Mankato YMCA caves to activists, reneges on hosting education expo

Here we go again! Another venue reneged on their agreement to host an event for Center of the American Experiment at the last minute after being bullied by local activists. This time it’s the Mankato YMCA, which until last night was more than willing to host the third annual Education Expo, an event involving 20 different community organizations, including two local public school districts, Mankato and Nicollet.

Mankato YMCA Executive Director Andrew Burk posted a message on Facebook saying:

I want to express my gratitude for the feedback we have received over the past 24 hours. When the Mankato Family YMCA agreed to host the Power to Choose: 2025 Education Expo, we did so with the understanding that it was an opportunity to highlight the diverse educational options available in our community. As an organization committed to serving all, we saw this as a way to support families in exploring educational opportunities.

However, we have since learned more about the political affiliations and broader mission of the American Experiment. Had we been aware of this from the start, we would have made a different decision regarding hosting the event.

With this new information, we have decided that the YMCA will no longer serve as the venue for this event. The Greater Mankato Area is very diverse, and it is our job to provide a safe place to come together.

I sincerely appreciate those who took the time to reach out and share their perspectives. Since stepping into my role as Executive Director, I have continually learned and grown alongside this incredible community. While I acknowledge that I am not perfect, please know that our initial intent in hosting this event was rooted in our mission to serve.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

The “political affiliations and broader mission of the American Experiment” caused the YMCA to pull out of hosting our event. As a 501 (c)(3) organization, we have no political affiliation. Our mission is to “propose creative solutions that emphasize free enterprise, limited government, personal responsibility and government accountability.” Scary!

The reaction from leftwing activists on Facebook is predictably hysterical. Jennifer Hildebrandt, a local Pilates instructor, called us “an insidiously racist, bigoted organization with a long history of infecting spaces of diversity and inclusion with their hateful, hate-filled rhetoric and agenda.” Wow. Care to share an example or two?

The event in question is an education expo for parents looking for different choices for their children’s education. The YMCA’s decision came as a shock to us as we had already worked out all the arrangements with them and printed and mailed thousands of invitations.

We are currently working on an alternative event space and the event will still proceed, just at a more welcoming venue. Meanwhile, we are considering legal options for this breach of contract.  

American Experiment followers will remember a similar thing happened to us at the Rochester Country Club in 2022. They canceled on us the day before an event. We held a press conference in their parking lot, successfully sued them for complete damages ($5,300.48), and rescheduled the event to a later date, doubling the attendance.

Activists in Duluth and Moorhead also tried to silence our popular CRT tour in 2021 by pressuring venues to cancel our events. Their protests only made the events more successful. And of course, we will never forget January 28, 2024, when someone firebombed the offices of American Experiment, Upper Midwest Law Center and Take Charge MN.

American Experiment never misses a beat when these things happen to us, and the Mankato Education Expo will be no different. We will find another venue and the publicity from misguided activists and weak leadership at the Mankato YMCA will make the event even more successful than planned.