Some student groups withdrew their endorsements of SGA presidential candidate Sarah Shield after an Instagram post of her at a Young America’s Foundation conference in 2020 resurfaced. 

The UA chapter of Young Americans for Freedom — the chapter affiilate of Young America’s Foundation — has led protests, tabled for pro-life causes and hosted prominent conservative speakers, including Ben Shapiro. 

The Shield campaign released a statement on Monday night. 

“I believe that Black Lives Matter, trans rights are human rights, and that hate shouldn’t have any place here at the Capstone,” Shield said in her statement. “I am not a member of YAF, and was simply at the conference for the purposes of networking and civic development.

Shield said the trip to the national YAF conference was free, and she took the trip to network and expose herself to other viewpoints. 

In the hours after posting the statement, some members of Shield campaign’s media team left the GroupMe before it was deleted. 

Queer Student Association and International Relations Club, along with campus Instagram accounts BamaBarbz and UA Girlboss, have withdrawn their endorsements of Shield. 

“In light of new information and out of respect for our members, (Alabama International Relations Club) has chosen to withdraw our endorsement of Sarah Shield,” a statement from AIRC’s executive council said. “Our club represents students from a variety of diverse backgrounds and ideologies, many of which do not align with YAF. Whether Sarah was at the conference for networking purposes or as a participant, we feel that withdrawing our endorsement is the best decision to support our members and club’s diverse interests.”

The Crimson White amended its previous endorsement. 

News editor Zach Johnson is a member and vice president-elect of International Relations Club.