Vanderbilt College Republicans held a vigil in Sarratt Cinema on Sept. 17 in honor of the late Charlie Kirk, a close ally of President Trump and founder of conservative youth activist group Turning Point USA. Kirk was assassinated on Sept. 10, 2025, while speaking at Utah Valley University as part of his “American Comeback Tour.”
Members of the Vanderbilt community previously raised concerns following Kirk’s assassination about free speech and violence on college campuses. One student who attended the vigil said that after Kirk’s assassination, they could not express conservative views without receiving backlash. Some students also expressed hope to continue Kirk’s legacy.
Approximately 60 people attended the event, where American flags and candles were set out for attendees. On the stage, an American flag and a picture of Charlie Kirk were displayed beside an altar covered with candles and flowers with a cross on top.
Junior RaeAnna Morales, media director for VCR, gave opening remarks and prayed. Four students shared their reaction to Kirk’s passing, including junior Samuel Bodwell, president of VCR, who read several Bible verses. Morales then shared several quotes from Kirk, one of which expressed Kirk’s desire to be remembered for his faith. Attendees were shown a commemorative video of Kirk before being given time to leave a note, a candle, or an American flag on the altar.
“We were grateful to have the opportunity to pay our respects and honor the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk. We thank the members of the Vanderbilt community who also partook in this ceremony,” VCR said in a message to The Hustler.
Sophomore David Xiao expressed admiration for Kirk’s initiative and moral stances.
“I know not everybody agrees with him. I honestly have my share of disagreements with this activist, although I look up to the huge amount of good that he has done, but looking at the reactions, including the celebration of his death and the assassination, I think I just learned that moral decency in this age is a luxury,” Xiao said.
Audrey Swank, a first-year student, described being devastated when she learned Kirk had been shot. She said she feels that conservative views cannot be freely expressed without receiving backlash.
“I was in orchestra the whole time [the news reporting on his assassination] was happening, and then I found out after [that he had died],” Swank said. “I immediately saw people celebrating, like saying ‘fascist down,’ things like that. I knew that we just didn’t live in a place where our views are even allowed to be out there without there being a threat against us. I’ve had people at church receive death threats and attacks online.”
Junior Rob Fisher described Kirk’s death as very painful. He said he admired Kirk as a leader and as an individual and he hopes that his legacy will inspire others to continue his work.
“No one had the ability, the charisma, the infrastructural knowledge necessary to build an organization from the ground up like he did,” Fisher said. “His memory is a blessing. We can only hope that there are hundreds of thousands of us who are willing to carry that torch like he did. He understood, very uniquely, that there is really no separation from political and spiritual struggles. That it’s all about creating a more just world and contributing to what we want to see as opposed to the way we have it.”
