Powerful words that stopped me cold.

Those words, torn through sobs, were from Erika Kirk, the widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. She was speaking of Tyler Robinson, the man who shot and killed her husband. In that instant, before a crowd of nearly 90,000 inside State Farm Arena in Glendale, Arizona, with President Trump and his family, vice presidents, cabinet members, Elon Musk, and Christian musicians looking on, the arena fell into awe. Then came the standing ovation.

I must admit, I knew Charlie Kirk mostly as a Fox News personality. I was aware that he headed Turning Point USA, but I never looked much deeper. I hadn’t realized that his mission was to bring conservative thought directly into America’s schools and universities — institutions often seen as strongholds of liberal ideology. In hindsight, I see that I was amiss as a political commentator for not paying closer attention. It was, undeniably, a majestic concept.

The reaction to his murder has also struck me. The tributes, the official statements, the sheer volume of grief pouring in from across the nation — it’s been extraordinary. At times, I even wondered whether it leaned toward the hyperbolic. Flags lowered to half-staff for a 31-year-old man who never held public office or military command felt, at first, like too much.

But then I heard Erika’s words. I became transfixed. The emotion in her voice was raw, unfiltered, and unmistakably sincere. Speaking between sobs, she revealed a deep love for her husband and an unshakable faith. Her choice to forgive the man who killed him — and to claim the torch of Charlie’s legacy — stopped me cold in my tracks.

Her act of forgiveness echoes rare moments of grace we’ve seen in history: the families of the Charleston church shooting, the Amish community after the Nickel Mines schoolhouse massacre, and even Pope John Paul II when he forgave his would-be assassin. Erika’s words belonged in that lineage — a reminder that some truths rise above politics.

Only then did I circle back to the facts. The murder occurred on September 10th at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, where Charlie Kirk was making a public appearance. Robinson has since confessed. Shortly afterward, Erika was named CEO of Turning Point USA.

Turning Point, founded by Charlie Kirk and the late Bill Montgomery in 2012, quickly grew into a political force. The New York Times once described it as “the nation’s pre-eminent conservative youth organization.” In 2016, Turning Point launched Professor Watchlist, highlighting faculty accused of bias against conservative students. In 2021, it expanded with the School Board Watchlist, naming board members who supported mask mandates or DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) policies.

At 36, Erika Lane Frantzve Kirk brings her own résumé: a graduate of Arizona State University and Miss Arizona 2012, she is a businesswoman, podcaster (Midweek Rise Up), and the CEO of two ventures — Bible in 365, a ministry project, and Proclaim Streetwear, a Christian clothing brand. She also earned advanced degrees in Christian leadership at Liberty University. She married Charlie on May 8, 2021, and together they had two young children.

Whatever one thinks of Turning Point USA’s politics, Erika Kirk’s act of forgiveness carries a moral force that transcends partisanship. In that moment, grief and grace intersected — and even skeptics like me were obliged to stop and listen.

Godspeed to Erika on her mission. If she can begin it with forgiveness, I have little doubt she can sustain it with strength.