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OURHistory

It all started in 1972 when Phyllis Schlafly, who then lived in Alton, IL, decided to oppose the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment being pushed by the newly emerging feminist movement. This battle continued for the next 10 years until its final defeat. Phyllis organized groups all across the nation. She recruited Eunie Smith and Olive Spann to be co-chairs of Stop ERA in Alabama. In 1975, Phyllis realized that even after ERA was defeated, the battle for conservative family values would go on as the left would not give up, but would work to achieve their goals on an incremental basis. So even before ERA was defeated, she started the organization of grassroots activists called Eagle Forum.

Eunie Smith continued as the leader of STOP ERA Alabama. She and others traveled all across Alabama, often with Phyllis, to speak the truth about ERA and what it would mean to our society if it were passed. They spoke to any group that would listen and explained how it would affect women, families, the military and every aspect of American life.

1977 was declared as the “Year of the Woman”, and it was this year that feminist activists thought would be the victory year for ERA. A convention of delegates to promote this was held in Dallas and was promoted by the Carter Administration. The ERA would have enshrined in the Constitution changes that, rather than empower women, would have removed all legal protections for them. It would have required the draft of women to serve in the military, controlled many other aspects of family life and womanhood, especially rejecting the value of the stay at home mother as the center of family life.

The convention in Dallas was a hotbed of radical feminists and the rhetoric worked to encourage delegates to push for passage of the ERA.

However, not all state delegations were so inclined. Activists in each state met to choose delegates to the Dallas convention.

Eagle Forum of Alabama was publicly launched in 1977 to recruit Alabama delegates to the International Year of the Woman in Dallas. Eunie Smith recruited conservative women from all over Alabama to become delegates. Because of her efforts, Alabama was one of five states to send a solid conservative delegation to the Dallas convention. When the Alabama women met in Montgomery to officially choose their delegation, the media exclaimed that “the Eagles were flying.”

Jean Saunders was the first president of Eagle Forum of Alabama, then Frances Wideman. Eunie Smith was still co-chair of Stop ERA. She became president at the end of the Stop ERA Campaign and has served since that time.

Eagle Forum of Alabama is an organization of dedicated volunteers mobilized in support of individual liberty, responsibility, the sanctity of life, and Constitutional principles of government. Eagle Forum of Alabama Education Foundation (501c3) was formed in 1986 in Birmingham, Alabama with the purpose to educate the public on the important role and rights of the family. Its original founding document states the goal is “…to advance the status of women, to defend their existing civil, legal, economic, moral and social rights, especially those pertaining to the family, marriage, children, education, and employment.” Of course, today the organization includes many man as well as women and teens, through our Teen Eagle organization.

Eagle Forum of Alabama (501c4) is the lobbying arm of the organization and works to protect Alabama’s families in public policy initiatives and reform efforts. Eagle Forum of Alabama is the state’s leading grass roots Conservative organization addressing issues from parental rights to economic liberty because they all impact the family. We believe strong families are the foundation of prosperity in Alabama and the nation.

“They that wait upon the Lord shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.”

Isaiah 40:31

Get Involved to ensure that our children and grandchildren will enjoy and protect the republic that was passed down to us.

OURValues

Economy

Government spending is out of control. We support spending caps, a moratorium on earmarks and entitlement reform to prevent our country from going bankrupt. More government spending and higher deficits are not the answer to America’s hard economic times. Higher deficits put America’s safety and security at risk and shift the burden of our problems to future generations. Man should be free to create and operate business ventures. An open market and free enterprise are best for a thriving economy.

Education

Education is the prerogative of parents. It functions best at the state and local levels. The federal government should not be involved in education policy. As we have witnessed with the disastrous results of Common Core and other federal efforts in education, the best oversight of education is left to those closest to the people.

Energy

We do not support an environmentalist, green agenda that penalizes business and controls people’s lives. Rather we believe that energy independence is vital for both our economic and national security. The best way to achieve that goal is through the increased use of our domestic resources. This includes drilling domestically, both onshore and off, and utilizing nuclear power, clean coal and natural gas.

Environment

We believe God made man to have dominion over and to be a steward of the Earth. We are responsible for how we use the resources that have been given to us, and should avoid unnecessary risks to the environment. We should utilize the resources available to us in a prudent manner.

Government

“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness –That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men…”

– Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence

We believe that in order to secure our God-given rights, our government:

Healthcare

We believe individuals, not the government, should be allowed to choose the health coverage that best meets their needs. We believe that true health care reform must give patients maximum control over their own care and treatment. Some ways these goals can be accomplished are to enable individuals to utilize health savings accounts, high-deductible insurance plans, and tax credits for individuals who purchase their own insurance. Allowing insurance companies to compete across state lines will help reduce costs.

Immigration

We believe the United States must have an immigration policy that strengthens and secures America’s borders. We believe that America’s immigration policy should be enforced, including the removal of unlawful persons and the enforcement of immigration and workplace laws. We believe that state and local governments should have authority to enforce these laws in cooperation with federal immigration agencies.

We recognize the demand for seasonal workers, and should those needs not be met by Americans, we support a controlled guest worker program that lets federal immigration officials know who is coming into the country and ensures they go back to their country of origin when mandated by law.

