Following the killing of conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, a group of Republican Utah lawmakers has organized a fundraiser in hopes of building a memorial for Kirk on the Utah Valley University campus.
The fundraising campaign — launched by Sen. Daniel McCay, R-Riverton, House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, and Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton — has eclipsed $118,000 as of Monday, with a goal of $150,000.
McCay said he started thinking about what a memorial could look like on the night Kirk was killed.
“To celebrate Charlie’s enduring impact, we are launching this fundraiser to erect a memorial in his honor at Utah Valley University,’ McCay wrote on the fundraising campaign’s website. “The memorial will serve as a gathering place for students, faculty and visitors to reflect on Charlie’s legacy of courage, conviction and dedication to fostering open discourse. It will stand as a beacon of inspiration, encouraging future generations at UVU to engage boldly in the battle of ideas and stand firm in their principles.”
Last week, after meeting with Utah-based sculptor Ben Hammond, McCay took to X to share a handful of concepts of what the memorial could look like.
McCay wrote that the memorial would be finished in bronze and could include a microphone and Bible sitting on the table.
“Upon the table rests a microphone, laid down just as Charlie would after he finished speaking. Its presence is more than symbolic, it’s an open call for the next voice to rise, the next perspective to be shared, the next leader to step forward. This is not a silent memorial; it is one that speaks, urging us to continue the exchange of ideas Charlie so deeply believed in,” McCay wrote.
McCay did not respond to a request for comment from KSL.com.
University response
Utah Valley University on Monday released a statement saying that the university is creating a committee to develop a memorial.
Scott Smith, UVU board of trustees chairman and Qualtrics co-founder, and Amanda Covington, Utah Board of Higher Education chairwoman, will co-chair the committee alongside students, political leaders and “other key stakeholders.”
The university said it has received an “outpouring of support, ideas and suggestions” regarding the possibility of a memorial from students, faculty, staff, the community, local and national business leaders and elected officials alike.
The statement went on to say the university is approaching the process with care and ensuring “community input guides the memorial’s direction.”
“As a committee, we will listen to community voices and carefully consider the many perspectives surrounding this memorial,” Covington said. “This is an important process, and we are committed to approaching it with thoughtfulness and respect.”
People can share ideas and receive updates on the memorial process here.
‘This is not orthodox’
Indeed, there are varying perspectives surrounding the possibility of a memorial.
Last week, UVU students Mary Jackson and Emma Thatcher launched a petition, essentially asking for a pause on the idea of building a memorial on campus.
So far, the petition has garnered over 3,200 signatures. A separate, slightly older petition also seeking to stop the development of a Kirk memorial has gathered over 11,000 signatures.
Jackson said that she’s “simply wanting a huge pause on this so we can really reflect on the way that this is going.”
She added the fact that “one very specific group” of political thinkers is behind the push to erect a memorial is what originally made her wary.
“This is not orthodox. The people who are fundraising for the statue are not UVU students. These are not people who are going to be on campus all day,” Jackson said. “Behind this petition are only divisive legislators. And I would think we would want a more inclusive representative body whenever we’re thinking about this.”
Jackson said she, her co-organizer on the petition, and the thousands of people who have since signed it are also concerned that a memorial canonizing Kirk wouldn’t be in line with what UVU stands for as a university.
“I absolutely, 100% agree with free speech debate, and I 100% support that Kirk had the right to do what he did. Nonetheless, it’s also very important to remember, this was a man who, whenever he came to college campuses, including the day he was here, on his tent, it said ‘Prove me wrong.’ Jackson said. “He was not interested in hearing other people’s perspectives. He was interested in proving every perspective besides his own as wrong. Here at UVU, we don’t do that.”
Even if the memorial doesn’t include Kirk’s likeness, Jackson said she still wouldn’t want a memorial on campus.
“No matter how far removed it is, it’s still going to be a memorial for Kirk. That’s still incredibly divisive,” Jackson said, adding that beyond politics, she also sees a memorial as a potential safety issue.
“For a lot of students, this campus is kind of a tourist spot right now, and people do not feel comfortable with that, and a statue would only exacerbate it,” Jackson said. “It’s really important that we set a standard right now, as UVU, for future generations who come to the school, that at a time of divisiveness, when everyone was busy picking sides, we chose each other. We chose our campus. We chose our community.”