URBANA – Standing in a circle with American flags in one hand and phone flashlights in the other, more than 80 people bowed their heads and prayed, mourning Charlie Kirk’s death on South Quad at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Thursday night.
Some of the attendees wore MAGA and 47 hats, some in shirts with “Jesus Saves” or “Jesus Loves You.”
Born in Arlington Heights, Charlie Kirk built a career as a conservative political activist and debater, becoming a prominent leader for Republican youth.
On Wednesday, he was shot and killed on the campus of Utah Valley University. At the time Kirk was conducting one of his debate sessions with students as part of “The American Comeback” tour. Kirk was famous for the provocative nature of his debate with college students.
On Friday morning, President Donald Trump told FOX News that the suspect in the killing had been caught.
Last spring, Kirk visited the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. On Thursday night, on the same campus, students and community members shared their anecdotes and stories, to pray and to express their gratitude for Kirk.
Megan Sapp, a political science major, said Kirk inspired her to speak her truth and be fearless when it comes to freedom of speech.
“Being in the political science department, I realize that it’s a heavily liberal society that we’re functioning in, and I’ve honestly been quite scared to express my opinions: I stay quiet in class, I don’t express my face to people because I’m scared for what they’ll think of me,” Sapp said. “But Charlie really inspired me to say, you know what, how could I? How could I be afraid of doing something that God wants me to do? How could I be afraid of expressing my faith? How could I be afraid of the freedom of free speech when it is my right to speak my mind?”
As she started talking about Kirk’s death, Sapp began sobbing. She said how isolated she felt in her grief when she first heard about the shooting in class.
“We just knew that he had been shot, and the first thing somebody said was… ‘Did they do a good job?’ And that hurt so bad,” Sapp said. “I sat through the rest of that class just feeling grief over the moment.
“All I could think about was the poor daughter who just ran to her father when she heard a loud noise, and she’ll never be able to hug him again, she’ll never be able to see him, to be comforted by him, and all I could think of was my own father and how much I wanted to hug him.”
Among the attendees was a Chinese international student, David. He did not want to share his last name for fear of retribution. It was supposed to be his first general Turning Point USA meeting, but it turned out to be a vigil.
“I just happened to stumble upon a newsletter, which said there will be a meeting here,” David said. “But I did not expect the tragedy to happen one day prior to this event.”
An undeclared freshman at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. David came to the vigil to share what role Kirk played in his life.
“He symbolized the torch to burn away the lies, the propaganda that communists spread,” David said. “It’s about the truth about God, not about lies and delusions.”
The vigil was organized by Turning Point USA’s U of I chapter. The University of Illinois Police Department had a visible presence, actively patrolling the area and walking around the South Quad.
The vigil was peaceful and didn’t face any counterprotest.
Aidan Coleman, a Parkland College student, was one of the people who prepared their speech. He said it is crucial for all political parties to unite in times like this.
“I definitely want the country to come together and be unified again, because the amount of divide and hatred on both sides is very tragic,” Coleman said. “I hope that both parties and independents, everyone, no matter political belief, can come together and denounce political violence and violence of any kind because no one deserves this sort of death.
“If this were Hasan Piker or Destiny or any other left-wing influencer, I would have still come because free speech should not be suppressed with violence, no matter who says it.”
As mourning continues, and national news heats up, a new question comes up among conservative youth: Who is going to be the next Charlie Kirk?
“There was nobody like Charlie Kirk, you know, like Turning Point USA, doing what he did,” said Finn McIntosh, a U of I sophomore and the president of Illini Republicans. “There’s objectively a huge gap like who is going to fill that gap. There’s people from all ages, you know, all parts of the country who are following Charlie, and…they’re looking for who’s who’s going to be the next, you know, not Charlie Kirk, but who’s going to be the next leader.”
Turning Point USA’s Illini chapter announced that they will remain active and continue their work and Kirk’s legacy.
