‘We can still see the legacy he built:’ Charlie Kirk remembered at TPUSA event at UVU year after his death
-
- A Charlie Kirk statue is unveiled Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, at the UCCU Center in Orem.
-
- Michael Knowles speaks during a night of remembrance for Charlie Kirk on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, at the UCCU Center in Orem.
-
- Frank Turek speaks during a night of remembrance for Charlie Kirk on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, at the UCCU Center in Orem.
-
- Turning Point USA UVU chapter president Sage Lloyd speaks during a night of remembrance for Charlie Kirk on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, at the UCCU Center in Orem.
-
- A Charlie Kirk statue is unveiled Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, at the UCCU Center in Orem.
-
- Students are honored during a night of remembrance for Charlie Kirk on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, at the UCCU Center in Orem.
-
- Attendees of a night of remembrance for Charlie Kirk applaud on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, at the UCCU Center in Orem.
-
- A Charlie Kirk statue is unveiled Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, at the UCCU Center in Orem.
-
- The site where Charlie Kirk was shot is pictured Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, at Utah Valley University in Orem.
One year after Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University, the organization he started returned to the Orem campus Thursday.
A crowd of 5,000 inside the UCCU Center, many wearing America the Beautiful hats, listened to speakers at a night of remembrance to honor Kirk’s memory.
The event acted at times like a political rally and at others like a worship service, as TPUSA members and other conservative pundits highlighted Kirk’s faith and beliefs and assured his supporters that the work he started will continue to move forward.
“So why do we gather here in this arena on this day on this campus?” asked Turning Point USA’s Chief Field Officer Andrew Sypher. “Because this is where they tried to end it, and because this is where we refuse to let the last word be a gunshot.
“Charlie’s assassination did not put our faith to death. It woke it up. We cannot see Charlie in that courtyard anymore. We can still see the legacy he built. We can still see the millions of students and Americans inspired by him. We can still see the country he refused to quit on.”
UVU’s campus closed to students and faculty Thursday. In its place were constant reminders of the violent act that occurred on Sept. 10, 2025. SWAT teams were seen heavily armed, patrolling the exterior of the UCCU Center. Bomb-sniffing dogs walked the campus. Entrants to the Kirk memorial event entered through a security checkpoint.
Tension persisted in the political discourse. Social media was flooded Thursday both with tributes to Kirk and comments critical of him.
Those who opposed his message, including a small handful of people who stood outside the UCCU Center in protest Thursday, said he was an intolerant person who promoted hatred. His followers consider him a disciple of Christ, someone who was an advocate for conservative Christian values and promoted respectful political engagement.
Those who knew Kirk said his goal wasn’t to sow division but to connect with individuals.
UVU chapter president Sage Lloyd said she used to have different political beliefs but was drawn to Kirk because of his willingness to stand up for free speech and encourage listening and learning.
“He was not afraid of disagreement,” she said. “He believed that ideas should be challenged, that conversations needed to be had, and that people were capable of changing their minds. And somewhere along the way, Charlie’s mission awakened something in the next generation.”
Added TPUSA Utah Field Rep. Caleb Chilcutt: “Charlie Kirk stood for the simplest of things, giving people respect. Every debate, every interview, every interaction.”
Kirk traveled from Arizona to Utah one year ago to do what his followers said he enjoyed most: being on the ground, speaking to students about the issues they faced face-to-face.
En route to UVU he asked Sypher, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, several questions about the state’s culture and how he could support the students at UVU. Sypher said Kirk told him his goal was to walk into the UVU courtyard, show kindness, share truth, and not become cruel doing it.
“He loved the student standing in front of him more than he did winning the viral clip,” he said.
What was expected to be a celebratory day for TPUSA as it kicked off the “American Comeback Tour” quickly turned into a nightmare when Kirk was shot in the neck and later pronounced dead at Timpanogos Hospital.
The act of violence, in defiant opposition to what his followers said Kirk stood for, put Turning Point in a difficult place.
Lloyd said students “witnessed something that none of us should have ever had to witness” and that the incident brought grief, fear and other hardships to students. She said chapter members now walk around with a knowledge that their beliefs can paint a target on their backs.
She said the response has been to follow Kirk in showing courage.
“This chapter stands together,” she said. “We stand together because we believe that fear cannot be allowed to decide who gets to speak. All of us have a choice in how we allow what happened a year ago to shape us. We can let it define us through fear, or we can let it strengthen us through courage.”
One aspect of courage, Chilcutt said, is showing restraint. In the wake of the tragedy, he said he saw Kirk’s supporters not use the tragedy as an excuse to dehumanize their enemies — acting like Kirk would have. Chilcutt called on people to continue that.
“If we leave this event having only mourned and not having recommitted to arguing our case without dehumanizing the people on the other side of it, we will have missed the point of standing here at all,” he said. “So here’s the charge, not just to Turning Point members, but to everyone in this building. Disagree as hard as you want. Fight for what you believe to be true, but at the same time, show the same respect that Charlie fought for.”
