(RNS) — Visiting historically Black college campuses during homecoming observances over the last month, Blexit, a conservative Black group run by the late Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA, has received pushback from some university officials and commentators.
Hampton University in Virginia and Howard University in Washington were among 10 institutions announced as locations of the tour by the group that was founded by conservative activist Candace Owens. The group, which describes its mission as focused on “Faith, Family, and Freedom,” merged with Turning Point USA in 2023.
According to its website, the “Elevate to Liberate” tour started on Sept. 25 at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina, and will conclude Friday (Oct. 31) at Bowie State University in Maryland and Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.
The group has previously toured historically Black campuses, but this year’s plans seemed to raise greater concerns in light of Kirk’s killing in September and increased discussion about his views, some of which have been called racist by his critics. His supporters, including some conservative Christian students, deny that description of him.
Hampton officials said Blexit made an unauthorized appearance on campus as the group did not complete an application required for vendors.
“Members of the BLEXIT organization walked onto campus on Friday, 10/24 and proceeded to film ‘man of the street’ type of content,” Richelle D. Payne, Hampton’s vice president for strategic communications and marketing, told Religion News Service in an emailed response to questions.
The school, which has an enrollment of 4,686 students, denied that Blexit was shut off the campus.
“This was not a matter of suppression; it was a matter of safety, procedure, and fairness,” the school said in a statement. “This procedural failure meant they were not approved to participate, consistent with University policy and communicated in advance to all applicants. … Hampton University welcomes organizations and speakers representing a variety of perspectives, provided they follow established protocols. BLEXIT failed to meet those standards.”
The Blexit tour during homecoming events has drawn criticism for being held at a traditional time of celebration and pride for HBCU students and alumni.
“It is a sacred time of year when alumni, current students and community stakeholders come together, acknowledging that we can be diverse in ideology yet unified in purpose, that joy itself is a form of resistance,” wrote Josh Rodgers in a commentary in Ebony magazine, an 80-year-old publication that highlights the culture and politics of Black people. “To use that moment of celebration to recruit students into a movement built on division misses the entire spirit of HBCU life.”
Panama Jackson of The Grio, which covers Black lifestyle and culture, similarly wrote, “While Black America can accurately be described as non-monolithic, homecoming season at our HBCUs tends to be a time when we’re all on one accord: Do not disturb this groove.”
