Candace Owens' journey to conservatism

After working for a private equity firm, Candace Owens became active, joined an organization called Turning Point USA, and produced YouTube videos about her ideas, which have millions of views.

She came to Minneapolis last week to speak at the Center of the American Experiment, and titled her talk, "Why I Took the Red Pill: My Journey to Conservatism."

Candace Owens, 28 years old, believes culture and politics mix in interesting ways, and the left has had a "stranglehold on culture." She added, "whoever controls culture controls politics."

Once considering herself a Democrat, she "had the feeling something had gone amiss in the black community. We've been voting for a party that seeks to destroy our communities." Racism, she says, "is used as a theme to turn black people into single issue voters."

To the supporters of Black Lives Matter, Owens says "they don't think your lives matter, they think your votes matter."

Owens said blacks are "not a monolith. Individualize yourself! Don't assign yourself to the collective."

As for the American Dream, Owens says "we have given it up to the government. The government got bigger and the individual got smaller." That's what dangerous, in her view.

Candace Owens is director of urban engagement for Turning Point USA. She produces YouTube videos, and writes for the Federalist.com. She spoke May 8, 2018 at the Center of the American Experiment in Minneapolis.