2022 HOPE Banquet Keynote Speaker
KATHY BARNETTE
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Pregnant from a rape at the age of 11, Kathy Barnette's mother chose life for her baby daughter because she recognized that her life mattered. And when given that precious gift of life, Kathy became determined to not just survive, but thrive! Growing up on a pig farm in rural Alabama, she learned the value of hard work and the importance of never allowing yourself to be a victim. She served for 10 years in the Armed Forces Reserves where she was accepted into Officer Candidate School. She's a former adjunct Professor of Corporate Finance and a Conservative political commentator who has appeared on numerous cable news shows. She sat on the board of a pregnancy crisis center for five years and worked with two major financial firms in corporate America. She's the author of the book "Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain: Being Black and Conservative in America" and she recently ran in the highly competitive Pennsylvania Primary for the soon-to-be-open U.S. Senate seat.
Kathy defied tremendous odds in her most recent campaign for the open U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania. Going up against an unprecedented smear campaign and big money, she ran a formidable race and surged in the last few days. Having spent less than $2 million to run her entire campaign, Kathy was in a statistical tie for 1st place and ultimately secured over 330,000-PLUS Pennsylvanians’ votes. She is a veteran, a former adjunct professor of corporate finance, a conservative political commentator, an author, a proud wife and mother of two great children!
Kathy said, “Towards the end of this latest chapter in my life a subtle, but reoccurring truth began to crystalize: this part of my journey was not just about me. The beautiful people of Pennsylvania are just as much a part of my story as I am. We were on the road for 13 months, eventually traveling more than 1,500 miles a week towards the end of the campaign. We accomplished a lot. We did a lot, and we did it better than most…and cheaper than all of them. I could not have done half of it without Pennsylvanians coming alongside me, behind me and, at times, in front of me leading the way into and through some murky political spaces. If you mention a county, I see faces. I remember their stories. I see their eyes, their joys, and their stresses. “I Am You, Pennsylvania,” was more than just a spiffy campaign slogan to me. It was true.”
Appearing regularly on national TV and radio, Kathy’s first book “Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain: Being Black and Conservative in America” explains why liberal policies have failed the black community time and time again – and will fail the larger American community as Democrats rush to the hard Left of the party.
Kathy did not look at a spreadsheet to learn about poverty. She did not read a book to understand overcoming great obstacles. Reflecting over the last few days of her campaign, Kathy said “One of the many lessons that should have been learned is that I embellished absolutely nothing about my life’s journey. Everything I’ve said about myself is true. Not one jot or tittle was ever inflated. I’ve lived an extraordinary life—and I still am. I’ve overcome some formidable obstacles to be who I am today. I’ve worked very hard to learn, to grow, and to create a happy and successful life for my family.” Having grown up on a pig farm in southern Alabama, Kathy was raised in a home with no insulation, no running water, an outhouse in the back and a well on the side. Kathy went on to become the first in her family to attend and finish college. She served her country proudly for ten years in the Miliary Reserves Forces, where she was accepted into Officer Candidate School. She worked in the financial industry, corporate America, as an adjunct professor of corporate finance, authored her first book and has now run a highly competitive senatorial campaign.
In 2020, Kathy entered into the world of politics for the first time when she decided to run against the entrenched incumbent in the 4th Congressional District of Pennsylvania. After coming out of the quarantine, Kathy only had four months to run her race. In a D+ 9 district, she inspired many and raised over $1 million, with an average donation of $55. She also outperformed then-President Trump among Democrats.
Perhaps her most cherished opportunity to date, besides being a wife, is the ability to have homeschooled her two children. They finished their 6th year of homeschooling in 2020.
Kathy defied tremendous odds in her most recent campaign for the open U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania. Going up against an unprecedented smear campaign and big money, she ran a formidable race and surged in the last few days. Having spent less than $2 million to run her entire campaign, Kathy was in a statistical tie for 1st place and ultimately secured over 330,000-PLUS Pennsylvanians’ votes. She is a veteran, a former adjunct professor of corporate finance, a conservative political commentator, an author, a proud wife and mother of two great children!
Kathy said, “Towards the end of this latest chapter in my life a subtle, but reoccurring truth began to crystalize: this part of my journey was not just about me. The beautiful people of Pennsylvania are just as much a part of my story as I am. We were on the road for 13 months, eventually traveling more than 1,500 miles a week towards the end of the campaign. We accomplished a lot. We did a lot, and we did it better than most…and cheaper than all of them. I could not have done half of it without Pennsylvanians coming alongside me, behind me and, at times, in front of me leading the way into and through some murky political spaces. If you mention a county, I see faces. I remember their stories. I see their eyes, their joys, and their stresses. “I Am You, Pennsylvania,” was more than just a spiffy campaign slogan to me. It was true.”
Appearing regularly on national TV and radio, Kathy’s first book “Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain: Being Black and Conservative in America” explains why liberal policies have failed the black community time and time again – and will fail the larger American community as Democrats rush to the hard Left of the party.
Kathy did not look at a spreadsheet to learn about poverty. She did not read a book to understand overcoming great obstacles. Reflecting over the last few days of her campaign, Kathy said “One of the many lessons that should have been learned is that I embellished absolutely nothing about my life’s journey. Everything I’ve said about myself is true. Not one jot or tittle was ever inflated. I’ve lived an extraordinary life—and I still am. I’ve overcome some formidable obstacles to be who I am today. I’ve worked very hard to learn, to grow, and to create a happy and successful life for my family.” Having grown up on a pig farm in southern Alabama, Kathy was raised in a home with no insulation, no running water, an outhouse in the back and a well on the side. Kathy went on to become the first in her family to attend and finish college. She served her country proudly for ten years in the Miliary Reserves Forces, where she was accepted into Officer Candidate School. She worked in the financial industry, corporate America, as an adjunct professor of corporate finance, authored her first book and has now run a highly competitive senatorial campaign.
In 2020, Kathy entered into the world of politics for the first time when she decided to run against the entrenched incumbent in the 4th Congressional District of Pennsylvania. After coming out of the quarantine, Kathy only had four months to run her race. In a D+ 9 district, she inspired many and raised over $1 million, with an average donation of $55. She also outperformed then-President Trump among Democrats.
Perhaps her most cherished opportunity to date, besides being a wife, is the ability to have homeschooled her two children. They finished their 6th year of homeschooling in 2020.
The HOPE Center was founded by People for People in 2009 to provide counseling support and services for women, men, and their families facing unexpected pregnancies.
