The New College of Florida (NCF), which has experienced a significant ideological shift under Governor Ron DeSantis’s leadership, plans to erect a statue commemorating Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, who was fatally shot at Utah Valley University recently.
Situated in Sarasota, NCF is Florida’s only public liberal arts college. The institution’s administration has declared that the statue symbolizes its dedication to “defend and fight for free speech and civil discourse in American life.” This announcement arrives at a time when numerous journalists, educators, and cultural figures face professional backlash for criticizing Kirk’s legacy, which many assert is rooted in hate speech and the suppression of dissent.
On September 16, NCF shared a post on X (formerly Twitter), featuring a digital rendering of the forthcoming statue, which depicts Kirk seated at a table, microphone in hand, with the other arm extended in an open gesture. According to a press release, the statue will be funded by private donations, with the specific installation site to be revealed in the months ahead.
In recent years, NCF has attracted media attention for removing LGBTQ+ literature from its library as part of a right-wing transformation that has led to significant faculty departures and student enrollments declining. In the spring, the college also faced scrutiny over a controversial budget proposal intended to transfer ownership of the nearby John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art to the school.
Following Kirk’s tragic shooting, lawmakers and public officials have increasingly pushed for a specific portrayal and remembrance of the conservative commentator. For instance, in Oklahoma, a new bill introduced promptly after NCF’s announcement mandates that every public university in the state establish a “Charlie Kirk Memorial Plaza” or incur monthly penalties. This legislation stipulates that memorials must include signage framing Kirk as a “modern civil rights leader, vocal Christian, martyr for truth and faith, and free speech advocate.”
The concerted efforts to diminish criticism of Kirk’s far-right ideologies, which have included advocating for controversial views on race, gender, and gun control, have raised alarms among free speech proponents. Organizations such as the American Association of University Professors and the American Civil Liberties Union have voiced their concerns regarding this wave of repression, which even led to the suspension of late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. In a recent statement, Disney confirmed they would reinstate Kimmel’s program.
Many individuals have pushed back against efforts to sanitize Kirk’s legacy. Reverend Howard-John Wesley, a prominent Black pastor from the Alfred Street Baptist Church in Virginia, went viral on social media with a statement asserting, “how you die does not redeem how you live.” Furthermore, Bernice King, the youngest child of Martin Luther King Jr., criticized a digital illustration that wrongly equates Kirk with historic assassinated figures, expressing her frustration on X: “There are so many things wrong with this. So many. I get tired, y’all.”
