Erika Kirk Delivers Speech On Courage At Ole Miss

Hundreds of students gathered Wednesday night at the University of Mississippi to hear from Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk, just seven weeks after the tragic assassination of her husband, Charlie Kirk. The event, hosted by Turning Point USA as part of its campus tour, was a tribute to Charlie’s legacy and a call to courage for the next generation.

Erika Kirk spoke to a packed room with a message centered on faith, purpose, and personal responsibility. Her late husband, Charlie, was the founder and longtime leader of Turning Point USA, a conservative youth organization focused on engaging students in the ideas of limited government, free markets, and American values. He was allegedly targeted and killed at a public event in Utah earlier this year. The investigation into his murder is still ongoing.

Kirk’s remarks were deeply personal. She shared how Charlie built his day around a morning routine that helped guide his actions and mindset. On his side of the bedroom, Erika had placed a sign with a Bible-inspired quote that read, “They will be known by the boldness of their faith.” She said she didn’t fully understand the weight of that phrase until she returned to their bedroom for the first time after Charlie’s death.

“When Charlie would get to his desk, he asked himself three questions,” Kirk explained to the audience. “What is something I can do for someone today? What is something I can do to add value to the world today? And how can I honor God today?” According to Erika, these questions were his foundation — a daily practice of selflessness and faith that shaped how he approached each day.

She told students that courage isn’t something people are simply born with. It’s something they can build through small, intentional acts. Erika said Charlie’s routine — combined with his faith — gave him the strength to stand firm in his beliefs, even when it was hard.

“What I’m realizing with that is those were the action points of how to have courage,” she said. “Because you can ask me, ‘Well, how do I become courageous?’ Ask yourself those three questions every single day, and I promise you, you will get courage.”

Kirk also emphasized the shortness of life and the importance of living with meaning. “What death amplifies even more is that you only get one life,” she told the students. “And I want to remind you that God has created you for greatness.”