Following the assasination of conservative podcaster, author, public speaker and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk on Wednesday, Sept. 10, a national day of remembrance was held on Tuesday, Oct. 14. The date, which would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday was declared a national day of remembrance after the United States Senate unanimously passed Senate Resolution 403 (S.Res. 403) on Thursday, Sept. 18, which was spearheaded by Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL).
President Donald Trump issued a proclamation on the day of remembrance, declaring October 14 a National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk, at a signing ceremony at the Oval Office which was attended by Kirk’s widow Erika Kirk.
“On the afternoon of Wednesday, September 10, 2025, pure evil struck when the legendary Charlie Kirk was assassinated in broad daylight in a campus courtyard, triggering a groundswell of righteous fury all across our land. Today, our Nation honors the immortal memory of Charlie — a father, a husband, a Christian martyr, and a titan of the American conservative movement. We honor his life, we send our condolences to his beautiful family, and we pledge to advance the values for which he laid down his life,” according to the text of the proclamation.
The national day of remembrance for Kirk is set to be an annual occurrence.
Unlike a federal holiday, national days of remembrance do not mandate a workday disruption or require the flag to be flown at half-mast. Closures of services such as the U.S. Postal Service or mandatory school closures are not associated with national days of remembrance, which typically require a simple majority vote in the United States House of Representatives and Senate.
Efforts to memorialize Kirk have been gaining traction since his assassination, including a bill in the Oklahoma state legislature that would require higher education institutions in the state that receive state funding to erect memorial areas with statues of Kirk. Oklahoma’s S.B. 1187 was co-authored by republican state senators Shane Jett and Dana Prieto, and is set to be introduced on Monday, Feb. 2.
If passed, affected institutions would face a punitive fine of one percent of their appropriated budget for each month of noncompliance if they fail to establish the required memorials by March 1, 2028, according to the text of S.B. 1187.
In addition, Kirk was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Trump on the inaugural national day of remembrance.
KSC students have differing opinions on Kirk’s day of remembrance. One Sophomore student, who preferred to remain unnamed, said that the government’s endorsement of Kirk’s legacy is troubling, but also believes that political violence is never acceptable.
“I personally don’t think that having a day of remembrance for [Kirk] is a good idea. I think a lot of his stuff was very one-sided. He supposedly listened to both sides, but everything I saw of him was very one-sided,” said the student.
“There’s so many people who have died that aren’t remembered, and having him get a day of remembrance just seems a little too political and dictator-ish. I know I sound a little one-sided, but I don’t think he or his family should have been hurt in that way,” added the student.
First-year student Carli Walbert said that she supports Kirk’s day of remembrance because standing up against political violence is important.
“I think that it’s a good idea because it’s against political violence. Political violence can turn any day into a day of remembrance for something that was so violent and disgusting,” said Walbert.
Ryan Pacheco can be contacted at
rpacheco@kscequinox.com
