Turning Level USA CEO Erika Kirk introduced her “America: Adore it or Go away It” tour to Elgin’s Judson College Tuesday and was greeted by a crowd who lined up early to attend — and a handful of people that turned out to protest.
College students, college, employees and guests gathered exterior Herrick Chapel, lots of whom had been carrying patriotic gear like purple sweatshirts emblazoned with the phrase, “Freedom.” Tickets had been free and bought out, with individuals being turned away on the door.
Kirk is a businesswoman and podcaster who took over as head of Turning Level following the homicide of her husband, Charlie Kirk, in September 2025.
The tour goals to “encourage college students to defend free speech, problem prevailing school narratives, affirm the values of American ideas and confront the trendy anti-Americanism that insists on hating the nation whereas refusing to depart it,” in keeping with a Turning Level USA information launch asserting the tour.
The group didn’t enable media protection of the occasion.
Kirk’s fall campus tour is making stops throughout the nation with particular visitors that embrace Donald Trump Jr.; Tulsi Gabbard, former director of U.S. Nationwide Intelligence; Glenn Beck, a conservative political commentator and radio host; and Ben Shapiro, conservative political commentator and media host.
Along with those that protested on the occasion, social media commenters voiced criticism that the Christian college would host Kirk and Turning Level, which has been cited by some for its provocative and controversial positions. Amongst them had been Elgin Metropolis Council members Tish Powell and Diana Alfaro.
“This isn’t an excellent search for an establishment that claims to need to be a part of our extraordinarily various neighborhood and actively recruits college students of colour to attend their college,” Powell wrote.
Quoting poet Maya Angelou, she wrote, “‘when individuals present you who they’re, consider them.’ We see you, Judson College. No extra believable deniability.”
A Judson College spokesperson stated the college didn’t invite Kirk to campus and declined to touch upon Kirk’s look. The college has a Turning Level USA chapter.
Whereas protests had been reportedly deliberate, just a few individuals really attended in opposition. The college is a non-public faculty and safety was tight.
June, a university pupil who requested that her final identify not be used, took to the sidewalk exterior Judson’s entrance on West River Highway.
“I believe it’s essential to train our First Modification rights,” the 18-year-old stated. “I see quite a lot of Republicans discuss First Modification rights and the way they’re crucial and needs to be upheld. However when a left-leaning individual tries to precise themselves, they shut them down and say all this loopy stuff about them.”
The Elgin resident stated Republicans mock the deaths of individuals like Alex Pretti and Renee Good, each of whom had been killed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement brokers in two separate shootings.
“I simply suppose it’s unfair,” June stated.
Judson College, as a non-public establishment, is allowed to host or invite anybody they need to campus, however the determination questionable, she stated.
“I do know quite a lot of the issues Charlie Kirk stated, and quite a lot of them weren’t good. Numerous them had been hurtful to many demographics,” June stated.
Kirk’s life and demise, which occurred whereas he was doing a stay look, had been controversial. He headlined right-wing rallies and led a campus tour titled, “You’re Being Brainwashed,” through the 2024 election.
His group was created to “empower generations of patriots to face for freedom, defend liberty and win the American tradition battle,” in keeping with its web site, however was criticized for its generally excessive views on such topics as Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Martin Luther King Jr. and its promotion of COVID-19 misinformation.
Gloria Casas is a contract reporter for The (Elgin) Courier-Information.
