Before Turning Point USA Founder and CEO Charlie Kirk was killed at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, he was scheduled to appear on the University of Mississippi campus for “The American Comeback Tour” on Oct. 29. According to Ole Miss TPUSA and Kirk’s wife, Erika, the tour stop at UM will proceed on the scheduled date at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion, but the featured speaker has not been announced.
Ole Miss TPUSA President and junior public policy leadership major Lesley Lachman did not share information about the Oct. 29 event’s featured speaker, but she offered her enthusiasm about what is in store.
“We are really excited for the future of Turning Point Ole Miss,” Lachman said to The Daily Mississippian. “We have a lot (planned). I think that the (national organization has) provided extraordinary support, as well as social media influencers, social media presences reaching out to us directly. I think that’s been overwhelming, and we’re just trying to sort it the way it is. But we definitely do see a huge speaker in the future.”
The university has not indicated any change in plans associated with the TPUSA tour stop after Kirk’s death.
“The safety and well-being of our campus community is always our top priority,” Director of News and Media Relations for UM Jacob Batte said. “While we cannot share specific security measures for safety reasons, university police work closely with event organizers and public safety officials to uphold a safe and secure campus environment.”
The Daily Mississippian reached out to the University Police Department on Tuesday but did not receive a response before this story was published.
In the wake of Kirk’s death, UM conservative student organizations have hosted gatherings to honor him and decide their next steps.
On Tuesday evening, students gathered in Student Union Room 323 for the first official Ole Miss TPUSA meeting of the academic year. Many gathered in clusters outside the room before their first time attending one of the organization’s events.
Freshman journalism major Sam Curry was more emboldened to attend Ole Miss TPUSA meetings in solidarity after Kirk’s death.
“I grew up in a red family, and politics has intrigued me since the 2016 election,” Curry said. “I looked into it before I came here, obviously before the incident. But I wanted to show up, be a part of it. And it’s something I’ve always been excited for.”
Like others in attendance, Curry was personally affected by Kirk’s death, having been invested in Kirk’s faith and advocacy for free speech.
“It’s a terrible tragedy, and I was really upset about it,” Curry said. “I was on the verge of tears, honestly, not because I knew him but because growing up interested in politics, it made me upset. I kind of looked up to the guy. I obviously didn’t believe in all his ideas, but he was just open to speaking his opinion. He was a big Christian, and that’s something I strive to become. I think he was shot voicing his opinion on stuff, and I think that’s messed up.”
The impact of Kirk’s faith has been a key focus for the Ole Miss TPUSA chapter. The Tuesday meeting began with prepared statements from the organization’s two advisers, UM Professor of Geology and Geological Engineering Gregg Davidson and Lucian Minor Chair of Accountancy and Associate Professor Victoria Dickinson, who spoke extensively on this topic after opening with a group prayer.
“As most of you know, I should say Charlie was not a conservative who happened to also be a Christian. His faith was the most important way of his life,” Davidson said at the Tuesday meeting. “It was integral in everything he did, as reflected remarkably in a question that was posed to him very recently, where he was asked, ‘What do you want to be remembered for?’ And he did not say, ‘For building a national organization with hundreds of employees and thousands of volunteers.’ He did not say, ‘For becoming a household name in politics.’ He did not say, ‘For getting a president (re-elected).’ He said that ‘I would be remembered for being courageous for my faith.’”
Dickinson extended the emphasis on Kirk’s faith to how those in attendance should act after his death.
“So the world is watching us, right? Everyone’s watching us,” Dickinson said. “We see all of the videos where people are misbehaving, and we’re going to rise to be better than what we’re seeing. Let’s show them how to go forward with the full faith and confidence in our Lord, just as Charlie would have wanted us to do.”
These sentiments were a continuation of those expressed at Sunday night’s vigil for Kirk at the Circle, at which students prayed, sang hymns and listened to speakers who referenced numerous Bible verses as they sought to tie Kirk’s work to the gospel.
Kirk often spoke publicly about his faith at events on college campuses, at various conferences and on social media.
In an email describing the vigil, which was a collaboration of Ole Miss College Republicans, Rebels for Life, Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) and Ole Miss TPUSA, UM’s YAF chapter described the vigil as “a powerful and uplifting event for our campus community” at which students showed “support not only for Charlie and his family but also for one another.”
Isaiah Goss, a senior public policy leadership, spoke passionately at the vigil. He reflected on the vigil’s purpose and attendance.
“We didn’t know how big it was going to be. We just wanted to do something, and we knew that, most importantly, we just wanted to honor Charlie — and his mission was to share Jesus,” Goss said.
Despite the presence of prayer, Davidson stated, TPUSA is not an exclusively religious organization.
“Turning Point was never intended by Charlie or the team that he established to be exclusive to those that are professing Christian faith,” Davidson said to those gathered at the Tuesday meeting. “If you value conservative principles, if you desire a return to the foundational principles of our founding fathers, or if you’re just curious about all of this and learning more, or whether you’re from any race or nation on Earth, you will find a place of acceptance here.”
In an address to those in attendance, Lachman spoke of the political legacy left by Kirk, which served the central purpose for the organization.
“This is the Gen Z wave of conservatism — that’s why you’re in this room,” Lachman said. “That’s what we’re going to continue, and that’s the legacy left behind that we’re going to continue to push every day. On the campus of Ole Miss, I’d say it’s traditionally conservative, but I’d say as college campuses move, we want to continue that passion. We want to bring that forward. There will be pushback, always, but now more than ever, the push is on, the game is on and the red wave is rising.”
Ole Miss TPUSA saw recent events as an opportunity to embolden their causes.
“Now, there’s a little bit of a challenge in America with this idea of brainwashing our generation and thinking that the liberal way is the way to go, but that has been proven wrong,” Lachman said. “And if this recent death didn’t prove that, I don’t know what did.”
Davidson tapped into this narrative by offering a perspective on faculty political stances.
“Probably many of you have experienced that faculty are largely leftist and hostile towards your beliefs,” Davidson said.
Ole Miss TPUSA and students with newfound interest in the organization mourn Kirk’s loss and look forward to the chapter’s future. Sophomore finance major Chris Troy shared in this somber optimism.
“I think they’re doing a great job, and I’m really looking forward to this next year,” Troy said. “I think that what happened last week and all the events recently are going to be a catalyst for a lot of great things in the future. It’s really unfortunate that that’s how it happened, but I think a lot of good is going to come from such a tragic thing.”
Having witnessed this recent growth, Lachman agreed.
“I’d say this is a movement, and Charlie’s death only made people realize that they want to be more involved,” Lachman said.
