SPARTANBURG — It’s been two weeks since conservative activist and podcaster Charlie Kirk was killed while speaking on a college campus.
His penchant for on-campus advocacy, which brought him to schools across America and gave him a strong following among younger people, was front and center Sept. 23 at Wofford College.
“This is a singular public figure who devoted himself to our demographic,” Ellie DiPrima, a Wofford senior, said during a vigil she helped organize in his honor. “He professed a belief that I hold.”
The days since Kirk, who co-founded the conservative student-focused organization Turning Point USA, was fatally shot Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University have seen a whirlwind of responses.
Some eulogized him, like President Donald Trump, who took the rare move of ordering flags to fly at half-staff in Kirk’s memory despite the prominent conservative voice never holding public office.
Others professed more complicated views, condemning political violence but still struggling with some of Kirk’s more controversial views, like his support for “replacement theory” — a once-fringe view that there’s a Jewish-led plot to replace the nation’s White population with nonwhite immigrants.
It was in that environment that online comments that seemed to celebrate Kirk’s assassination led to a number of notable departures, including across the Upstate. Clemson University fired three who seemed to revel in his demise, while a Greenville civic teacher’s social media post led to their exit. And one Spartanburg area teacher’s aide is suing their former district after their dismissal over a post in the wake of Kirk’s death.
At Wofford, too, comments flew, including on the pseudonymous smartphone app YikYak. This platform allows students to anonymously post comments within Wofford’s YikYak community, which other students can then upvote or downvote.
Reactions ranged from calls for prayers to rare calls for violence, though most of the unnamed posters expressed a distaste for political violence, regardless of political affiliation.
And the week after Kirk’s death, flyers began circulating for the vigil. When the event happened midday Sept. 23, Mickel Chapel on the first floor of Wofford’s Main Building was packed, with several attendees left standing for lack of seats.
Many in attendance seemed drawn to Kirk by his ability to marry politics with his faith.
“Charlie understood that politics and the church are intertwined to some degree,” Wofford junior Ben Hammontree said. “To involve yourself in the world is to involve yourself in politics.”
Robert Jeffrey, Wofford professor of government and international affairs, called Kirk “the greatest political organizer of our time.”
It’s a point proven in his death, with Turning Point USA seeing a surge in interest. On Sept. 16, the organization said on social media that it received more than 54,000 requests from high school and college students interested in joining a local Turning Point USA chapter or starting their own.
The organization is trying to convert that interest into long-term support. Visitors to the group’s website are currently greeted with the message “CHARLIE’S VISION. AMERICA’S FUTURE. THE FIGHT CONTINUES.” atop a plea for donations.
Wofford vigil organizers took a different tack with their fundraising pitch. Flyers with QR codes were distributed, encouraging attendees to donate in support of Kirk’s wife and children.
Still, the vigil concluded with an announcement from junior Ellie Sawicki: Wofford’s Turning Point chapter is now an officially recognized campus organization.