On the first anniversary of the passing of Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2026, thousands gathered at Utah Valley University to commemorate the late founder of Turning Point USA and the lasting impact he left on the lives of those he inspired.
The memorial featured several guest speakers who spoke about Kirk and the meaningful interactions they had with him.
Sage Lloyd, leader of Utah Valley University’s TPUSA chapter, was the first speaker at the memorial.
“A year ago, our lives changed forever. There are moments in life that divide everything into a before and an after. Before that day and after that day. And for so many of us in this room, especially those in the Utah Valley University Turning Point chapter, there will always be a before and an after,” Lloyd began.
She then noted that she and other chapter members, and conservatives in general, could have stepped away from their work in the aftermath of Kirk’s assassination. Instead, they chose to embrace their convictions with courage, and proceed with their missions in honor of him.
“We witnessed something that none of us should have ever had to witness,” Lloyd continued. “We experienced fear, grief, confusion and heartbreak in a way that changed us forever, and honestly, we had every reason to give up. We could have packed our bags, we could have stepped away. We could have decided that the cost of standing up for what we believe in was simply too high, but we did not. Because Charlie Kirk taught people that convictions are not meant to be cast aside when things get difficult… Charlie Kirk may have been one man, but what he built will never end with just one man. He may never pick up the microphone again, but the millions of voices he inspired will never put theirs down. His voice may have been silenced, but the ideas he planted in so many hearts cannot be.”
TPUSA Chief Field Officer Andrew Sypher spoke on his history with Kirk, which began over a decade ago in the early years of the organization.
“Steps from these doors, is the ground where evil unfolded. We did not come back to rehearse a crime scene. We came back because Charlie Kirk represented the best of us. He was a husband, father, a God-fearing man who never stopped leading by example. Successful, yes. But that is the least important true thing about him tonight. He loved this country, unmistakably. And he loved the student standing in front of him, more than he did winning the viral clip.”
Students mattered deeply to Kirk, Sypher emphasized.
“The intern, the chapter leader, the student who drove three hours and stood in the back. That is who he was when nobody was filming. That is who he was to me. Every single day. Even his last,” he said.
Daily Wire contributor Michael Knowles elaborated on the incredulity he initially felt, and still presently experiences, over Kirk’s death and how it has uniquely affected his sense of time.
“The anniversary of Charlie’s assassination snuck up on a lot of us. It certainly snuck up on me. It’s that strange sensation that often happens when a loved one dies. On the one hand, it feels like barely a day or two have passed. On the other hand, it feels like an eternity. Has anyone else felt that? The reason it feels that way, the reason time seems to pass paradoxically, is that what we’re perceiving is not so much the passage of time as the fact that something has changed. That’s what happens when someone who matters to us dies. Because the change is shocking. In this case, unexpected. It sticks with us and it feels recent.”
Continuing, Knowles discussed the special political influence Kirk demonstrated in his life.
“Charlie was a beloved political figure. He was the most important and effective political activist of our generation. And so, because he was political. He mattered to all of us. We all share that strange sense of time. It feels like he was killed ages ago. It feels like it was just yesterday. In terms of politics, Charlie’s assassination changed the landscape. There is a temptation at memorials to look only on the bright side.”
Founder of The Blaze media network Glenn Beck addressed the massively influential effect of Kirk, a devout Christian, on the religiosity of many Americans.
“I saw kids standing in line to be baptized,” he said optimistically. “I saw people go back to church. I saw people buy a suit because they didn’t have a suit and they thought, I’ve got to go to church and I want to dress up. Roommates that had never said the word God before. Suddenly we’re saying it out loud. Bibles sold out. Bibles sold out. This whole movement crossed the oceans in hours. That’s not political. That’s the almighty God. I want you to remember what happened, not the tragedy. The beauty, the hope. The arrival of God.”
