Star Parker is founder and president of CURE, the Center for Urban Renewal and Education, a 501c3 think tank which explores and promotes market based public policy tofight poverty, as well as author of the newly revised Uncle Sam's Plantation: How Big Government Enslaves America's Poor and What We Can do About It.
Before involvement in social activism, Star Parker had seven years of first-hand experience in the grip of welfare dependency. Now, as a social policy consultant, Star is bringing new energy to policy discussions on traditional mores, limited government and private ownership. She provides regular testimony before the US Congress, and is a sought after expert for radio, television, and print, nationwide.
Star has a BS degree in Marketing and Business from Woodbury University and has received numerous awards and commendations for her work. She has lectured on poverty issues at more than 180 colleges and universities and has served on advisory boards for several organizations ranging from Carenet to the Cato Institute.
Star Parker’s personal transformation from welfare dependent to conservative crusader has been chronicled by ABC’s 20/20; Rush Limbaugh; Readers Digest; Dr. James Dobson; The 700 Club; Dr. George Grant; Christianity Today; Rev. James Robison; Newsmax, Charisma, and World Magazine.
Other major accomplishments include speaking at the 1996 Republican National Convention, and co-producing and hosting a documentary on affirmative action with the BBC in London. She has debated Jesse Jackson on various headline issues; she fought for school choice on Larry King Live; she defended welfare reform on the Oprah Winfrey Show, and she debated healthcare reform against Michael Moore on ABC’s The View with host Barbara Walters.
Currently, Star is a regular commentator on CNN, TBN, CNBC, CBN, and FOX News. Articles and quotes by Star continuously appear in major publications around the world. She has written three books. “Pimps, Whores & Welfare Brats”, “Uncle Sam's Plantation”, and “White Ghetto: How Middle Class America Reflects Inner City Decay.”
Today, in addition to heading CURE, Star is a syndicated columnist for Scripps News Service, offering weekly op-eds to more than 300 newspapers worldwide, including the Boston Herald, the Dallas Morning News, the Orange County Register, the Korean Times, the Washington Times, and the Star and Stripes, the largest paper serving the men and women of our Armed Forces.