When Charlie Kirk, co-founder and executive director of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), was shot and killed on the campus of Utah Valley University (UVU), the nation went into shock and mourning. 

This included Students for Life of America (SFLA) and Students for Life Action (SFLAction) President Kristan Hawkins, who was a friend of Charlie Kirk and TPUSA. In fact, Hawkins was on a college campus doing the same direct-to-student tabling Charlie was. 

At the University of Montana, Hawkins was laughed at by extremist students when she announced Charlie Kirk had been shot.  

Hawkins did not let this stop her and Charlie’s noble mission to save preborn children’s lives from abortion. 

Determined to honor the memory of our dear friend, Hawkins and SFLA launched various efforts to promote life as Charlie did and honor the impact he had on the pro-life movement and the world. 

Here is some of what SFLA and SFLAction have done to remember Charlie in the year following his assassination. 

Calling for a “Charlie Kirk Free Speech Day”

Charlie’s death was a direct attack on free speech, an attempt by the left to scare conservatives into silence. Promoting free speech and civil discourse was central to Charlie’s mission. 

In honor of that value, SFLA launched a campaign to make October 14th, Charlie’s birthday, into a government-recognized holiday. 

SFLAction’s “Charlie Kirk Free Speech Day Act” worked to make this dream a reality.  

“Though an assassin sought to silence his voice, the resolve of those who stood beside Charlie remains unbroken,” said Hawkins in a news release. “We fully support a holiday that encompasses not just what America stands for, but what Charlie fought so hard to protect: freedom.” 

The “Charlie Kirk Free Speech Day Act” inspired resolutions and legislation across the country: 

• West Virginia passed a resolution for the holiday using SFLAction’s bill language.  

• Tennessee passed the “Charlie Kirk Act” and “Charlie Kirk Memorial Act,” both inspired by SFLAction. 

• Kansas overrode their governor’s veto to pass the “Charlie Kirk Free Speech Day Act” as written by SFLAction. Even Congress passed bipartisan resolutions honoring Charlie. 

And the impact is not over. More states have versions of our bill pending in their state legislatures, showing that Charlie’s legacy is bound to continue in law and celebration across the nation. 

Established the Charlie Kirk Courage Fellowship 

In honor of Charlie Kirk’s incomparable political work for life, SFLAction renamed its State Captain Fellowship to become the Charlie Kirk Courage Fellowship. 

The Fellowship, made to help young leaders with demonstrated passion for pro-life political work, allows students to join SFLAction’s National Leaders Collective for a full academic year to further their skills and impact in saving preborn children’s lives from the evils of abortion. 

“After Charlie’s tragic death, countless students felt called to walk in his footsteps,” said Hawkins in a news release announcing the updated Fellowship. “Today, we’re helping make that possible. This isn’t just a name change: it’s a powerful recommitment to the values Charlie lived out: bold courage, relentless advocacy, and a passion for educating the next generation. It’s a legacy we’re proud to carry forward.” 

Speaking Out Against Speech Restrictions on Campus and Beyond 

Since Charlie’s assassination, SFLA team members and students have made preserving freedom of speech and ending intimidation on campus a top priority. 

Hawkins brought to public attention the great financial burden institutions create for conservatives to hold speaking events on college campuses in her op-ed at RealClearPolitics, making it clear that “Free Speech Isn’t Free.”

In an op-ed for National Review on the anniversary of Charlie’s assassination, Hawkins urged students to not give up on Charlie’s mission amongst growing weariness toward speaking freely on campus:

“Charlie Kirk went to college campuses because he believed, as I do, that we need to reach each generation with the truth about how to achieve hope and a future. The boldness of stepping on college campuses for an open debate changes minds.”

From the student side, University of Texas Austin’s SFLA chapter president, Tiffany Lomax, revealed the troubling limits universities were setting in campus regulations to prevent students from even speaking with each other in their dorms about controversial topics in an op-ed at The Daily Wire. 

SFLA took the issue beyond the media to courtrooms across the country. The Alliance Defending Freedom filed an appeal in Students for Life’s ‘Black Preborn Lives Matter” D.C. sidewalk chalking case, where SFLA staff were arrested for peaceful protests while leftist rioters walked free. A former high school chapter leader’s case also reached the Supreme Court in a writ of certiorari, and when it was denied, Justice Alito agreed with SFLA’s call for clear standards to prevent student speech suppression. 

New student events took center stage as students desired to speak truth like Charlie did on their campuses. We launched our new “Wear the Truth Week” event, where students don free shirts on campus stating “HUMAN AT CONCEPTION” and “SEX IS BINARY & UNCHANGEABLE,” using SFLA-provided resources to engage in productive conversation about ideology and truth with their peers. 

Hawkins also made an unforgettable appearance at TPUSA’s Women’s Leadership Summit, inspiring students to keep Charlie’s mission of promoting faith and family alive as we defend the right to life.  

This is only a scratch on the surface of all that has been done. So much of the bravery of our students and beyond on their campuses and in their communities goes unseen. To them, we say thank you. 

A year later, SFLA and SFLAction continue to mourn the death of Charlie, but we do not let his life end in vain. Through these accomplishments — and all that are to come — the vision and values Charlie gave his life for will inspire young Americans to follow in his footsteps. We will continue to defend life, free speech, and Charlie’s legacy of sharing the gospel and honoring God above all else.  

READ MORE ABOUT HOW OUR STUDENTS CARRY CHARLIE’S LEGACY ON CAMPUS: 

Silenced but Unshaken: A Pro-Life Student’s Stand Against Campus Hostility 

National Pro-Life Chalk Day’s Biggest Losers: Pro-Abortion Vandals 

Despite Threats, University of Southern Maine Students Stand with Students for Life 

Florida College Kicks Students for Life Off Campus — But Won’t Even Say Why 

Student FLIPS OUT, Flips Table on Colorado Campus