New College in Florida announced on Tuesday that it will commission a statue of the late Charlie Kirk to “honor his legacy and incredible work.”
An emailed press release announcing the commission stated that the statue will be “privately funded by community leaders” and will proudly stand on New College’s campus as a reminder to fight for free speech and “civil discourse in American life.” The press release provided a sample image of what the statue could look like, depicting Kirk sitting at a table, microphone in hand, with empty chairs at the table, representing his love of open, free, and peaceful debate of ideas.
New College President Richard Corcoran said in a statement that the Turning Point USA founder “knew that universities are ground zero for free speech and the marketplace of ideas.”
“These ideas are not luxuries, but the foundation of a free republic,” Corcoran continued, stating that Kirk’s life and death “remind us all that a nation cannot survive if it abandons these rights.”
“At New College, we will not step back from this responsibility — we will champion it and seek to be known as the number one college in the nation when it comes to supporting civil debate and freedom of speech,” he added.
Jackson Dawson, President of New College’s Turning Point USA chapter, said in a statement that Kirk inspired him to lead.
“Meeting him affirmed my commitment to champion free speech and open dialogue. Our chapter is honored to help the effort to establish a tribute statue on campus,” he said.
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“We want to raise awareness, help secure support, and ensure that future generations inherit a legacy of open dialogue and the courage to speak freely,” Dawson added.
In the days following Kirk’s horrific public assassination, requests to join and start Turning Point USA chapters at high schools and universities across the United States skyrocketed. After Kirk’s wife, Erika, delivered her address, it was reported that her husband’s organization received 18,000 new chapter requests from across the country.
“The movement my husband built will not die. It won’t. I refuse to let that happen,” Erika Kirk said in her public address.
“No one will ever forget my husband’s name, and I will make sure of it,” she continued. “It will become stronger, bolder, louder, and greater than ever. My husband’s mission will not end. Not even for a moment.”
“I’ll make Turning Point USA the biggest thing that this nation has ever seen,” she later added. “I love you, baby. Rest in the arms of our Lord.”
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