Online flyer for the True Texas Project “Year of the Patriot” conference
Courtesy of True Texas Projects Facebook Page.
The True Texas Project, a conservative Tarrant County group which has been labeled as an anti-government organization by the Southern Poverty Law Center, is hosting its second annual “Year of the Patriot” conference in Fort Worth Saturday, Aug. 1.
Grapevine-Colleyville residents may recognize one of the panelists: Board trustee Shannon Braun, who, according to the event flyer, is scheduled to speak on a conference panel titled ”Lean Local: Hitting ‘Em Where It Counts,” with TTP president Fran Rhodes, former Colleyville City Council and GCISD board member Tammy Nakamura and Smith County Commissioner Christina Drewry.
The discussion is about community members learning how to engage and testify in front of different levels of government.
Braun did not immediately reply to a request for confirmation about her attendance at the conference.
Both Braun and Nakamura served on the GCISD board during a turbulent time when TTP and conservative Christian wireless provider Patriot Mobile were influencing school board elections in Keller, Carroll, Grapevine-Colleyville and Mansfield school districts.
The pair endorsed policies that would provide more oversight of library materials, limit discussion of gender identity and prohibit the teaching of critical race theory in the district as CRT became a hot button topic in GCISD and surrounding districts.
GCISD recently went through a big change in May as three incumbent trustees lost their seats to new board members who campaigned on transparency and keeping politics out of the school district.
Braun, who had been the board president at the time, lost her officer position to Dalia Begin.
True Texas Project
The True Texas Project’s “Year of the Patriot” event will be at Birchman Baptist Church on 9100 N. Normandale St. from 8 a.m. to 5:10 p.m.
The True Texas Project started out as the NE Tarrant Tea Party in 2009. The organizations say it believes in a “Constitutional government, national sovereignty, fiscal responsibility, personal responsibility, and rule of law… all under the umbrella of faith & family values,” according to its website.
The Star-Telegram inquired about media coverage for the event and received a reply from TTP CEO Julie McCarty.
“We are not inviting media,” McCarty said in an email. “No harassing our guests or speakers. You and your trashy rag are neither welcome nor allowed at this event.”
A $60 general admission ticket covers a boxed lunch and access to the full line-up of panels and speeches.
More of the scheduled sessions at the Year of the Patriot conferenceBut What If It’s Legal!: A look at immigration based on current laws with Chris Russo, president of Texans for Strong BordersCounter-Organize & Win!: How groups can organize for future conflicts and destabilize other organizations with Mike Shelby, a veteran, former Intelligence NCO and contractorThey Gotta Go Back: The Remigration Cure, with Cyan Quinn, director of the White Papers Policy InstituteThe Church’s Response to Mass Immigration: a discussion on what the Bible says about “closed borders” with William Wolfe, founder of the Center For Baptist LeadershipOurselves & Our Posterity: Protecting Our Legacy with C.Jay Engel, a writer, podcaster and a Christian nationalist figureNot In MY School: Stopping Child Sex Abuse in Texas ISDs: with Levi Fuller, the Inspector General of the Texas Education Agency.The Knack of Tact: Making a Point Without Making an Enemy, a talk on how to communicate more effectively, by Kelli Lawrence, the women’s pastor at First Baptist in GrapevineStrategy For Stopping Islam: Training on Finance & Regulatory Gaps, a panel on looking at how to stop the “Islamization of Texas” through the use of legal and financial regulations, with financial crimes specialist Erin O’Loughlin, State Rep. Andy Hopper and State Rep. Brent MoneyIslamization and TX Lege: with State Rep. Andy HopperMake Parenting Great Again: Raising Liberty Lovers In A World Of Chaos with author and speaker Marlene McMillanHistory Not Forgotten: U.S. Immigration Policy and the Disaster of the 1965 Hart-Celler Act with True Texas Project board director Ryan McCubbin
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Fousia Abdullahi is a Fort Worth Star-Telegram news reporter who covers suburban cities including Southlake, Colleyville, Grapevine and Keller. She enjoys reading and attending local events. Send tips by email or phone.