The “This is The Turning Point Tour” is made a stop in Norman Thursday night, just more than a month after Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at a college campus event in Utah.
Among the speakers scheduled at the University of Oklahoma’s Lloyd Noble Center were Russell Brand, Savannah Chrisley, and Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt.
Below is a recap of Governor Sitt’s speech, which was the first speech of the event.
“What a great opportunity to celebrate the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk,” Stitt said.
The Governor said the crowd in Norman should be proud for filling the Lloyd Noble Center. The event was moved there after the original venue, the McCasland Fieldhouse, sold out quickly.
“Just look around,” Stitt said, “Look around the room for just a second, and it’s filled with students who are committed to Godly, conservative principles.”
Stitt said Charlie Kirk would have been proud of the Turning Point USA Chapter at the University of Oklahoma in Norman.
The crowd answered with chants of “Boomer! Sooner!”
“Think about the people that are in your life,” Stitt challenged the crowd, “Are they drawing you closer to the Lord?”
Stitt recounted the Biblical story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the 3 who refused to bow to an idol when Babylonian leaders threatened to throw them into the fire. Stitt encouraged the crowd to stand up for their beliefs.
Stitt also urged the crowd to live life “in community.”
“I want you to fight isolation in your generation. Find friends who are running after God,” Stitt said.
“All of you in this room are deciding what you want your future to be,” the Governor said.
Stitt said when he was in college, his mentor encouraged him to write down 50 lifetime goals. One of these, he said, was to become the Governor of Oklahoma.
“It just seemed too big,” Stitt said, “So I erased it, and wrote ‘have dinner with the Governor.’ Now I get to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner with the Governor,” he joked, as the crowd applauded.
“20 years later, that dream came back alive in my heart. But I was so scared,” Stitt said.
He then encouraged the crowd to follow the dreams that God put in their hearts.
“I want to challenge you to go after bold things,” Stitt said, “We remember Charlie Kirk because he stood for something. We remember President Trump for his boldness.”
The Governor praised President Trump’s involvement in a ceasefire and hostage turnover between Israel and Hamas earlier this month.
He said now is the time for the young people in the crowd to decide what they will fight for.
“You don’t wake up at 30 and decide to be bold,” Sitt said.
Stitt wove another Bible story, the one of Caleb and Joshua, through his speech. The two are lauded in the Bible for their commitment to the Lord, leading them to the Promised Land in the Old Testament. Stitt encouraged the crowd to also be faithful.
“You can change the trajectory of this university, and of our nation, if you reject passivity and choose boldness,” Stitt said, “It’s what Charlie would have wanted you to do.”
“No dream is out of reach and no dream is dead until you give up,” the Governor said.
Governor Stitt closed his speech with a prayer, asking God to give everyone in the crowd an “eternal perspective.”
“I’ll leave you with this: I’m so proud to be an American, but I thank God every day that I’m an Oklahoman,” Stitt said as he left the stage.
Thursday’s even was hosted by which is hosted by OU’s Turning Point USA chapter. University officials told News 9 that multiple campus units, including the OU Police Department and the FBI, were involved in preparing for the event.
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