Photo: Alamy | Op-ed by Summer Lane
In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s tragic assassination, an internet video was posted online that made an impactful and pointed statement of solidarity: “I am Charlie Kirk.”
Kids across America appeared in multiple video clips, resoundingly echoing, “I am Charlie Kirk,” displaying their unity with the values of free speech and peaceful civic discourse that Kirk, the former President of Turning Point USA, stood for:
That phrase is also a reminder that Kirk was brutally killed simply for his beliefs – beliefs that millions of Americans share.
Kirk was a visionary – he was a political dynamo with a stunning memory cache, the ability to debate seamlessly with some of the most hostile people on Earth, and he coupled all of this with a deep and convicting faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
“I want to be remembered for courage for my faith,” Kirk said recently, when reflecting on the legacy he wanted to leave behind.
Certainly, Kirk’s untimely passing has left a gaping hole in the collective American heart, but where there is sorrow, there is also unity and renewed motivation.
Heartbroken but unyielding
On Thursday, Turning Point USA announced the unanimous election of Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, as the new CEO and Chair of the Board.
The news comes as little surprise to those who watched Mrs. Kirk’s fiery and solemn remarks last week, when she addressed the nation just 48 hours after her husband’s assassination and vowed to continue his mission.
“No one will ever forget my husband’s name, and I will make sure of it,” she said firmly.
Erika Kirk’s mission is now a nationwide mission – a vow to continue Charlie Kirk’s restoration of the American youth movement, to instill conservative values across this great country, and to elevate the Word of God.
“All of us at Turning Point USA have a special role in carrying Charlie Kirk’s mantle and completing his vision of bringing us all closer to our Lord and fostering a prosperous country for generations to come,” Turning Point said this week in an official statement.
The mission has only just begun.
Unity in patriotism and truth
“There is no unity with people who scream at children over their parents’ politics, there is no unity with someone who lies about what Charlie Kirk said in order to excuse his murder…there is no unity with people who celebrate Charlie Kirk’s assassination,” Vice President J.D. Vance said on Monday, while hosting a special tribute episode of “The Charlie Kirk Show.”
He’s right. The celebration of murder is repugnant and should be treated as such. Even worse, perhaps, are the outright lies and disingenuous narratives and claims about men and women like Charlie Kirk, meant to stoke the flames of violence among fringe minority radicals.
There is no unity with hatred like that, but there is unity in the embrace of the values and truth that Charlie Kirk stood for: the values of our Founding Fathers, the importance of the traditional nuclear family, and the elevation of the American dream.
After a successful Turning Point Faith conference over the summer, Kirk wrote on X, “The West is the best because of Christianity. We must seek Christ first, and our national and cultural resurgence will naturally follow. For America to be great, we must remain majority Christian. This is why TPUSA Faith hosted over 700 pastors and ministry leaders this weekend. We must never cede the public square again, or catastrophe will follow.”
Charlie Kirk was wise beyond his years. He understood the integral link between faith, unity, and national patriotism. No modern American leader has ever taken such bold action to tie these ideals together.
Kirk was doing it – and he was winning.
America can continue to win, because of Charlie
Charlie Kirk set America on a path to success. He saw the vision for nationwide reclamation, and he acted. His work among the American youth has changed the political landscape and reignited a fire among young people – a renewed hope to chase the American dream and to learn more about the history and values of this country.
Kirk provided a priceless blueprint for how to move forward. Losing him is a tremendous blow to this country – and for his family and friends, especially – but Erika Kirk will carry the torch onward, and America will be with her as she does.
This week, “The Charlie Kirk Show” Executive Producer Andrew Kolvet said that Turning Point USA has received more than 37,000 inquiries through its website, with interested parties seeking to start chapters on campuses nationwide.
Kolvet said, for context, there are currently 900 college chapters and 1,200 high school chapters, for a total of about 3,500 chapters in the U.S.
The inspiration and motivation to carry Kirk’s mission forward, among the youth, is clearly massive. “It has galvanized the country,” Kolvet said of Kirk’s assassination.
It has indeed. Kirk would be thrilled to see the interest in Turning Point USA – a triumphant moment in history that he certainly earned through many years of hard work and dedication.
This is a chance for Americans to declare victory
Amid mourning, there is hope. The supercharged momentum of Turning Point USA, the America First policies of the Trump administration, and the increasing restoration of common-sense values in culture are signs of an improving nation – a nation that, thanks to heroes like Charlie Kirk, has been set on a path toward a “Golden Age,” as President Trump often calls it.
This is a chance for Americans to declare victory over tyranny. A chance to cut off the enemy’s schemes before they can come to fruition. A chance to reasonably, peacefully, and powerfully keep fighting for what’s right.
Charlie Kirk would never back down, never surrender, and never cede an inch in the fight to keep America great and free, and neither should Americans. To honor Kirk’s life and his legacy, the nation must carry on and follow his lead.
America is Charlie Kirk now.