Hero of the Week: July 15, 2024: Kelli O'Connor
Kelli O’Connor is Hero of the Week for her dedication to taking action in her local community in Sevier County, Tennessee. We admire her support of state and local efforts to protect children and public education.
Catherine met Kelli when she and her organization, Empowered Sevier, helped organize a Freedom Fest last July in east Tennessee. When they met, Kelli explained that she homeschools her children and wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. The Tennessee Conservative tells the story of how that changed:
“Kelli O’Connor was sidelined by the Sevier County School system when she inquired about objectionable instructional materials that were being pushed in elementary classes. At one point, she and other parents were sequestered to a room in the school system central office where a school administrator controlled a computer that carefully revealed education materials that had been sought in a records request. Another records inquiry was held up by school officials demanding $2226.00 before it could be released…. O’Connor was the wrong person to be sidelined and dismissed by the school system. As a result, she founded Empowered Sevier, a grassroots organization of civic-minded people who refuse to settle for being dismissed by their own government.”
Kelli has addressed her local school board powerfully and effectively. If you want to learn how to do this, too, check out Corey Lynn’s great piece for us, “How to Challenge a School Board in 3-5 Minutes.”
Kelli’s story of taking action locally demonstrates how each of us can decide to do something and make an important difference—especially when we turn off the TV and the presidential show and go to work on the nuts and bolts that turn around the real machinery. In the interview linked below, Kelli tells how she got involved; it will inspire you to realize that you can, too. And you can do it with grace, wit, and style, just as Kelli does.
There is a reason so many people are attracted to the culture and life in Tennessee. Kelli O’Connor is fighting for our culture and the values we treasure, and we are deeply grateful to her for it.
Related:
Kelli O’Connor with Empowered Sevier (Charles Cook Podcast)
Conservatives Hold Summit in Sevier County to Address Urgent Issues