Changes

=== Instances of racism ===

=== Instances of racism ===

In December 2017, ''[[The New Yorker]]'' published an article by [[Jane Mayer]] showcasing interviews with former minority members of the organization. Former staff members said they witnessed widespread discrimination against minorities in the group, and stated "the organization was a difficult workplace and rife with tension, some of it racial."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/a-conservative-nonprofit-that-seeks-to-transform-college-campuses-faces-allegations-of-racial-bias-and-illegal-campaign-activity|title=Allegations of Racial Bias and Illegal Campaign Activity at a Conservative Nonprofit That Seeks to Transform College Campuses|last=Mayer|first=Jane|date=December 21, 2017|url-access=limited|work=The New Yorker|access-date=December 23, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Conservative Campus Org Turning Point USA 'Rife' With Racism, Probably Illegal Campaign Activity|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/conservative-campus-org-turning-point-usa-rife-with-racism-possibly-illegal-campaign-activity|newspaper=[[The Daily Beast]]|date=December 22, 2017|accessdate=December 23, 2017}}</ref> One former employee, an African-American woman, said she was the only person of color working for the organization at the time she was hired in 2014; she then said that she was fired on [[Martin Luther King Jr. Day]]. The article also revealed text messages sent by Crystal Clanton – who was a leading figure in the organization and served as the group's national field director for five years – to another Turning Point employee saying "i hate black people. Like fuck them all&nbsp;. . .&nbsp;I hate blacks. End of story." Kirk responded to the revelations by saying that "Turning Point assessed the situation and took decisive action&nbsp;within 72 hours&nbsp;of being made aware of the issue."<ref name=":0" /> The article also noted that Kirk had explicitly praised Clanton in his book ''Time for a Turning Point'', saying that she had been "the best hire we ever could have made," and that "Turning Point needs more Crystals; so does America."<ref name=":0" />

In December 2017, ''[[The New Yorker]]'' published an article by [[Jane Mayer]] showcasing interviews with former minority members of the organization. Former staff members said they witnessed widespread discrimination against minorities in the group, and stated "the organization was a difficult workplace and rife with tension, some of it racial."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/a-conservative-nonprofit-that-seeks-to-transform-college-campuses-faces-allegations-of-racial-bias-and-illegal-campaign-activity|title=Allegations of Racial Bias and Illegal Campaign Activity at a Conservative Nonprofit That Seeks to Transform College Campuses|last=Mayer|first=Jane|date=December 21, 2017|url-access=limited|work=The New Yorker|access-date=December 23, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Conservative Campus Org Turning Point USA 'Rife' With Racism, Probably Illegal Campaign Activity|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/conservative-campus-org-turning-point-usa-rife-with-racism-possibly-illegal-campaign-activity|newspaper=[[The Daily Beast]]|date=December 22, 2017|accessdate=December 23, 2017}}</ref> One former employee, an African-American woman, said she was the only person of color working for the organization at the time she was hired in 2014; she then said that she was fired on [[Martin Luther King Jr. Day]]. The article also revealed text messages sent by Crystal Clanton – who was a leading figure in the organization and served as the group's national field director for five years – to another Turning Point employee saying "i hate black people. Like f*** them all&nbsp;. . .&nbsp;I hate blacks. End of story." Kirk responded to the revelations by saying that "Turning Point assessed the situation and took decisive action&nbsp;within 72 hours&nbsp;of being made aware of the issue."<ref name=":0" /> The article also noted that Kirk had explicitly praised Clanton in his book ''Time for a Turning Point'', saying that she had been "the best hire we ever could have made," and that "Turning Point needs more Crystals; so does America."<ref name=":0" />

In an article titled "Turning Point USA Keeps Accidentally Hiring Racists," ''[[HuffPost]]'' reported that the woman hired to replace Crystal Clanton had a history of using racial slurs, particularly against African-Americans, on [[Twitter]] before deleting her account. In response to the reports, Kirk referred to the individual in question as "a former employee" in his official statement (without clarifying when she had been fired), and Turning Point issued an internal memo announcing that all current and new staff would face social media background checks.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/turning-point-usa-racist-tweets_us_5ad65b06e4b029ebe01ed1ac|title=Turning Point USA Keeps Accidentally Hiring Racists|date=April 25, 2018|work=[[HuffPost]]|first=Ashley|last=Feinberg|accessdate=May 1, 2018}}</ref>

In an article titled "Turning Point USA Keeps Accidentally Hiring Racists," ''[[HuffPost]]'' reported that the woman hired to replace Crystal Clanton had a history of using racial slurs, particularly against African-Americans, on [[Twitter]] before deleting her account. In response to the reports, Kirk referred to the individual in question as "a former employee" in his official statement (without clarifying when she had been fired), and Turning Point issued an internal memo announcing that all current and new staff would face social media background checks.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/turning-point-usa-racist-tweets_us_5ad65b06e4b029ebe01ed1ac|title=Turning Point USA Keeps Accidentally Hiring Racists|date=April 25, 2018|work=[[HuffPost]]|first=Ashley|last=Feinberg|accessdate=May 1, 2018}}</ref>