MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Mountain State residents and West Virginia University students, along with state representatives, stood in solidarity at the Life Sciences Quad on Monday night to remember the life of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Representatives from Turning Point USA at WVU hosted a candlelight vigil.
President William Kozma was was joined by local lawmakers and West Virginia Republican Party President Josh Holstein, along with close to 1,000 people that stood in unison for more two hours.
“It was phenomenal, and it exceeded my wildest expectations. I figured we would get a good turnout, and I know people loved Charlie, but this is just insane,” said Kozma. “We had probably close to 1,000 people, we had people up on the hill, I couldn’t believe it.”
The speakers remembered Kirk, who was assassinated on the campus of Utah Valley University last week, as a loving father that was a strong conservative voice who was willing to hear every person who approached him during his conversations on college campuses, regardless of any political or religious disagreements. The speakers said Kirk did so while remaining firm in his Christian values with a steadfast goal of reaching out to young voices who may not have been considered in in discussions otherwise.
“I’m originally from Southern California and went to Pastor Jack Gibbs’ church and first met Charlie probably back in 2018-19 when he came to church, he had an amazing brain,” said Charleston area resident Virginia Garrett, who traveled close to three hours to attend the vigil.
To start the vigil, two separate prayer sermons were hosted, with the first led by Father Brian Crenwelge of the Mountaineer Catholic at St. John University. That was followed by a speech by Del. Geno Chiarelli, where he talked about his time serving with the WVU Chapter of Turning Point USA as Chapter Coordinator back in 2015. He discussed the growing impact of Kirk’s effort since that time, when he was predominantly involved in the election of Donald Trump on two separate occasions. Chiarelli added that as a result of his tragic murder by what federal investigators have determined to be over political beliefs, a conservative movement that hasn’t been seen in generations is showing as a result.
“I think that what we’re seeing here in the wake of Charlie’s martyrdom is the right ting in ways that we haven’t seen in a long time,” Chiarelli said. “We have a lot of infighting, we have our problems, that much is obvious, but to see people band together and come together in celebration and in memory of Charlie Kirk, I think it says a lot.”
State Senator Chris Rose said while meeting Kirk as a young man before he became more involved in conservative causes, Rose reflected on his willingness to learn about the political system while maintaining his values, even while people within the Republican Party openly disagreed with his varying stances.
“He never had any quit in him, and he was always respectful to those he disagreed with and always gave an opportunity for debate, even with like-minded people, he would disagree,” said Rose. “So it was very refreshing to see that young man’s passion and how he was able to have those types of debates and win those people over; we lost a great one.”
According to Kozma, representatives reached out to the WVU Student Engagement and Leadership Office, where they were able to obtain candles and security detail with coordination with WVU Police, the West Virginia State Police, and the Morgantown Police Department. Despite the dark circumstances, Kozma was appreciative of the efforts taken by not only Turning Point USA at WVU members but also the community at large.
“We already had a meeting plan for Monday, and I chose that it was not appropriate to hold a regular meeting until we had some sort of remembrance of him,” said Kozma. “The school was phenomenal, and the student engagement and leadership office—without them, we couldn’t have done this.”
Organizers said the vigil was not only aimed to celebrate a life but also to condemn political violence as a whole. This was also separate from a condemnation of the thousands of Americans celebrating the death of Kirk after it was announced, an aspect of the political reaction to the murder that wasn’t mentioned by any of the political speakers on stage. With an aim to bring people together as a voice to support open dialogue, regardless of political leanings, those in attendance felt unity that hasn’t been felt in a long time.
“When you look at how people are reacting to this, I was worried that it would draw a gap between the two (political spectrums), but in reality it has brought everybody together to unite as one,” said Cameron Lockhart, a WVU freshman from Chicago, Illinois. “I think that’s what our country needs right now. I think Charlie did a lot for us, and I think this is exactly what this country needs.”
Gov. Patrick Morrisey has announced a vigil to be held Thursday at the state capitol in Charleston. President Donald Trump is scheduled to attend a vigil set for this weekend in Arizona.