Posted on November 29, 2024

VDARE’s Legacy

Peter Bradley, American Renaissance, November 29, 2024


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On July 26 of this year, Peter Brimelow announced the end of VDARE.com, which was the premier source for American immigration news and analysis. This is a blow both to the immigration control movement and to white advocacy. For 25 years (1999–2024), Mr. Brimelow’s website was a daily source of immigration news, activism, happenings, and research. It was also a home for dissidents who were committed to telling the truth, even if it did not conform to what leftists or Conservative Inc. enforcers permitted.

While dormant only for four months, VDARE’s absence is noticeable. There are now many podcasts and social media channels that discuss America’s immigration and demographic disaster, but none in quite the same way as VDARE. What is its legacy?

It is impossible to survey a quarter of a century’s worth of material from one of the original Dissident Right publications, but I think VDARE’s legacy has several elements.

Content

First is content. Thousands of articles and blogs written by hundreds of contributors are an invaluable source of information on immigration in the first part of the 2000s. Immigration will determine whether the United States remains a First World nation with a European heritage or descends into Third World incompetence and anti-white hatred.

Unfortunately, the online archives are now hard to use. There is no simple way to search articles by author or topic. This is a shame, because some of the best commentary on immigration and its consequences were at VDARE. However, there are plans to make the archive more manageable.

Some of the final articles still accessible are a good representation of VDARE content:

VDARE also published several books that deserve more attention and are still available. These include overlooked titles such as Steve Sailer’s America’s Half Blood Prince, which explained Barack Obama’s obsession with “race and inheritance,” and Larry Auster’s posthumous Our Borders, Ourselves: America in the Age of Multiculturalism, which argued that racial diversity and mass immigration have weakened America to the point of no return. The site also still offers some of the last new copies of The Social Contract Press edition of The Camp of The Saints.

Some of Mr. Brimelow’s most ground-breaking National Review articles are on the site. These include “Time To Rethink Immigration,” the 1992 cover story that pre-dated his book Alien Nation and helped start the modern immigration-control movement.

It was content that attracted thousands of regular readers such as Mark Steyn, Lou Dobbs, Ann Coulter, Stephen Miller and many other politicians, academics, and media personalities.

Dissidents

One of VDARE’s most important legacies is that it was a home for dissidents — particularly those fired for telling the truth. Of course, it is worth remembering that Mr. Brimelow himself was a victim of a purge of immigration critics at National Review in 1997. This spurred him to found VDARE.

Near the end of his life, a doxing attempt against Sam Francis failed because there were no more mainstream newspapers that carried his column. While Sam became a regular writer for American Renaissance, The Citizen’s Informer, Middle American News and Chronicles, VDARE was probably the most read outlet for his columns.

In 2012, National Review fired John Derbyshire for his column on “The Talk,” a term blacks use for warning their children about the racism and discrimination they will supposedly face from whites. Mr. Derbyshire turned “The Talk” around and offered examples of how non-black parents should prepare their kids for interactions with blacks. His advice included the following:

“A small cohort of blacks — in my experience, around five percent — is ferociously hostile to whites and will go to great lengths to inconvenience or harm us. A much larger cohort of blacks — around half — will go along passively if the five percent take leadership in some event. They will do this out of racial solidarity, the natural willingness of most human beings to be led, and a vague feeling that whites have it coming.”

This sort of straight talk was too much for National Review, but Mr. Derbyshire was welcomed at VDARE, where he spent the next 12 years writing and talking freely about taboo subjects.

Steve Sailer is now enjoying well-deserved appreciation in the Dissident Right, but he first came to national attention through articles in National Review in the 1990s. That ended as the editors became frightened by what he said about race. When Mr. Sailer was barred from National Review, he was published at VDARE, which was the main platform (along with Taki Mag) for his columns for more than 20 years.

