Actress Stacey Dash speaking to a packed room.
by Elizabeth Campbell
On Thursday, June 9th, a room packed full of eager young women sat absorbing the message of Stacey Dash's speech during the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute's "Afternoon with an Author" event.
Stacey, known to many of the attendees as Dionne from "Clueless," had kept her life story largely a secret until now, and the girls attending were finally going to get a glimpse of what her book revealed. Stacey began her talk with revealing she had seen her "first dead body at three years old," a very moving testament to the life she had lived. She described looking into his sightless eyes, and fearing nothing afterwards. (See also Stacey Dash on BlackLivesMatter.)
Girls were drawn in from the beginning.
The talk continued as Stacey elaborated on her childhood, her parents drug addiction, the sexual abuse she experienced, what growing up in the South Bronx was like, her stalker, her almost abortion, and her transformation to a life lived for God and her faith.
As she began talking about her first born son, Stacey teared up. The near abortion of her first child was only stopped, she explained, when God spoke to her, telling her she could not go through with this and needed to give birth to her son. She painted a compelling image in everyone's mind as she described jumping up from the operation table, tearing the IV out of her arm, and looking at the heartbeat of her child on the sonogram for the first time. She said the heartbeat is what affirmed for her that she had made the right decision of the life of her baby.
Stacey brought an example of the necessity of second amendment rights for women when she spoke of dealing with her stalker, and buying a gun to protect her child and herself. She said she told herself "enough is enough, I'm buying a gun," and, ultimately, it saved her life. The story of her stalker finally finding her one night, breaking into her house, assaulting her, and how she used her gun to protect her and her family provided an example of why guns are necessary for women to have to protect themselves.
As Stacey's speech came to an end, she reminded the attendees all to be confident and proud of themselves, emphasized the importance faith and family to her, and how it continuously influences her decisions, providing her confidence to feel beautiful and courageous. In the end, she told the room full of young women that "before you're worthy, you're valuable," a beautiful reminder that we are enough as we are.
Girls filed to the microphone as Stacey opened up the question and answer session. Questions were asked about how coming out as a conservative in Hollywood affected her life, how she could be so open about her faith, what the most important issue is to her, and even what Bible verse she used to remind herself that she is beautiful and God loves her as she is.
Finally, Stacey discussed how much fun she had while filming Clueless, and the bond she had with the rest of the cast. She emphasized that it was "so much fun" to be in the movie, and laughed at the picture on the screen of her as Dionne.
At the end of the standing-room-only event, the DC-area conservative women interns and young professionals in attendance eagerly lined up to get their books signed and pictures taken with Stacey.
CBLPI interns pose with Stacey Dash, 4th from left
Elizabeth Campbell is a 2016 summer intern at CBLPI.