Orem • On the Utah campus where Charlie Kirk was killed, thousands of mourners wept, prayed and promised on Thursday — the first anniversary of his death — that they would carry on the work the conservative commentator started.

The memorial held event inside Utah Valley University’s UCCU Center was headlined by major conservative names, including Glenn Beck and Michael Knowles, who shared memories of Kirk’s friendship along with Bible passages. Members of the audience, including several prominent Utah lawmakers, cheered at each speech.

Many waited hours to get inside, carrying signs with Kirk’s face. A few waved tiny American flags, and most wore white T-shirts with the word “FREEDOM” across the front like Kirk had on when he was fatally shot in the school’s courtyard Sept. 10, 2025.

“Steps from these doors is the ground where evil unfolded,” said Andrew Sypher, the chief field officer for Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk co-founded that hosted the memorial. “We did not come back to rehearse a crime scene. We came back because Charlie Kirk represented the best of us.”

It was a solemn celebration of life marked by extra security measures. Police officers from agencies across the state paced the aisles, and all attendees were required to pass through metal detectors and bag checks. Signs outside noted, “No weapons allowed.”

Some gathered earlier in the courtyard for a moment of silence. A large wooden cross stood on the spot where Kirk died before more than 3,000 people filled into seats for the formal “Freedom Built to Last” event, including many students who witnessed his death.

Sage Lloyd, the current president of UVU’s Turning Point USA club, said her life changed forever when a man she saw as a hero was killed in front of her. Grief, fear, confusion and heartbreak followed, she said, as she tried to process it.

But Lloyd also found a new conviction for the principles she said Kirk stood for: devotion to his Christian faith, his growing family and his country. That came with Kirk’s signature passion, she said, for openly debating.

“Charlie Kirk taught people that convictions are not meant to be cast aside when things are difficult,” Lloyd said. “… He was not afraid of disagreement.”

She has tried to emulate that in the months since, she said — growing the conservative club on campus, aided by an encouraging personal visit by Kirk’s widow, Erika.

“We are still here, and we are still standing, because grief is not the end of this story,” Lloyd said.

She and 11 other UVU students were honored Thursday with plaques from Turning Point USA that said each has “not let Charlie Kirk’s legacy die.”

Kirk was killed while doing what he’d become known for: Setting up a table and microphone, and urging anyone who opposed him to stop by and make their argument heard as part of his “Prove Me Wrong” tour.

That day, while answering a student’s question, a single shot struck Kirk from a nearby rooftop. The man accused of firing the round, Tyler Robinson, was bound over for trial last week.

On Thursday, memorial organizers also unveiled a new bronze statue of Kirk sitting on a folding chair, holding a mic. It was made by Utah artist Stan Watts and sat on stage during the remarks.

A spokesperson for Turning Point USA didn’t immediately know where the statue may be installed. A separate statue was unveiled this week at the organization’s Arizona headquarters.

UVU spokesperson Sharon Turner said the statue is not part of a university-backed memorial for Kirk. “At this time, I am not aware of any plans for the statue to remain on campus after the TPUSA event,” she said in a statement.

The event initially drew some criticism. Two student groups started a petition calling on UVU not to allow Turning Point USA to host it, arguing the organization and Kirk have perpetuated harm against marginalized communities.

A small group of peaceful protesters gathered outside the venue Thursday.

UVU’s president, Jon Anderson, previously said the school needed to be “apolitical” and couldn’t turn away an event because of its host’s viewpoints. Anderson met with some students ahead of the event, Turner said, as well as some the memorial’s speakers.

‘His name was Charlie Kirk’

On a stage lit up by red, white and blue lights, many speakers looked over at the sculpted face of Kirk as they spoke.

“An assassin’s bullet cannot win an argument,” said Mike McCoy, who served as Kirk’s chief of staff. “It can only prove that an assassin never had one. Violence is the tool of those who have run out of ideas.”

Several speakers brought up Robinson, with many condemning the alleged shooter. Their remarks also covered religion, with several comparing Kirk to Jesus Christ and President Donald Trump and others talking about championing “the biological two-parent family” that Kirk supported.

Christian author Frank Turek said Kirk’s death was like the terrorist attacks on 9/11 — which occurred 25 years ago Friday: “a dramatic, emotional and unforgettable event.”

“Charlie is a modern-day martyr,” Turek added. “He wanted to save the killer and everyone on this campus one year ago today.”

As Turek offered a prayer, member of the audience took off their hats. Some had Kirk’s names on them, others Trump’s.

Popular conservative pundit Glenn Beck gave a 45-minute speech that drew rousing claps and whistles from the crowd. Beck said his son currently attends UVU and has seen a lot of hate on campus following Kirk’s death.

One student, Beck said, mocked Kirk’s death in front of his son. He urged the audience not to respond with hate. “A comeback is what they want, to get you riled up,” he said.

Instead, Beck told them to remember Kirk, saying: “His name was Charlie Kirk, He was 31. He had a wife and two babies. And if he were here, he wouldn’t fire back at you. He would’ve talked to you for an hour. And in that hour, he would ended up really liking you. And there’s a pretty good shot in that hour you would’ve ended up really liking him.”

Beck also chastised anyone for responding with violence, adding: “I thought the shock of Charlie’s murder would make us all step back and reconsider what we all doing to each other.”

His speech later veered into comments against Marxism and in favor of God, against higher education and in favor of women sticking to traditional gender roles.

“When a culture loses its women, that culture dies every time,” Beck said. “When women become monsters, when women become men, that culture is in trouble.”

Michael Knowles, a political commentator for The Daily Wire known for saying “transgenderism must be eradicated,” also spoke about the country being “in greater peril” with the loss of a guiding voice in Kirk.

“He was the most important and effective political activist of our generation,” Knowles said.

‘He knew God had given him a responsibility’

A tribute video of Kirk also played at the event, where he spoke about his love for being on college campuses and talking to students. It drew cheers and tears from the crowd.

“He loved nothing more than being on the ground, interacting with the students directly,” said Sypher, Turning Point’s chief field officer. “He knew God had given him a responsibility to shepherd the young, and he did not take that lightly. … That was the assignment he walked into that courtyard with.”

Sypher said Kirk’s mission wasn’t to change elections or win arguments, but to change hearts.

McCoy, Kirk’s chief of staff, said Kirk knew the risks. At one campus in Texas, McCoy said, police urged Kirk not to go into the crowd after there had been death threats.

One of McCoy’s favorite memories was Kirk responding, “There’s thousands of students waiting for me out there. I’m gonna go.”

On the day he was killed, McCoy said, Kirk wasn’t afraid. He liked to instead operate from a place of hope, and McCoy said he believes his mission was carried out: The first person to ask a question that day, he said, ended up agreeing with Kirk and asking for a Turning Point USA hat.

McCoy said he believes more people have also gone to church and bought Bibles after Kirk’s death. And his legacy, he said, carries on.

“Anyone who believed ending Charlie’s life would end what he stood for misunderstands how ideas live,” he said. “They live in the people who heard them. They live in you.”

The memorial ended with a band playing Christian hymns and several audience members quietly chanting, “Charlie, Charlie, Charlie.”