White nationalist groups recruit young women with new 'Young Columbia' organization

A newly formed white nationalist youth group exclusively for girls, known as "Young Columbia," has emerged in the United States, marking the first known organization of its kind, according to extremism researchers. The group operates under the umbrella of "United Youth," which already runs white nationalist clubs for teenage boys.

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When we think of extremism, especially when we think of violent extremism, we think of men. But there have always been movements in the United States that are white supremacist that also accept women, and this seems to be one of those as well.

The formation of Young Columbia was announced on the messaging platform Telegram in early May. The announcement cited "high demand" for an all-female branch, stating the group will have "their own separate supportive roles and mission." Membership criteria are explicitly defined as "white European descent, female, nationalist." A Telegram post accompanying the announcement included a quote from Adolf Hitler regarding the role of women in the Nazi party.

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white European descent, female, nationalist

Willis Shaw, an investigative researcher at the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism, noted that while violent extremism is often associated with men, white supremacist movements have historically included women. He sees this new group as fitting that pattern.

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When you feel as though your life is outside of your own control, when you're stripped of your agency, you are willing to accept that there is some kind of a system or a force from the outside that is the one that is at fault.

Shaw also pointed to growing cynicism among Gen Z about the state of the country, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. This sense of lost agency, he explained, can make young people more susceptible to extremist ideologies that offer external explanations for their problems. Jacob Wagner, a digital research analyst at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, echoed this, stating that extremist content is increasingly engaging teenagers online, and groups like United Youth are capitalizing on this trend.

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These views of white nationalism, white supremacism, unfortunately, have become more mainstream over the last couple of years.