Memorials for activist Charlie Kirk are planned at Miami University and the University of Cincinnati Sept 16.
Vigils have been happening around the country in the wake of the Sept. 10 fatal shooting of Kirk in Utah. Kirk’s non-profit, Turning Point USA, has a presence at over 3,500 universities, according to its website.
Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, U.S. Sen. Jon Husted and Attorney General Dave Yost all spoke at a vigil in Columbus Sunday.
Most vigils have been peaceful, but some videos have gone viral of racist groups demonstrating in Kirk’s memory. Videos from a march in Los Angeles show masked individuals chanting, “White man. Fight back.”
Several vigils have already been held in the Greater Cincinnati region including a Clermont County event in Union Township that drew hundreds of people, according to social media posts.
The Miami University chapter announced its memorial on its Instagram page, which has over 900 followers, saying that Kirk’s assassination was devasting, but would not stop the movement Kirk started.
“This is country is not so much divided by Republicans and Democrats anymore, it’s divided by those who love the United States of America and those who seek to destroy it,” chapter president Cooper LeMaster said in video on the post. “We need you to join us in this battle for our country.”
The Miami University event is scheduled for Sept. 16 at 8 p.m. at the Farmer School of Business.
The University of Cincinnati event is scheduled at 8 p.m. on Sept. 16 on campus at the Bearcat Commons.
On campuses across the country, Turning Point USA has promoted conservative causes. The nonprofit states its mission is to “restore traditional American values like patriotism, respect for life, liberty, family, and fiscal responsibility.”
More events for Kirk are planned. On Sept. 17, Kentucky Rep. TJ Roberts is hosting a candlelight vigil at Burlington Commons in Boone County at 8 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Charlie Kirk vigils in Ohio planned at UC and Miami University