Erika Kirk
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Erika Kirk Receives Inaugural ‘Charlie Kirk Legacy’ Honor at Fox Nation’s Patriot Awards: ‘I’ll Keep Speaking the Truth’

RNN Staff

Erika Kirk, CEO of Turning Point USA, was honored with the first-ever Charlie Kirk Legacy Award at the Fox Nation Patriot Awards on Thursday night — a solemn tribute nearly two months after her husband Charlie’s assassination shook the conservative movement to its core.

The award, introduced in his memory, will be given annually to those who uphold the values Charlie Kirk championed: faith, family, and free speech. Charlie, the 31-year-old founder of TPUSA, was murdered on the campus of Utah Valley University on September 10 in a politically motivated shooting.

“Thank you to everyone who loved my husband so well,” Erika told the crowd at The Tilles Center in Brookville, New York. “This award is about legacy — my husband’s legacy, our children’s legacy, and yes, your legacy too.”

Wiping back tears, she added, “Evil wins when good people stay silent. For the rest of my life, I will make sure that I don’t stay silent. I’ll keep speaking the truth no matter the cost.”

Country music star Jason Aldean, his wife Brittany, and Fox News host Jesse Watters presented the award to Erika. Aldean praised Charlie’s life and mission, saying, “He led a powerful movement rooted in faith, freedom, and a deep love for this country.” Brittany Aldean described Erika as “the woman who refuses to surrender.”

Erika’s strength has inspired many in the aftermath of Charlie’s murder. She was unanimously chosen to lead Turning Point USA, the conservative student organization her husband built into a national force. She delivered a powerful eulogy at Charlie’s funeral in September, telling mourners she had forgiven his killer.

“I forgive him because it was what Christ did. And what Charlie would do,” she said at the time.

Charlie’s accused killer, Tyler Robinson, 22, is charged with aggravated murder and multiple other counts. Prosecutors may seek the death penalty — potentially by firing squad under Utah law. But Erika made clear in a recent interview with Jesse Watters that she will leave that judgment to God and the courts.

“I do not want this man’s blood on my ledger when I stand before the Lord,” she said. “Justice will ultimately be served.”

She returned to the public eye last week at a TPUSA event at the University of Mississippi, appearing alongside Vice President JD Vance, where she told students, “He didn’t leave us empty-handed. He built a machine. And all of you are a part of that.”

Robert Misseri, president of Paws of War and a previous Patriot Award winner, called Erika’s recognition “well deserved,” saying, “A great patriot lost his life, and it’s important to honor the fight to keep what he started alive.”

Attendees at the event echoed that sentiment. “It’s sad her husband is not here,” one guest said, “but if anybody deserves it, she definitely does.”

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