Projections of red, white and blue colors were the backdrop as an estimated crowd of more than 1,000 people packed into the main conference room of The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center on Friday night to sing worship music in remembrance of the right-wing activist and podcaster Charlie Kirk, who was killed last week in Utah.
As songs continued to play in the background, Texas state Rep. Nate Schatzline (R-Fort Worth) took the stage and told the audience of mostly young adults that Kirk was a "martyr" and his death would energize a new generation of conservatives.
"The life of Charlie Kirk woke up Generation Z, but the death of Charlie Kirk radicalized Generation Z," Schatzline said. "When I say radical, I don't mean violence. ... I mean this generation will speak truth no matter what it costs them. This generation will speak truth no matter what the cost."
Kirk was assassinated last Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University. He was shot and killed during a debate hosted by Turning Point USA, a national conservative student organization he led. It's also a sponsor of the Texas Youth Summit, which organized the Kirk tribute on Friday as part of its two-day conference for young conservatives.
The first Texas Youth Summit was held in 2019, and since 2023, the event has been hosted at the hotel located north of Houston.
Following approximately an hour of worship, several prominent conservative activists and elected officials addressed the crowd. U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Houston), via a prerecorded video, and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Austin), speaking in person, both blamed the political "left" for Kirk's death.
Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah man, has been charged with aggravated murder in connection to Kirk’s shooting death.
"My message to you is, what are you willing to risk?" Roy said. "Charlie risked it all. Charlie gave it all. ... What will you do when you wake up tomorrow to say, ‘I'm going to risk it all for my kids and my grandkids,' because you're the generation that is going to save this country?"
Other speakers at the event included political strategist Steve Bannon via video, Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough, Texas Youth Summit founder Christian Collins and Allie Beth Stuckey — a conservative online commentator and podcaster.
RELATED: University of Houston’s Turning Point USA chapter holds Charlie Kirk vigil
As the event reached its end, with only two more speakers left, a 3-minute ad filled all the screens and projectors in the conference room. The ad was for Patriot Mobile, which claims to be "America’s only Christian conservative wireless provider."
Following the ad and another speaker, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) reinforced the message that Kirk should be an example for young conservatives to follow.
"In 31 years, Charlie Kirk impacted this world in a profound and powerful way that will resonate for generations," Cruz said. "He didn't live a single day with a spirit of fear. He knew that he would encounter people who were socialists, who were communists, who were transgender, who were ideologues, who disagreed with him. And he went in with courage."
RELATED: Sen. Ted Cruz paints over anti-Charlie Kirk graffiti along Houston highway
Reaching the halfway point in his speech, Cruz asked those in the audience to take out their phones and subscribe to his own podcast so they can know the "facts."
“I do the podcast specifically to equip each of you," he said. "To arm you with facts, to arm you with information, to arm you with what you will not get if you're watching the news, what you will definitely not get if you're looking at TikTok."
Cruz said Kirk's legacy will live on through the next generation.
"I grieve for Erika [Kirk], I grieve for his little kids that will never know their dad," he said. "But, they'll see him online, they'll see pictures of him, they'll see images, they'll see his charm ... they will see the legacy he left."
The Texas Youth Summit continues Saturday. Among the scheduled speakers are Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
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