Anita MonCrief, a grassroots activist and former Breitbart News contributor, died on March 22 at the age of 46.
MonCrief, who only just celebrated her 46th birthday four weeks ago, passed away unexpectedly, according to a Facebook message posted on Sunday by her family.
The activist was a key part of the early conservative blogosphere as well as the Tea Party movement and was instrumental in helping to take down the heavyweight, left-wing activist group known as ACORN.
MonCrief was a former liberal who worked with the non-profit, non-governmental organization Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), a liberal activist group that supposedly worked to bring affordable housing and health care to lower income, inner-city residents. The group was also a heavy hitter for Democrats with voter registration drives and was a major part of the extended networks supporting Barack Obama.
But as MonCrief rose up through the ranks of the organization, she began to find widespread graft, corruption, waste, fraud, and financial mismanagement. And she increasingly became enraged at how ACORN operatives were enriching themselves and placing themselves ahead of the low-income folks they were supposed to be helping.
As a whistleblower, she helped shine light on the group’s corruption and her efforts helped bring the organization to its knees. By 2008, it was revealed that Dale Rathke, the brother of ACORN founder Wade Rathke, had embezzled nearly $1 million from the group and that ACORN officials were fully aware of the theft, but kept it quiet and hidden from donors and regulators alike. The group’s voter registration fraud was also eventually revealed.
In her testimony to the House Oversight Committee in 2012, MonCrief offered detailed information about the corrupt practices she encountered at ACORN and recommended the group be investigated by the United States Justice Department for
Voter Registration Fraud and possible RICO violations, not to mention illegal coordination between ACORN and Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.
MonCrief was a contributor to Breitbart News starting in 2009, and at Andrew Breitbart’s invitation,wrote about her experiences with ACORN for our readers.
In 2012, Andrew called on the conservative movement to support MonCrief and protect her from attacks from the left.
MonCrief was a frequent speaker at events such as CPAC, events sponsored by Americans for Prosperity, and other blogging events held throughout the late 2000s and the 2010s and she was a constant presence during the early Tea Party days, as well
The ACORN whistleblower was also featured in the 2012 film, Occupy Unmasked.
In that film, she shocked many when she excoriated Barack Obama and explained how he worked to keep blacks down, saying, “That’s why you have Barack Obama out there saying if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon Martin. … they want black people running around in hoodies protesting in the streets. That’s what he’s looking for. … He wants us divided, and he wants us to fight in the streets, so they can basically keep us down.”
MonCrief leaves behind her beloved husband John, her daughter Addie, and her sister Ebony. Her family have not announced any memorial plans or public ceremonies, but have asked for prayers for her loved ones.
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