Amren

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Lore & Background

The magazine and the New Century Foundation were established by Jared Taylor; the first issue of American Renaissance was published in November 1990. Both the magazine and foundation, as well as Taylor, have had links with organizations such as the Council of Conservative Citizens, the Pioneer Fund, and the British National Party. Former Grand Wizards of the Ku Klux Klan Don Black and David Duke have attended American Renaissance conferences and have been seen talking with Taylor. Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes has also written for American Renaissance. The organization has held bi-annual conferences that attract neo-Nazis, white nationalists, white separatists, Holocaust deniers, and eugenicists. Attendance at the conferences has varied; in February 2008, some 300 people attended.

In Their Own Story

On December 18, 2017, the accounts for the magazine and its editor Jared Taylor were suspended by Twitter. Before the suspension, the magazine's account had 32,800 followers. YouTube banned the American Renaissance channel, along with those of individual white nationalists, in late June 2020 for violating the website's policies against hate speech. American Renaissance has held conferences since 1994. Anti-racist activists were sometimes successful in persuading private hotels to cancel their reservations with American Renaissance. In 2011, the publication planned to hold a three-day conference at a Sheraton Airport hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina. The hotel canceled the group's booking amid plans by anti-racism activists and the Jewish Defense Organization (JDO) to protest at the conference site. The mayor pro tem of the city also reportedly contacted the hotel. Since 2012, the American Renaissance has held its conference at Montgomery Bell State Park Inn in Burns, Tennessee, a state-owned site. Protests have often taken place outside the conference facilities. In 2017, Helmuth Nyborg spoke at an American Renaissance conference.

Reader's Guide

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) lists American Renaissance and the New Century Foundation on a list of 115 "white nationalist hate groups" published in the Intelligence Report. Mark Potok, editor-in-chief of the Intelligence Report, has said: "Jared Taylor is the cultivated, cosmopolitan face of white supremacy. He is the guy who is providing the intellectual heft, in effect, to modern-day Klansmen." Taylor stated in a radio interview: "I've never been a member of the Klan. I've never known a person who is a member of the Klan." An article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Taylor had at least met former Klansman David Duke at an American Renaissance conference, and sat with Don Black, a former Grand Wizard of the Klan, at Taylor's kitchen table. An article in the Intelligence Report by Potok and Heidi Beirich stated: "American Renaissance has become increasingly important over the years, bringing a measure of intellectualism and seriousness to the typically thug-dominated world of white supremacy. Today, it may be the closest thing the extreme right has to a real think tank." The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) describes American Renaissance as a "white supremacist journal". The ADL also writes: "Taylor eschews anti-Semitism. Seeing Jews as white, greatly influential and the 'conscience of society', Taylor rather seeks to partner with Jews who share his views on race and racial diversity" and "Jews have been speakers or participants at all eight American Renaissance conferences" although controversy followed accusations by David Duke, who was not a scheduled presenter, at the 2006 conference.

Did You Know?

• The first issue of American Renaissance was published in November 1990.
• In February 2008, some 300 people attended an American Renaissance conference.
• Before its suspension, the magazine's Twitter account had 32,800 followers.
• YouTube banned the American Renaissance channel in late June 2020 for violating hate speech policies.
• Since 2012, American Renaissance has held its conference at Montgomery Bell State Park Inn in Burns, Tennessee, a state-owned site.