Student organizations arranged a vigil on Monday in commemoration of Charlie Kirk at FIU’s MMC campus.
Alicia Maria Bolton, Aniela Cabrera, and Jorge Cardona | Contributory and Staff Writers
On Monday, September 15, a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk brought together “750 attendees,” according to FIU police Chief Casas. Turning Point USA FIU, Miami Young Republicans, and FIU GOP hosted the event at the Student Academic Success Center, which included students, alumni, FIU staff, and Miami-area residents.
The event had a heavy media and police presence.
Speakers included President Jeanette Nuñez, local district commissioners, and current TPUSA members, who paid tribute to conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated during an event at Utah Valley University on September 10.
At the memorial, FIU’s president delivered a speech that was met with a standing ovation. “Tonight’s vigil is more than just a remembrance of someone who inspired so many. It’s a commitment that here at FIU, and I hope college campuses and university campuses throughout the country, will double down on this commitment to discourse, to intellectual curiosity, to diversity of thought, to engaging with others, to being civil, to reaching out to someone who has a different view and understanding, listening, and learning. But let’s not fool ourselves. This is a battle between evil and goodness, darkness and light.”
“We will not allow people to glorify the political assassination, the violence that was perpetrated in Utah. It is sickening. It is disgusting,” said Nuñez.
The crowd in attendance was heavily engaged, with multiple standing ovations for different speeches, one of which ended with a “USA, USA, USA” chant. At the same time, attendees held up the FIU “paws up” sign.
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative grassroots organization, had a significant impact on many students. According to the organization’s website, its mission is “to identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government.” With over 800 college chapters and 3,200 combined high school and college chapters, Kirk’s influence extended far and wide. He gained fame through his debates on college campuses, where he addressed topics such as abortion, immigration, and free speech.
The TPUSA FIU chapter said that this was their largest event in their chapter’s history. Their previous largest event had 100 attendees. This memorial was shared across multiple social media platforms, reported on the news, and brought up on the radio.
Notable attendees
- Juan Carlos Porras – FL House dist. 119 (R)
- Omar Blanco – FL House dist. 115 (R)
- Roberto González – Miami-Dade County Commissioner (R)
- Marcos Villanueva -Commissioner of Sweetwater
- Kevin Cooper – Miami-Dade Republican Party Chairman
- Miguel Granda – Miami Young Republicans
- Tony Figueroa – President Miami Young Republicans
- Driena Sixto – Miami Young Republicans Director of Political Action
- Pastor Alex Sosa – Fellowship of Christ
Driena Sixto, a current board member of the MYR and FIU Alumni, said in her speech, “There’s so many daughters of immigrants, of Venezuelan immigrants, Cuban immigrants, immigrants that came to this country for a better life and that taught their kids the dangers of socialism and communism and the things that even though FIU is a minority majority school, the principles of freedom and liberty just grew like wildfire here.”
After the service, PantherNOW had the opportunity to interview members of the audience. Sweetwater commissioner Marcos Villanueva said, “I think now you see it’s funny, a turning point, which is the name of his organization, in our nation, where something good can come of this, and as they mentioned inside, I think Charlie Kirk is going to be a martyr for many years to come.”
A few of the speakers had the chance to meet Charlie Kirk and promised to continue his message of faith and free speech. Jose John Monzon, a recruiter for TPUSA, said, “This vigil was something very last-minute. Turning Point USA works very closely with student Republicans(FIU GOP), also. This vigil was something very emotional, very good. We worked together with student Republicans, and they helped us set this whole thing up so we couldn’t have done it without them.”
Members of the conservative community across the country, primarily those affiliated with Turning Point USA, who knew him, are actively mourning his death. Last Thursday, a reflection was held on campus, led by FIU Police Chaplains, open only to students who wanted to discuss Kirk’s life and death.
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