FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Two weeks after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, campus tours are continuing across the nation.
Thursday night, the University of Arkansas’ TPUSA chapter hosted 19-year-old Brilyn Hollyhand, a political commentator and best-selling author of the book, “One Generation Away: Why Now Is the Time to Restore American Freedom.”
Hollyhand is one of the faces choosing to carry forward Kirk’s mission to promote civil conversation surrounding political differences. A partnership between TPUSA and Hollyhand led to the creation of the 10-campus tour, “One Conversation at a Time.”
According to Hollyhand, Kirk was not only a close friend, but a mentor.
“My friend Charlie was one of the most down-to-earth people that I’ve met in this business, Charlie, like genuinely, was a friend and mentor,” Hollyhand said. “I want people to remember him as the bold, courageous man of faith that he was, because that’s what he wanted to be remembered as.”
He says they became friends after Kirk took a chance on a young kid with an interest in politics.
“I first started paying attention to politics at 11 years old in the fourth grade. I started a podcast. and to be honest with you, not a lot of people wanted to come on the fourth graders podcast. But Charlie did, and Charlie was my first ever guest,” Hollyhand said.
He says since that day, Kirk became a staple in his career, never further than a text away.
“He took the time to actually mentor me, and that’s what’s so hard about this whole process. He was a mentor. He was a friend for so long,” Hollyhand said.
However, it was two weeks ago that their friendship came to an unexpected halt.
“I found out live on Fox with the rest of the world, as they brought me on with the Fox News alert. {Stating} ‘Charlie Kirk’s passed away, now joining us is and his friend to react to it.’ That was my initial reaction, and so the whole nation saw me, become emotional live TV because I was genuine. That was my friend,” Hollyhand said.
Following Kirk’s passing came an endless number of questions, but a clear calling.
“I thought, ‘okay, what do we do? Do we cower in the corner? Do we get silence? Do I get in a ball and cry for the rest of eternity? Or do I stay strong for Charlie?'” Hollyhand said. “My calling is to do this… What man meant for evil, the Lord always uses for good, and out of this tragedy, we have to stand united. We have to stand boldly. It would be super easy to put down the microphone.”
So, starting Thursday night on the University of Arkansas campus, Hollyhand encouraged conversation and even disagreement amongst a sold-out crowd.
“If they don’t agree with me, that’s fine. At least we had a substantive conversation because civil discourse has to come back to this country. I remember one of the last things that Charlie and I talked about was that the day that civil discourse dies, America goes to civil war. We can’t get to that point,” Hollyhand said.
He says still, the goal that Kirk set remains the same.
“He wanted to come to campuses and spread the gospel and have these tent revivals in the middle of campuses, because he felt that that was what it was important, and I want to be really clear on, is that’s what our movement is now,” Hollyhand said.
Nine other stops are planned along the ‘One Conversation at a Time’ tour, with the next being at Troy University on Monday, Sep. 29.
