The University Where Charlie Kirk Was Killed Is Seeking Input From The Public On Memorial Ideas
At 12:23 p.m. on September 10, the influential 31-year-old conservative Charlie Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA, was shot while addressing students at Utah Valley University.
Two hours later, Charlie was declared dead.
Since then, vigils have been held on campus, as well as across the nation.
On Sunday, September 21, the university announced it had created a committee to develop a memorial for Charlie Kirk.
Dubbed the UVU Memorial Committee, the university said the committee will include students and community stakeholders.
The university said it “has received an outpouring of support, ideas and suggestions regarding a memorial from students, faculty, staff, the community, local and national business leaders, and elected officials.”
Serving as co-chairs of the UVU Memorial Committee are Scott M. Smith, UVU Board of Trustees chair and Qualtrics co-founder; and Amanda Covington, Utah Board of Higher Education chair.
“As a committee, we will listen to community voices and carefully consider the many perspectives surrounding this memorial,” said Covington. “This is an important process, and we are committed to approaching it with thoughtfulness and respect.”
This was affirmed by the university, which stated, “[UVU] is approaching this process with care, ensuring that community input guides the memorial’s direction.”
This memorial, according to Committee Chair Smith, will be made in coordination “with state and local officials, the family of Charlie Kirk, the wider community, the Utah Board of Higher Education, UVU’s Board of Trustees,” as well as students of the university, “to develop an appropriate long-term plan.”
RELATED: Erika Kirk Shares Moving Tribute Commemorating Charlie’s First “Week In Heaven”
Utah Valley University Republicans Respond To Killing Of Charlie Kirk
Although Charlie Kirk’s American Comeback Tour had independently scheduled its visit to Utah Valley University, the campus’ Republican club did respond on social media to the killing of Charlie.
Describing Charlie as an “honorable man who never wavered in his beliefs and always stood up for true principles,” the club said, “While the pain is felt most deeply by his loved ones, our entire community and nation also mourn his passing. Charlie’s legacy lives on in the freedoms and liberties he worked so hard to defend, and it is up to us to carry on that work.”
Concluding its message, the club expressed its intent to honor and continue Charlie’s legacy, adding, “We will always be grateful for the voice he gave us, and for reminding us that we are not alone in our love for the principles that made our nation great.”
The club also shared a statement from the Utah Federation of College Republicans, which decried the killing of Charlie as “a display of political violence and censorship.”
See the full September 10 statement from the Utah Federation of College Republicans, here:
The American Comeback Tour Resumes
As directed by Charlie’s widow, the now CEO of Turning Point USA Erika Kirk, the American Comeback Tour resumed on September 22, with Michael Knowles, of The Daily Wire, hosting the event at University of Minnesota in Charlie Kirk’s stead.
Knowles has participated in events similar to Charlie’s “Prove Me Wrong” event format in the past, having participated in discussions with students on campus through his tour sponsored by the Young American’s Foundation.
See where upcoming tour stops will be, here: https://theturningpointtour.com/
Watch the first stop on the continued American Comeback Tour, which brought in a crowd of 2,000 at University of Minnesota, here:
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