Many great thinkers banned at one time or another by “respectable” outlets found a home — and much greater freedom — at VDARE. Jared Taylor and Kevin McDonald are still banned on X and most major social media platforms, but they could write for VDARE. Regular columnists also included prominent victims of conservative cancel culture such as Ann Coulter and Michelle Malkin.

Remembering immigration-control history

Unsung heroes of immigration reform — some of whom were the force behind 1994’s Proposition 187 in California — were memorialized upon their deaths at VDARE. Barbara Coe and Glen Spencer worked tirelessly to prevent the immigration and demographic disasters of the 1980s, 90s and even earlier. Whenever a great academic or scientist who had advanced the cause of immigration control (and usually paid a high price for it) passed away, VDARE was a reliable source for a remembrance of their lives and careers. Garrett Hardin, Otis Graham, and John Tanton were just some of the people whose legacies VDARE kept alive.

These memorials to great men and women help remind us that immigration control has a long history in the US and attracted some of the best people.

Fighting back

One of the first things that attracted me to Dissident Right figures more than 30 years ago was that they seemed to be the only ones fighting back against leftist domination. VDARE took on David and Goliath-type battles. These include suing the New York Times for libel and the city of Colorado Springs for violating VDARE’s First Amendment rights. Both efforts failed in the face of biased judges and the tremendous resources of the defendants, but it showed media and government censors that at least some victims will strike back.

This same fighting spirit was exhibited when VDARE came under a lawfare attack from New York Attorney General Leticia James. Though outgunned in terms of funds and manpower, it held out for as long as possible. Lydia Brimelow, Mr. Brimelow’s wife and president of the VDARE Foundation, even earned a spot on Tucker Carlson’s popular show to explain how leftists are coming for dissidents.

In the end, government lawfare was too powerful. VDARE has spent over a million dollars defending against this attack (their typical annual budget was $800,000), and Attorney General James finally ended VDARE’s 25 year run. Perhaps there could be a change under President Trump:

VDARE’s demise came as it seemed to be enjoying great momentum. In April this year, VDARE hosted a successful conference at its West Virginia headquarters with speakers such as Steve Sailer, Scott Greer, Jared Taylor, John Derbyshire, Keith Woods, and Harrison Smith of InfoWars.

It is notable that VDARE mostly had to take on this battle alone, with little help from other organizations who could well end up in the crosshairs. American Renaissance, Chronicles and Counter-Currents publicized Miss James’ campaign. Auron McIntyre had James Kirkpatrick on his popular podcast to discuss the details of the case and what it means for dissidents. But where were the newer and increasingly influential members of the Dissident Right who might not even be in business without the efforts of men such as Peter Brimelow?

Some bigger names joined in near the end:

I first met Mr. Brimelow in 1999 and he told me that his new publication would be entirely web-based as that was the future of newsletters. He was right; many hard-copy publications have disappeared. Fortunately, VDARE social media accounts (follow them on X and Gab) are still active and there are plans to make a more searchable archive once legal troubles are over.

James Fulford should also be praised as a man who worked tirelessly behind the scenes. He wrote articles and blogs but also added links and fact-checked all articles. Let us hope that Mr. Fulford and the writers, supporters, and contributors to VDARE will find other publications that continue the fight for immigration control and free discussion.

As for Peter Brimelow, his legacy is secure as one of the main forces behind the modern immigration control movement. Once the VDARE archives are updated, the site will stand as an excellent resource for scholars and activists. Mr. Brimelow will continue to make the VDARE headquarters available for dissident meetings and conferences. This is important. Leftists will not stop trying to throttle heterodox views just because Donald Trump is back in office.

Peter and Lydia Brimelow

For a quarter century, VDARE has served as both a source for hard-to-find views on race and immigration and a home for those who paid the price for expressing those views. While its shuttering is a massive loss, its work will inspire and inform future generations of dissidents.

About Peter Bradley

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Peter Bradley lives in Washington, D.C.