Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 21, 1995 TAG: 9509210009
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ELLEN DAVIES SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Not one to run away from stereotyping, Williams says he's "an extreme religious-right kind of person. I am a Southern Baptist...I believe in what the Bible tells me and I try to use that in everyday life."
While he has yet to see his second decade, Williams says he's already a committed, outspoken conservative.
"I want the role of government to be the way our founding fathers intended it to be. Society should act in a manner, in a way, that the Christians who founded our society wanted it to be."
As active as he is outspoken, Williams has already begun to work toward this ideal.
Recently, he was one of 100 student participants at the weeklong National Conservative Student Conference held in Washington D.C., sponsored by Young America's Foundation.
The conference, according to Williams, gave him an opportunity to develop a more comprehensive understanding of different facets of conservatism and hear prominent conservatives - including Newt Gingrich, Fred Barnes, Walter Williams, Robert Novak, Ollie North and Jack Kemp.
"I thought it was really a privilege to participate in something like this because a lot of people never get to do what I got to do," Williams said before leaving for his first semester at the University of Virginia.
Applicants were selected by submitting resumes along with essays outlining their commitment to the conservative movement.
Williams, a 1995 William Byrd High School graduate, had worked in Oliver North's campaign for the U.S. Senate as part of a high school class project.
At UVa, Williams said he hopes to become active politically and increase student awareness of conservative principles by setting up conservative guest lectures on campus.
According to Williams, students across the country are faced with a surplus of liberal philosophies and a shortage of conservative theories.
"I believe today, a lot of campuses are trying to be tolerant of people such as gays ... Our liberal campuses are trying to move us toward accepting this."
One focus of the conference was to help young conservatives understand the importance of gaining exposure for their movement, Williams said.
Already aspiring to be a leader among his peers, Williams said his interest initially arose from his religion and family and was fueled by talk radio, books, the media and his advanced government class in high school.
He says his attraction toward the conservative movement was natural.
"We all have the same agenda," Williams says, adding that one of part the agenda is the need to eliminate welfare.
"Most conservatives are strict constitutionalists while many liberals believe that the role of government should be expanded to include social welfare."
An avid reader, Williams says he gained a lot of insight from nonfiction books including "To Renew America," "The Tragedy of American Compassion" and the "Contract with America."
Talk radio also has been instrumental in William's political development. "[Talk radio] hasn't influenced my ideas, maybe expanded them. It might have raised by awareness, but it wouldn't have influenced my decision."
His mother, Barbara Williams, says she is extremely proud of her son, but is concerned about his tendency to conform to one set of ideals and philosophies.
"I think you have to respect other people's ideals, and I think he does to a certain extent, but he is very inflexible and I think he needs to learn to be a little more flexible in his thinking," she says.
Already embarking on that road to discovery, Williams said he welcomes opportunities to hear liberal speakers in order to better assess his own allegiance to any candidate.
Yet, according to Williams, most people never get to hear the conservative philosophy, especially through what he categorized as the "liberal press."
"I don't like all the one-sided [views] that we have right now in this country where you have a lot of liberalism being pushed on people."
His attitude toward politics is not unique for somebody his age, he says.
"I know people that were in my classes in high school that were very much interested in politics and the conservative movement. Then I have other friends who couldn't tell you who Newt Gingrich was."
Richard Thatcher, Williams' former high school government teacher, says while other students are active, "Schon is different. He is ultraconservative ... to the point where he is almost closed-minded. Schon already has his viewpoint on the way things are, and no amount of information you are going to give him is going to change his mind."
"If you just believe in the Rush Limbaugh point of view of things ... without trying to look at other points of view, then you are really going to miss the point of the matter," says Thatcher.
Williams disagrees.
He says his approach toward politics and the conservative movement has developed through a multitude of media, only to have been strengthened through exposure to all liberal and conservative ideas.
Williams says while some liberals might term the recent conference a brainwashing seminar, the experience allowed him the opportunity to expand the beliefs and awareness he already held.
Williams is not certain where his interest in politics will take him. While it is probable he will run for political office, he says, he is not sure on what level he will aspire.
"I think whatever role he ends up with, it is going to be a role that will affect our future. I mean maybe shape our society," says Barbara Williams.
by CNB