Greeley resident ShekinahGeist is 21 years old and later this month she’ll make her fourth trip to theWhite House in less than two years.

The politically active Geist is black and a supporter of President Donald Trump, and on Feb. 27 she’ll return to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C., for a Black History Month celebration.

Greeley resident Shekinah Geist, a 21-year-old Aims Community College student, will make her fourth trip in less than two years to the White House Feb. 27 for a Black History Month celebration. (Photo: Shekinah Geist).



Geist first went to the White House in October 2018 and again in February 2019, also for a Black History Month event. In December 2019, she attended a summit with Turning Point USA at Mar-A-Lago, Trump’s Florida resort.

She described the event a year ago as part social, meet-and-greet and part issue oriented with a lineup of speakers who addressed issues affecting the black community. Geist said President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and their wives made an appearance at last year’s event along with U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, who is also black.

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Geist, a registered Republican, made her third trip to the White House in October for the Black Leadership Summit put on by Turning Point USA, a conservative nonprofit run by Trump family friend Charlie Kirk.

“It’s really surreal,” saidGeist, a political science student Aims Community College of her visits to theWhite House. “When I was in 8th grade I went to the White House andwe got to take a tour. Every year my high school (Resurrection Christian) doesa trip to Washington, D.C. I never thought I’d go in again.

“The amazing people you getto meet and the connections you get to make, it’s just not something thatyou’re really presented with in any other way. It’s something I feel reallyblessed to get to do.”

Geist made her initial visitto the White House after connecting on social media with conservativecommentator and political activist Candace Owens, who also worked for TurningPoint USA.

After returning to Coloradofollowing a year of school at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois, Geistsaid she began to more freely express her political views and opinions onsocial media. It was a transition she began to make while still at OlivetNazarene where she realized she wanted to study political science.

Geist posted a comment on oneof Owens’ Instagram posts in the days before the 30-year-old Owens became aprominent national conservative voice. In October 2018, Owens launched theBlexit movement, a foundation “dedicated to the advancement of urban andminority communities by encouraging youth to seek and take advantage ofopportunities in 21st century America,” according to its website.

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Geist said Owens then began following her on Instagram and invited Geist to Turning Point USA’s Black Leadership Summit at the White House in Oct. 2018.

Geist has since joinedTurning Point USA as an ambassador and she expects to work with theorganization later this month when she returns to Washington. In the ambassadorrole, Geist is part of the student-age staff at conferences. While inWashington, D.C., she’ll take a trip to nearby Baltimore for the annualConservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), where Turning Point USA willalso have a presence.

“CPAC is the No. 1conservative political networking event of the year,” Geist said.

Geist describes herself as aconservative libertarian, an ideology based on conservative principles such asin fiscal discipline combined with principles strongly linked to the U.S.Constitution.

Like Owens, Geist has a strong social media presence. She has more than 42,000 Twitter followers and she’s been cited and featured in national media.

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In a story in New YorkMagazine in early February, Geist was referred to as a “black conservativesocial media personality.”

Conservative newsorganization The Daily Signal included Geist in a November story entitled “Hopeand Belonging: Meet 5 Young Black Leaders Who Fight for Conservative Values”

The story calls Geist a”conservative social media influencer.”

“I love being a social mediainfluencer,” Geist said in the story. “I truly believe that social media is agreat outlet for this next generation in getting them involved.”

Geist said she expects tofinish school at Aims in 2021. Then, she’ll pursue a bachelor’s degree with thegoal of following Owens into the realm of political commentary. Running foroffice isn’t out of the question for Geist, who said her interest in thepolitical process stems from wanting “to help people.”

“I want people to see resultsin their daily lives,” she said. “Sometimes it’s kind of hard to see that whenwe have these politicians on Capitol Hill and you kind of wonder ‘what are theyactually doing for us?’ How are they making an impact on our representatives inour states and how is that coming back to the people? That’s something I’vealways been interested in.”

Anne Delaney covers breaking news and features for the Greeley Tribune. Contact Anne at adelaney@greeleytribune.com, (970) 392-5647 or on Twitter @AnneGDelaney.