EXCLUSIVE: Rep Nancy Mace heads to Clemson in wake of Kirk assassination: ‘We won’t be silenced’

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., vowed to stand fearlessly with young conservatives in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination — a tragedy that sparked national outrage and led to three Clemson professors being fired after allegedly celebrating his death.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital ahead of her address Wednesday at a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) gathering at Clemson University in South Carolina, Mace said she and other conservative leaders will continue speaking in public to honor the late TPUSA founder's legacy, noting, "we're not going to be afraid."

The South Carolina gubernatorial candidate's public appearance comes less than a month after Kirk, 31, was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, leaving behind his wife, Erika, and two young children.

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"I want all of our young people across South Carolina and the country to know that we are with them, that we are all Charlie Kirk and that they will be supported — that we aren't going to allow anyone, or any political violence, to stop this movement or this moment," Mace said. 

"We are doing this for Charlie Kirk. We're doing this for Turning Point. We're doing this for the millions of Charlie Kirks that are now out there today, who want to carry the torch forward, and we're not going to be afraid," she added. "We're going to continue to do these things in public. We're going to respect and honor free speech and our faith, and we're going to do it as publicly and valiantly as we can."

Following Kirk's killing, Fox Digital reported young conservatives were harassed at on-campus memorials, as professors across the country faced firings over insensitive public posts condoning the activist's murder.

At Clemson alone, three professors were terminated after allegedly celebrating Kirk's death.

Mace said young members of the Clemson College Republicans and the Clemson TPUSA chapter worked together to ensure the public, elected officials and President Donald Trump were aware of the professors' comments, and were instrumental in booting them from campus.

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"They made a difference where it mattered, because those who are promoting murder, inciting murder, shouldn't be teaching our kids. Regardless of your politics or what your beliefs are, you shouldn't be near students or indoctrinating them," she said. "There are hundreds, if not thousands, of students on every campus across the country who are with you. When we speak up in numbers, we can't be defeated."

She added her message to parents concerned about leftist indoctrination on college campuses is one of hope.

"I have never been more proud and had more confidence in a generation than I do today, because these young men and women have stepped up in the wake of Charlie Kirk's tragic murder, and they have stepped up to fill in the gap, and it is an inspiration," Mace said.

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The university also came under fire in April after Mace revealed Clemson had a health portal form that listed 15 gender identity options, excluding male and female.

Though the form was eventually taken down, Mace noted school officials "deflected any and all blame."

"I expect better than that, and even when these professors came forward, we saw a slow response from Clemson," she said. "Luckily, the Board of Trustees held an emergency meeting and did the right thing, so we are going to have to continue to have eyes on and put pressure on Clemson to do the right thing."

Mace said amid the chaos, it is important lawmakers and the courts step in to protect free speech, and continue to honor Kirk's mission.

"The First Amendment is a right established by our founders, and when we need to step in, we should absolutely do that," she said. "That's what you saw happen in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination. You saw lawmakers step up, come forward, and protect the free speech of students on campuses everywhere."

Fox News Digital's Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.