Erika Kirk makes first campus appearance at Ole Miss since Charlie’s death

Erika Kirk took the stage at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) on Wednesday night and walked out to a packed house for her first Turning Point USA campus appearance since the murder of her husband, Charlie Kirk.

“It’s hard not to cry after watching it,” he said of the tribute video played before he took the microphone. “I haven’t seen that video… since that day.”

“Being on campus right now means spiritually reclaiming the land for me,” he said. “There’s a lot of symbolism today. It’s a seven-week Wednesday. And the more I begin to confront the permanence of this nightmare, the more I begin to realize and witness that the enemy doesn’t want you.”

He wants your territory. He wants your influence. And I could hear Charlie in my heart. I could hear him saying, ‘Go take that territory back, baby.’ Go — battles conquered by God’s love.’ “That’s why I’m here today,” he added.

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Erika thanked the students who filled the arena; many of them were wearing ‘Freedom’ t-shirts like the one he wore on the catwalk. “You have no idea how helpful it is to have all of you in my life because you help me feel even more deeply connected to my husband,” she told them.

He remembered how Charlie always made a point. Turning Point USA event stopping and talking to student leaders. “He would ask you what your name was, what you studied, what problems were going on on campus,” he said. “He wanted you to know that he was invested in you: in your department, in your school. That was a pulse point for him.”

“Gain your voice,” he urged. “You are the brave generation. That’s what you are. All of you, Generation Z, you are the brave generation. Make him proud.”

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Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, speaks at the Turning Point USA event, where Vice President J.D. Vance also spoke at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Miss., on Wednesday. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

“I lost my friend. I lost my best friend,” he said. “If you’re nervous about standing up for the truth, my husband’s murder puts all those fears into perspective. My husband never let it slide. He believed the hard way was always right because comfort doesn’t change the world.”

She shared with viewers for the first time that she stayed away from the bedrooms of the house for weeks after Charlie’s murder.

“It took me a while to even get back to our bedroom,” she said. “I would run through the opened door to the bathroom and quickly get out. I wasn’t ready to go into our bedroom yet, and when I was finally able to sleep in our bed for the first time, I slept on her side of the bed.”

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Attendees listen to Vice President J.D. Vance speak during the “This is the Turning Point” campus tour event at Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss., on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

From that point, he said, Charlie finally saw what he saw every morning, the framed writing on the wall: “They will be known for the courage of their faith.”

“He saw that he woke up every morning,” Erika said. “I didn’t see it, because I was on the other side, facing the window. But that was the first thing he saw from his side.”

He added that on his desk were three questions that Charlie wrote down and asked himself every day: “What is one thing I can do for someone today? What is one thing I can do to add value to the world today? How can I honor God today?”

“These were his courageous points of action,” Erika said. “If you ask yourself these questions every day, I promise you, you will gain courage. What death makes stronger is that you only have one life. So live like it matters.”

“Love your family without fear. Love your spouse fearlessly. “Love this country,” he said. “Defend it and serve our God. And don’t think it’s someone else’s job to do it. You do it. You do it.” The audience applauded.

“This moment can either be your breaking point or your wake-up call,” he said. “It’s actually your turning point.”

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He then introduced the Vice President. J.D. VanceA friend of her late husband describes her as someone who “understands the struggle we face and can express it in a way that transcends race and background.”

“There will never be another Charlie,” he said, “but I know he would be proud to have us here tonight.”