Full Breakdown
Cornerstone University Hosts Anti-Communist Conference Featuring North Korean Defector
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Anti-Communist Conference at a Michigan Christian University
The event, scheduled for early October, brings together scholars and survivors of oppressive regimes, including North Korean defector Yeonmi Park, Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon, Soviet-studies scholar Gary Saul Morson, and Cultural-Revolution survivor Xi Van Fleet. Organizers describe the gathering as a response to what they see as a growing acceptance of communist and socialist ideas among U.S. students.
Background & Context
University president Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño said the theme was chosen months ago after observing a shift in public opinion toward communism and socialism. The campus sits in Kent County, where Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed captured more than 61 % of the primary vote, a campaign that featured Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who has publicly defended communism as an “honorable end goal.” The university’s Christian identity is framed as central to its defense of liberty.
Key Figures & Groups
- Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño – President of Cornerstone University; emphasizes Christian faith as the foundation of liberty.
- Yeonmi Park – North Korean defector and human-trafficking survivor; speaks on personal experience of authoritarian rule.
- Seth Dillon – CEO of The Babylon Bee, a satirical media outlet.
- Gary Saul Morson – Historian specializing in Soviet communism.
- Xi Van Fleet – Survivor of China’s Cultural Revolution.
Official Statements & Responses
He urged students to become active citizens rather than “sit on the sidelines.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “Frankly, we became alarmed and concerned because the history of communism, socialism is a dark one,” — Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño, university president
- “I had to live through [a] real socialist government every day until I escaped from North Korea,” — Yeonmi Park
- “Most people are not free right now in the world. More than 70% of humanity right now live under authoritarian governments,” — Yeonmi Park
