Young conservatives and activists are determined to let the late Charlie Kirk’s ideals inspire their movement on college campuses and become more engaged than ever to honor his legacy.

The assassination of Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA—which operates clubs on over 850 campuses—has left his supporters and allies both saddened and more resolute. They believe that now, more than ever, more speakers and individuals will rise in response.

Kirk, who left college, initiated a movement that energized thousands of students, encouraging them to attend conferences and participate in voting. He is credited as one of the significant influences behind President Trump’s relatively successful performance with young voters last November.

Since his death, those same students have posted stories of Kirk’s impact in their lives and vowed it will not deter them from activism on campus.  

JT Marshburn, the national chairman for College Republicans, stated, “We carry on his legacy by continuing his work, being present, vocal, and unafraid.”

Marshburn expressed the belief that more Republican speakers might be encouraged to visit campuses because of this incident. He emphasized the need for the conservative movement to maintain a presence on college campuses, noting that when Republicans do visit, they often face challenging situations such as protests or interruptions during speeches.

While recognizing the potential need for increased security at future events, Marshburn referenced the tragic incident of Kirk being shot on Wednesday in Utah during a public debate event that was part of his “American Comeback Tour.”

Turning Point USA did not respond to The Hill’s request for comment. 

Some students have already begun showing they will move forward with Kirk’s example in mind. Members of Students for Life, a pro-life group that worked with Kirk in the past, say wore red shirts on campus this week in honor of his memory.  

“If you want to best honor Charlie Kirk’s legacy, you’re going to keep speaking up, and you’re going to actually be louder than you’ve ever been before … That’s what Charlie was doing every day. That’s what he was inspiring tens of thousands of millions of young people to do. Because we win when we debate, when we have conversations. We all lose when we stop having conversations, and we’re not going to let this tragic act of senseless violence stop that conversation,” said Kristan Hawkins, CEO of Students for Life.  

Tensions are high on campuses after the assassination, with some professors getting fired or reprimanded for celebrations of the conservative commentator’s death.  

“Yesterday, a University of Mississippi staff member re-shared hurtful, insensitive comments on social media regarding the tragic murder of Charlie Kirk. These comments run completely counter to our institutional values of civility, fairness, and respecting the dignity of each person,” University of Mississippi Chancellor Glenn Boyce said in a statement posted Thursday afternoon to social platform X.  

“We condemn these actions, and this staff member is no longer employed by the university,” he added. 

And the University of Louisville is investigating a poster hung on campus with the words “Debate this,” along with an illustration of Kirk getting hit by the bullet.  

The temperature has been turned up among some conservatives as well, who have posted on social media they feel “radicalized” after the assassination and the mocking from others that have followed it.  

“You can find far too many examples online of young progressives celebrating his murder … I’m worried that it sends an incredibly unhealthy message to the to the young people inspired by Charlie that he was wrong about the promise of engagement and respectful debate,” said Rick Hess, senior fellow and the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.    

“My biggest concern is that so many of his followers will forget the lessons he taught in their grief and frustration,” he added.  

Leaders of the conservative movement are encouraging young people on campus to push back, but in the spirit of open debate.  

“The best way to handle those truly vile and disgusting comments, not just by students, but by adults, some of them are professors and even administrators of universities, is to channel our righteous anger about those evil comments into positive action, and the best positive action that we can take right now to honor Charlie’s legacy,” said Kevin Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation. 

“And to speak up, not by screaming at other people, not with vitriol that would be an example of stooping to the level of the radical left but rather standing up as Charlie did, cheerfully with a broad smile, with a belief, not only in the American future, but also because of Charlie’s faith inspiring us a belief in living this life well, and I think that that’s how we can harness the energy,” Roberts added.  

As other high-profile, right-leaning college speakers vow to press on, young conservatives see the next steps forward without Kirk as movement-defining. 

“I think that we can choose at this point the way that we respond, [which] will really define how we move forward,” said Liana Graham, a recent college graduate and research assistant at Heritage.