On Thursday, Oct. 2, over 100 community members, faculty and students gathered at the Robinson Quad for a vigil in remembrance of the late Charlie Kirk.
The vigil began at 7:30 p.m. and was organized by Ferris’ Turning Point USA chapter. It began with people lining up to write down their feelings about what Kirk had meant to them and share some of their favorite memories. Worship and patriotic music were played, setting the intended tone of the night.
Around three weeks ago, the political commentator was assassinated at the University of Utah during a campus-wide speaking event where hundreds gathered to listen and wait for their chance to debate or speak with Kirk.
Although the vigil comes a few weeks after Kirk’s death, the sentiment that the assassination happened on a college campus still lingers in the minds of the people in the community.
Welding engineering technology freshman Andrew Strawn was hanging out with friends when they received word about the vigil. They decided to walk from their dorm as a way to pay their respects.
“It’s just the right thing to do,” Strawn said. “I personally didn’t agree with everything he said, but seeing all these people out here praying for his kids, his wife, his family is just the right thing. There’s no point in beating down on someone’s name when they are already gone.”
Around 8:00 p.m., candles were handed out to members of the audience to be lit during a moment of prayer and worship led by a pastor.
Strawn observed a clear contrast between the two groups at the vigil and felt it wasn’t the right time or place for protests. He believed the moment should have been reserved for honoring Kirk’s life, regardless of political views.
“Imagine if you were put in that situation where someone you knew, like your father, was shot and killed over something they were doing that they felt was right and believed in,” Strawn said. “The video is going to be up forever too, so I try and tell people to just really empathize, sympathize and just let the guy rest.”
While many attendees gathered to honor Kirk and share their memories, a group of students stood nearby in protest, holding signs and speaking out against what they described as the dangerous ideology Kirk promoted throughout his career.
The event quickly became more than just a memorial and became a reflection of the sharp divide Kirk’s legacy continues to spark, even after his death.
Psychology senior Rayona Charles helped organize the peaceful protest and stated the group had intentionally planned for them to make a silent presence at the vigil to show solidarity and support for Black and minority students on campus.
“We believe that his life should be celebrated, but we just feel like it should not be celebrated on our campus, where we have such a large demographic of students and so much diversity,” Charles said. “We have the LGBTQ+ community here, the Black community here, Hispanics here so that’s why we kind of are just coming out today to show that even though all of this is happening on our campus, we don’t stand for it.”
Charles described that the reason they were out there was to raise awareness about some of Kirk’s more inflammatory statements and comments that she described as racist and dismissive of DEI initiatives, which she felt like many students weren’t really aware of.
“He [Kirk] said things like school shootings were okay, or that Black people don’t have the educational standards to be doctors or teachers and that’s just not true,” Charles said. “Black excellence is real and we came out here because human rights are equal rights, and a lot of what he stood for goes against those basic human rights.”
Although both sides remained peaceful, the overwhelming tension could be felt in the air. Those attending the vigil received a candle and as the sun set, the sermon began with everyone lighting their candle.
The event grew louder as more people began to show up and represent both sides of the vigil.
Welding engineering technology freshman Tristan Stead didn’t understand the need for a protest during a time of remembrance. He reflected on the impact of Kirk’s death and the broader social tensions that have arisen.
“It never seems to evolve in this country,” Stead said. “It’s just one violent act after another. One assassination attempt followed by another and it doesn’t seem to go anywhere. We’re backstepping rather than moving forward.”
The side protesting began to get louder when the pastor began speaking. Chants began to emerge from the crowd of ‘Jesus spread love, not hate.’ As the chants echoed through the quad, Stead reflected on the difficulty of bridging such deep divides in today’s climate.
“It’s like with free speech, you can’t say whatever you want without backlash,” Stead said. “There’s one side and then there’s another, and you really need to understand those two sides of the story, but it’s difficult when you don’t really know that other side very well.”
Psychology sophomore Derek Stallworth attended the protest to show his solidarity with minority groups on campus and push back against what he described as a misrepresentation of the university’s values.
“We’re all out here today because we want to make one thing clear: not on our campus,” Stallworth said. “We can’t be celebrating someone whose values went against everything this university is built on. We won’t allow that. Not on this campus.”
As candles flickered and chants rose in the darkness, the vigil for Kirk became more than a moment of remembrance as it transitioned into a snapshot of a campus still grappling with how to coexist in an increasingly polarized world.