Board members of the U.S. Air Force Academy Association of Graduates will vote on two honors for the late Charlie Kirk during their meeting on Friday.

The independent 501(c)(3) organization for academy graduates will decide whether to award Kirk with honorary AOG membership and recommend him for an honorary AFA degree.

The action was put on the agenda by AOG Director Rod Bishop, who is a 1974 USAFA graduate and board member of the Unity Slate, an AOG advocacy group.

Bishop proposed honoring Kirk, who was assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley College in September, because he “exudes all of the qualities” that USAFA graduates would want to “count among our numbers.”

“I think most do not understand the impact Charlie had upon our youth (and cadets) in grounding them in the tenets of the vision of our founding fathers,” Bishop stated in a post on the Unity Slate website. “He was a USAFA teammate (member of our Board of Visitors) for way too short a time – but I can think of no one who had a greater impact – an impact that will live years beyond his time serving the USAFA.”

The Gazette attempted to reach Bishop multiple times on Wednesday for comment and did not receive a response.

In March, Unity Slate and Stand Together Against Racism and Radicalism in the Services (STARRS) had five endorsed candidates elected to the AOG, including Bishop.

Both organizations advocate against wokeness and diversity, equity and inclusion within the military, according to their websites. Unity Slate’s mission is specifically aimed toward accomplishing this within the AOG.

Bishop stated in his post that Kirk’s politics should be put aside in these agenda items and that he would be honored in part for loving the Academy, encouraging civil dialogue and promoting freedom of speech.

If approved, Kirk, a prominent conservative commentator, appears to be the first person who would posthumously receive the honorary membership and would join a small group of those without military service.

STARRS CEO and President Ron Scott, a 1973 AFA graduate, told The Gazette he remains “neutral” on the agenda items honoring Kirk and that it would be “unprecedented” if approved due to the posthumous circumstances and lack of military service.

Kirk did not serve in the military but was appointed by President Donald Trump earlier this year to serve on the AFA’s board of visitors and attended one meeting before his murder.

“I met Charlie Kirk,” Scott said. “I was there on Aug. 7 when the board of visitors met and Charlie gave a tremendous, inspirational set of closing remarks about why a cadet is at the Academy.”

In that speech, which is transcribed within Bishop’s statement, Kirk told the board that cadets can articulate and feel American exceptionalism. He added that the Academy is not Harvard or Dartmouth, where students can “spread anti-American ideas,” and DEI and critical race theory should be stripped from the Academy.

Katherine Smith, the eighth Black female USAFA graduate, said she it was “repulsive” that the measures were put on the agenda and believes the AOG is apolitical and that Kirk DEI (Didn’t Earn It).

“We should be a diverse and inclusive institution, and this would send a message that some people are better than others and that you don’t have to earn the recognition you get,” Smith said.

The distinction began in 1981, and many of the 47 honorary members served for decades within the military or at the Academy.

“For me, [the Academy] provided an opportunity, but I don’t know that I would ask someone to send their child to a place that didn’t value me,” Smith said.

Eric Garven, a 1981 AFA graduate, said the AOG should not celebrate the life of “an unapologetic racist” who spent his life “sowing seeds of hatred.”

“It’s the ultimate slap in the face to me because you’re celebrating a person who’s actively trying to oppress people that look like me with his racist attitudes,” Garven told The Gazette.

Smith and Garven denounced the killing of Kirk and described this as a separate issue about valor being provided by the AOG.

While the AOG is formally non-partisan, it fell into arguments over partisan divides in September after the board chairwoman’s husband called two other members, including Bishop, “racist Trumpists.”

According to a post on STARRS’ website, the chairwoman “did nothing to intervene” after her husband allegedly confronted them.

The AOG will vote on Kirk’s honorary membership and recommendation for an honorary degree during the 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. portion of their meeting on Friday, which is only open to AOG members.