Turning Point USA of LU held a prayer vigil Sept. 10 on the steps of the Montview Student Union to mourn and honor the organization’s late founder, Charlie Kirk.
Hundreds of Liberty students gathered to pray for Kirk’s family and the political climate of America.
The conservative political activist and social media personality, Kirk, was fatally shot at Utah Valley University Sept. 10, while speaking to students on campus.
Kennedy Whetzel, the president of Liberty’s chapter of Turning Point USA, spoke about the impact Kirk has made not only on Liberty’s campus, but throughout the U.S.
“This is a very tough time for all of us … He did a lot for our country; he did a lot for our students. We will continue to blaze the path that he wanted us all to go down. All the wonderful things that he brought to us, we are going to continue to pursue and promote,” said Whetzel.
A representative for TPUSA of LU, Emily DeYoung, shared Psalm 46 with students, which was the same Psalm that Kirk’s wife, Erika, shared on X on the morning of his death.
The news of Kirk’s death affected students across Liberty’s campus. Freshman Gavin Holmes said he was at marching band practice when the news broke. He said their director paused practice and informed the team of the incident.
“It made me angry that this is the world that we live in, but I know Charlie is home, I know he is with God now,” Holmes said.
Holmes said it was hard to describe the way he felt in that moment of learning of his death.
“It is hard to know that someone looked at that man and wanted to take his life away because they thought it would make things better,” Holmes said.
Sophomore Rebekah Parrish said she has followed Kirk’s work for years and that it was shocking to hear about the tragedy.
“It was just a reflection of how low society really is. We think that we are doing a lot better, and then something like this happens,” Parrish said.
Although this event has shattered many hearts, Parrish said she knows God is ultimately in control and Kirk’s death was not in vain.
“I hope that people will realize this is an attempt to attack Christians, attack our political viewpoints and attack conservatives. I hope they will realize we have God on our side, and I hope this brings peace,” Parrish said.
Riden is the on-campus news editor for the Liberty Champion.