The Eagles Land in Nashville

Eagle Forum concluded its 54th annual Eagle Council leadership and training conference Saturday in Nashville, bringing together over 200 grassroots activists, state leaders, students, policy experts, elected officials, and national speakers for three full days of education, fellowship, and preparation for continued civic engagement.

“Eagle Council is about more than hearing from great speakers — it is about equipping citizens to take what they learn home and put it into action,” said Kris Ullman, President of Eagle Forum. “For more than five decades, Eagle Forum has brought Americans together to defend the principles that make our nation exceptional. This year’s Eagle Council demonstrated that there is still tremendous energy and determination among citizens who are willing to stand up, get involved, and lead.”

Held September 24–26 at the Sheraton Music City Nashville Airport, Eagle Council 54 featured presentations on family policy, parental rights, national security, elections, artificial intelligence, healthcare, immigration, and constitutional government. The conference also included special programming for Student Eagles and a tour of President Andrew Jackson’s historic home, The Hermitage.

“Eagle Council did a great job of exposing real threats to families and freedom while giving practical action steps of what we can do to combat them,” one attendee said. “The scope of the issues combined with a healthy dose of patriotism made for a power-packed three days. This was my first Eagle Council, but it certainly won’t be my last!”

National Voices Address America’s Most Pressing Issues

The conference featured an extensive lineup of speakers, including Katy Faust, who addressed surrogacy and IVF, and Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, who discussed working with state attorneys general to protect faith, family, and freedom.  J. Marc Wheat, JD, spoke about the life-ending abortion pill, mifepristone, and what pro-life advocates can do to halt its use, while Kavita Fischer warned of the dangers from online gambling,

Attendees from more than 26 states also learned about national security issues: Gordon Chang, who addressed the threat posed by Communist China; Daniel Di Martino, who offered lessons from socialist Venezuela; and Dr. Mark Christian, who spoke about the rise of Islam in America. On domestic threats, Tim Estes discussed artificial intelligence and national security; Margaret Byfield and Bethany Jarrell advised the audience on how to deal with data centers in their communities; and Tyler O’Neil warned about the dark-money cabal that seeks to manipulate the federal government.

Other sessions focused on election security, parental rights, healthcare, the future of Gen Z, and the threats from marijuana and kratom. The general session concluded with Dr. Timothy Daughtry tutoring the audience on effective communication strategies. “Dr. Daughtry’s presentation on messaging was one of the best I’ve ever seen — with significant insights into how to be more effective in winning crucial battles,” raved one listener.

Honoring the Homemaker

Eagle Forum’s Annual Homemaker Award went to Mrs. Lydia Chang.
The award recognizes the value and contribution of women who choose to devote themselves to full-time homemaking. Chang has dedicated herself to supporting her husband, Gordon Chang, in his important work exposing the Chinese Communist Party.

In her acceptance remarks, Chang, who grew up in Hong Kong, explained, “The Chinese character for the word peace and stability is a woman underneath a roof. A woman provides stability at home. A woman is the foundation of family and family is the foundation of society.” She went on to describe marriage as “not only a commitment between two people. It is a covenant with God. And I pray that I always remember I am His instrument and I serve His purpose.”

“Eagle Forum has always understood that strong families are foundational to a free society,” said Ullman. “Honoring women who invest their time and talents in their families is a key part of our mission.”

Honoring Husbands

In addition to the Homemaker Award, Eagle Forum presented two Fred Schlafly awards. Fred Schlafly, the husband of Eagle Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly, epitomized what it means for a husband to support his wife — financially, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. The Fred Schlafly Award recognizes how crucial a supportive husband is to his wife and family. This year’s recipients are Floyd Zabel, husband of Pennsylvania Eagle Forum President Judy Zabel, and Gary Honcoop, husband of Washington State Eagle Forum President Cindy Honcoop.

From the History of the Presidency to the Future of America

Attendees traveled Friday afternoon to The Hermitage, the historic estate of President Andrew Jackson. Before touring the property, participants took part in a tutorial titled “Power, the People, and the Presidency: Lessons from the Early Republic.”

The visit connected the conference’s celebration of America’s 250th anniversary with the history of the American presidency and the role of citizens in shaping the nation.

Friday evening, attendees were entertained by Tony Award Nominee Laura Osnes, who performed God Bless America and America the Beautiful. She concluded her concert with The Impossible Dream that brought the crowd to its feet.  Eric Metaxas mesmerized the sold-out room with a rousing speech on the meaning of the American Revolution and the faith of our founders. Each attendee left with a copy of Metaxas’s new book, Revolution, and had the opportunity to have it autographed by Mr. Metaxas.

Looking Toward the Future

After the Saturday banquet, featuring Gordon and Lydia Chang, attendees were sent back to their communities with practical information and encouragement to remain actively involved in civic life.

“Eagle Council 54 reminded us that the future of America will not be secured by spectators,” said Ullman. “It will be secured by citizens who are willing to learn, organize, serve, and lead. We are grateful to everyone who traveled to Nashville and participated in this year’s Eagle Council, and we look forward to taking the work of Eagle Forum into communities across the country. And we are grateful to Tennessee Eagle Forum and its President, Bobbie Patray, for so graciously hosting us in this freedom-loving state.”

Ullman continued, “We know that our Faith deserves defending.  We know that the Family deserves defending.  We know that Freedom deserves defending.  We know that our Constitution deserves defending. We owe this to our children and grandchildren — our posterity.  And this is why we exist.  And so, we gather, we organize, we educate, we inform, we influence. And we have been doing so for 54 years!”

Founded by the late Phyllis Schlafly in 1972, Eagle Forum describes its mission as promoting individual liberty, respect for family, public and private virtue, and private enterprise. Eagle Council is the organization’s annual leadership and training conference.