Judiciary

We believe it is the duty of judges to interpret the Constitution and laws as they are written. Courts should not be policy-making bodies. We oppose all forms of judicial activism.

Marriage and Family

We believe that God established the family as the basic unit of society. The family consists of those related by blood, marriage or adoption. We believe in no “marriage” relationship other than a man and wife.

Privacy

Personal data privacy is a hallmark of a free society. We support confidentiality of medical and personal records. We support statutes that prohibit any centralized government database. We oppose government holding dossiers on free Americans.

Sanctity of Life

We work to ensure the sanctity of innocent human life which begins at conception. Life is sacred and should be protected at all costs.

Taxes

We believe that low taxes, a free market economy and limited government regulation are necessary components of a healthy economic system. We promote economic policies that further these goals and allow hard working Americans to benefit from their own ingenuity and industriousness.

BOARD OFDirectors

The Eagle Forum of Alabama Board Members

The Eagle Forum of Alabama Education Foundation Board Members:

StudentEagles

Student Eagles is a great opportunity to join with other Students to learn, have fun and to make a positive difference in your community and country. Our Student Eagles will meet monthly in person and online weekly to discuss current events and legislation while also learning skills in leadership, research and debate. There are also opportunities for students to intern with legislators during the 2020 AL legislative session. Students represent a new generation of hope and promise, and our country needs young conservatives like them to get involved. Join our Facebook group: “Alabama Student Eagles”.

To find out how you can join or start an Alabama Student Eagles group in your area, contact Eagle Forum Student Eagle Director, Lori Herring at [email protected] or call her at 334-301-4253. We are looking for volunteers to help with sponsorship of new groups. Please consider volunteering and making a difference in the lives of young people.

Goals of Student Eagles Alabama

“Freedom is never more than one generation from extinction” ~ Ronald Reagan

To enable our youth to understand the conservative views of current issues by examining the views of both the conservatives and the liberals.
Provide opportunities for students to intern with Eagle Forum leaders, State Representative or political campaigns
To teach our youth how to engage in the civic discourse
To teach our youth the fundamentals of capitalism & government
Give our students an understanding of the original intent of our Constitution and Constitutional Law
Understand how an idea becomes a bill, then becomes a law by assigning them a bill in the Alabama Legislature to follow all the way through to disposition.
Teach the fundamentals of debate.
Use the internet to engage the students on a weekly basis to provoke critical thinking skills about current events
Assist students in developing their worldviews and to be able to recognize the underlying worldview in others.
Teach the students how to best discuss family conservative issues in a productive way with the uniformed and misinformed people in their path.
Provide opportunity for mentorship to young conservatives while a Student Eagle and beyond.
Teach the students how to effectively lobby at the local, state, and national levels.

Join Student Eagles Today.

EagleSmall Groups

Build Community Through Small Groups!

We believe it is our duty, and critical during this time in our history, that everyday patriots come together to save our Republic for future generations.

Most small groups meet monthly for one and a half to two hours. An Eagle Forum Representative will update groups on current issues, upcoming legislation and provide action items. We will then have a short educational video or speaker ending with a time for discussion/Q and A.

We currently have small groups meeting in: Auburn, Birmingham, Cullman, Dothan, Eastern Shores/Mobile, Hartselle, Huntsville, Jasper, Kimberly, Montgomery, Prattville, Shoals Area, and Wetumpka

“Freedom is never more than one generation from extinction” ~ Ronald Reagan

Our goal is to:

Help connect concerned citizens with others of like minds, forming a network of encouragement and support.
Educate patriots and the public on current issues pertinent to faith, family and freedom.
Provide avenues to positively affect state and national legislation.
More thoroughly study the Constitution and the original intent of our Founding Fathers to counteract ideologies aggressively undermining our Republic such as: Marxism, Socialism, and Communism.
Educate parents and taxpayers of the present danger to our children via schools promoting Social Emotional Learning, Critical Race Theory and “Wokeism” to name a few.

We would love for you to join us! For more information call Iva Hendon at 205-471-8752.

Join Eagle Small Group Today!

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2021 HIGHLIGHTS

Your financial partnership has enabled EF to grow and increase impact!

– Helped pass legislation to ban COVID vaccine passports, protect women’s sports, protect babies born alive during a botched abortion and stop the passage of full-scale gambling.
– Consulted with the Alabama Attorney General to ensure students, parents and employees know their rights in regards to vaccine and mask mandates.
– Co-hosted a standing room only COVID Truths Doctors’ Forum.
– Drafted a State School Board resolution to ban Critical Race Theory in Alabama public schools.
– Invited by Alabama’s Secretary of State to participate in a 15-member task force to write legislation to stop voter fraud.
– Co-hosted the first-ever national Student Eagle Conference in Nashville.
– Started an initiative to build small groups across Alabama.
– In 2021 Alabama EF was mentioned by name in national and international news outlets like: Fox News, CNN, One News Now, Washington Post, NPR, NBC News, Associated Press, CNS News, Federalist News Network, American Family Radio, The Hill, New American Journal, The Guardian, and The Independent UK.

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Get Involved to ensure that our children and grandchildren will enjoy and protect the republic that was passed down to us.

Eunie Smith

Becky Gerritson

Melody Ciamarra

ContactUs

2021 HIGHLIGHTS

Your financial partnership has enabled EF to grow and increase impact!

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