high school debate in which a number of my peers argued in favor of socialism. It was the first time my conservatism had truly been tested. Since that moment, my resolve has not wavered.
While some at Harvard think I have been brainwashed by the back hills of West Virginia, the truth is I have been enlightened by The Federalist Papers and other influential works.
My mother always encouraged my sisters and me to develop our own views and opinions — and we did not all turn out like-minded, as illustrated by the many political quarrels we have when we are together.
At Harvard, my independently formed political beliefs are challenged as backward and often blamed on my rural West Virginia upbringing. This stereotype hits hard.
Making matters worse, many on campus believe there is something inherently wrong with conservative women. They think we are oppressed or uneducated. The opposite is true.
Across the country, conservative women face immense challenges on college campuses. The culture is against us, so when we speak out, we must be more articulate, more measured, and better educated in order to stand among our predominantly liberal peers.
We often go unseen because we do not wave vulgar signs and scream at passersby. We respect the beliefs of others while advocating on behalf of our own. We may not have been #WithHer, but we do believe in the power of women. We are the legacies of influential women like the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and former Ambassador Nikki Haley.
And we are not alone. For example, my time with the Network of enlightened Women at Harvard has provided a community of women that has both supported and inspired me. I have been reminded that not everyone thinks that my values conflict with my femininity. I have met friends and mentors who have taught me invaluable lessons about friendship and perseverance. I draw strength from role models who believe in the power of conservative women.
Seeing other women stand up for their values instills a sense of optimism about the future for female conservatives. Despite the challenges we face, we are not a dying breed. We are just as amazing and powerful as the women who came before us and who continue to inspire us — we are not the submissive, backward women that liberal feminism says we are.
Instead, we are authors. We are doctors. We are mothers and sisters. We are politicians and businesswomen. We are empowered trailblazers who refuse to see ourselves as victims because of our gender. Conservative women, from college students to young professionals to national leaders, are truly a force to be reckoned with.
This essay is one of 22 essays included in She’s Conservative: Stories of Trials and Triumphs on America’s College Campuses published by the Network of enlightened Women.
Grace Bannister is a member of the Harvard College Class of 2021. She studies government and is a member of the Network of enlightened Women chapter at Harvard. Grace is actively involved with the Harvard Institute of Politics and Harvard Republican Club. She is originally from Logan, W.Va.
