Congresswoman Joyce Beatty’s Statement: Voting NO on H. Res. 719 on Charlie Kirk

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) issued the following statement aftervoting NO on H. Res. 719, a resolution honoring the legacy of Charlie Kirk:

"I condemn in the strongest possible terms all forms of political violence. The assassination of Charlie Kirk was a horrible act of violence. Earlier this summer we witnessed the assassination of Minnesota state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark. We must be united in rejecting all acts of violence, no matter our race, creed, or political party.

At the same time, I cannot ignore the legacy Mr. Kirk left behind. He leveled insults against Jews, Muslims, immigrants, women and the intellectual capacity of Black women. He denounced the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as a 'mistake' and said that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an 'awful' man. He called Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson a 'diversity hire' saying she wasn't qualified to serve on the court despite her judicial experience exceeding the combined record of several sitting justices when they were confirmed.

The end of your story does not change the chapters you wrote. How you leave this world does not erase how you lived in it. I can grieve the tragedy without celebrating the legacy. H.R. 719 introduced to honor Charlie Kirk's legacy is not about healing or promoting unity within our country. It is, unfortunately, an attempt to legitimize Kirk's worldview - a worldview that stands against everything I believe in. While I cannot in good conscience support a resolution that celebrated Mr. Kirk's legacy, I did support Congressman Marc Veasey's resolution condemning all forms of political violence. This resolution calls for accountability, unity, and civil discourse, values that strengthen our democracy and honor the sacrifices of those who have fought for justice and equality.

As James Baldwin reminds us, "We can disagree and still love each other, unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist." This is more than a moral imperative; it is a call to action. To remain silent in the face of racism is to allow injustice to thrive. To speak out is to affirm our shared humanity and to bend the arc of history toward justice.

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