From mourning to mission: TIME recognizes Erika Kirk among 100 most influential rising stars

By Hannah Nightingale | The Post Millennial

"Now raising two young children without her husband, what Erika Kirk models to America’s political leadership is the strength of resilience and grace."

Erika Kirk, the widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and new CEO of the nationwide conservative organization, has been named one of TIME’s 100 “most influential rising stars” in the world.

Kirk is listed under the “Leaders” category alongside figures like White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), and journalist Bari Weiss, among others.

Kirk’s entry in the list noted her forgiveness for her husband’s killer, which was issued at his memorial service held just 11 days after Charlie Kirk was assassinated during a stop at Utah Valley University.

“Few would have faulted Erika Kirk if she had stood before tens of thousands at her husband’s memorial and demanded retribution. Instead, 11 days after Charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking at a university, his 36-year-old widow offered something rare in today’s politics: forgiveness,” TIME wrote.

Kirk told the crowd at the memorial service held in Arizona, “I forgive him because it was what Christ did and is what Charlie would do.” She added, “The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the Gospel is love and always love.”

TIME wrote that her comments at the service “may frame the future of the organization her husband launched as a teen and built into a political powerhouse mobilizing young conservatives across the country.”

The entry concluded, “Now raising two young children without her husband, what Erika Kirk models to America’s political leadership is the strength of resilience and grace.”

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