Students remember, honor Charlie Kirk with vigil

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlie Kirk’s conservative message found followers on hundreds of campuses across the U.S., including in North Carolina.

Kirk founded Turning Point USA, which had more than 800 college chapters, according to the organization’s website. 

Friday, Turning Point USA UNC Charlotte chapter president Matthew Kingsley was keeping up with the arrest of the suspect accused of killing Kirk.

“It was hard because I was literally just in a video with this guy two months ago. And I was like, wow, why would anybody do this?” Kingsley said.

The sophomore participated in a video with Kirk this summer and met him seven times after he started college.

“He loved his family more than anybody I know, as he would say: God, family, country. That’s an important statement for me as well,” Kingsley said. 

The assassination of Kirk shook Kingsley.

“It was very heartbreaking,” Kingsley said. “Even outside of the politics, just being a great father, his faith, that’s something that’s very respectable, no matter who you are. So when you, when you lose somebody like that, even if you didn’t personally know them … it still hurts.”

Kirk’s personality was Kingsley’s main draw to join the conservative movement he describes as pro-America and pro-free speech.  

“He was brave enough to come to campuses across the country and just talk with us. We didn’t see anybody else doing that. We didn’t see anybody coming to universities to talk about liberal issues,” Kingsley said. 

These interactions also left a mark on Jewish student Rachel Rubin, UNC Charlotte Turning Point USA’s vice president. 

“I was a big Charlie Kirk fan. Not for the reason that I believed in everything. He believed there were multiple things that I have extremely different viewpoints with him about. And I think that’s the beauty about what he talks about is he created a platform to have conversation,” Rubin said. 

She said she was devastated by his killing.

“When conversation stops, violence starts and that was the big thing that Charlie would say all the time and I think that that message spoke to me more than anything, because in a time where people aren’t willing to have conversations, as we just saw, it’s now more than ever,” Rubin said.

Friday afternoon, the group held a prayer vigil in honor of Kirk.

“The violence that took him from us is senseless, and it leaves a hole that words can’t fill,” Kingsley told the crowd during the vigil.

Students held hands during a prayer. 

Since Kirk’s death, they said the group has doubled in size to 40. 

“I think we lost a light. I don’t think our story is over,” Rubin said. “Turning Point Charlotte is not going anywhere, and we are here to continue Charlie’s legacy.”

His legacy included engaging young conservatives, a mission Kingsley plans to continue.

“I’m going to encourage conservative voters to vote, encourage Gen Z to vote, because at the end of the day, it’s our voice that matters,” Kingsley said. 

In addition, he encouraged students who disagree with Kirk’s views to engage in conversations with the group. 

Turning Point USA holds voter registration events on campus and brings conservative speakers to talk to students. He said the chapter is open to everyone, not just Christians.