Sarah Mead
Staff Writer
smead@murraystate.edu
Former Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton visited Murray State on Tuesday, Feb. 25, to discuss bipartisanship and her background in politics.
The speech, joint hosted by Turning Point USA and the College Republicans, is part of a movement by conservative organizations to bring inclusivity and awareness of different political ideals onto college campuses.
Hampton began her speech highlighting her time growing up as a child in Detroit, Michigan, and her struggles to get an education. She described her childhood-self as being “obsessed with freedom,” and she saw her education as her way to escape poverty.
“I grew up in poverty,” Hampton said. “My parents divorced when I was young. My mom didn’t graduate high school, so her job prospects were limited. We grew up not having [a lot of things]. If you looked at my background, you would never imagine that I would be here in this [position].”
After putting herself through college while working in the manufacturing industry, Hampton became an officer in the U.S. Air Force. Later in her career she moved to Kentucky and started getting involved in politics.
After moving to Kentucky, Hampton became an active member in the Bowling Green Southern Kentucky Tea Party movement where she spent long hours lobbying with her local and state representatives to share her political values.
“We quickly realized that we were missing the issues that were going on in our own backyard,” Hampton said. “I started going to the city council meetings, school board meetings and attending fiscal court meetings. All those meetings are open to the public and nobody ever went.”
Her active approach with politics is what made Turning Point USA and the College Republicans want to hear her speak on campus
“She was a real inspiration for us [when] we were trying to get this group going and trying to have more events like this,” said Dakota Shuck, president of Turning Point USA. “I thought this would be a great opportunity for her to come in and be able to share her story, how she got involved into [politics]. With us, what it is about is getting people involved in politics and encouraging people to follow her lead.”
Hampton also discussed political discourse in the United States and on college campuses. She said the amount of violence and political intolerance on college campuses is frightening and she hopes things will move in the direction of respect.
“I think colleges are supposed to be the bastion of free speech and open minds,” Hampton said. “We’re seeing on a lot of other campuses that it’s not that way, unfortunately. People will show up to [a speaker], stand up and be disruptive and there’s no need for that. If you’re going to bother going, hear what he has to say and ask a respectful question.”
This sentiment was echoed by Shuck, as he said Murray’s Turning Point USA chapter is about sharing their values in an informational manner.
“I think it is very important that we all respect other opinions,” Shuck said. “Turning Point is non-partisan, although we do align more with conservative values. It’s not like the liberal presence bothers me, it’s just the fact that I want people to be informed. If they are informed of what is going on and the situation, maybe they can make different remarks from there.”
Abby Rock, president of College Republicans, said she finds it important that conservative ideals are given the same respect as liberal ideals on college campuses.
“All college campuses tend to be liberal, but we’re kind of different,” Rock said. “We’re situated in a pretty conservative area of Kentucky. That doesn’t change the fact that it’s more of a liberal university. You just have to learn how to stand up for yourself and your voices and make sure you’re heard.”
Hampton said she found it important to reach out to students about these topics. While the future often looks uncertain, she said she wanted to share her positive look on overcoming adversity.
“I think it’s really important to go out and speak to students,” Hampton said. “You have your whole life ahead of you. I just sense a lot of anxiety about [the future] and I just want to say ‘don’t sweat it, it’s all going to work out.’ It may be a different path than you planned, but there’s still opportunity. Look for those opportunities. There’s so much negativity out there, so it’s easy to get scared and a little down. I just want them to know that it’s going to be okay.”