Mr. Ismael Hernandez is the founder of the Freedom & Virtue Institute. He grew up in Puerto Rico as the son of a committed Marxist and a founding member of the Socialist Party. Ismael was a communist while studying at the University of Puerto Rico and active in the Socialist Party. When he came to America to attend graduate school, his experiences began to slowly shatter his preconceived notions about this country. He was embraced by Americans and given opportunities he could never have imagined. He began to read writings of and about America’s Founding Fathers and learned the principles of America’s origins. At this point he began to believe in the truth of freedom and reject the lies of socialism. Ismael finished his Masters Degree in Political Sciences and soon after, he became the executive director of the African Caribbean American Catholic Center in the Catholic Diocese of Venice.