Story By: Wyatt Smith

MONTEVALLO, Ala. — In protest of the Montevallo’s Turning Point USA chapter’s “Prove Me Wrong” event featuring controversial speaker Bryan Dawson, which the university announced would be rescheduled for a later date amid security concerns, students gathered Thursday at the “Becoming” statue to make their voices heard.

The event, which had been promoted as a walkout, started at 10 a.m. Participants set up chairs, hung posters and started having conversations around the iconic statue. Organizers say they consider the even a success, with 20 to 30 students taking part.

Dawson is president and CEO of conservative news outlet 1819, and student protesters are upset with his invitation to campus.

UM’s chapter of Turning Point USA posted on their Instagram account that a new date for Bryan Dawson’s “Prove Me Wrong” event on campus will be announced soon.

U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville posted on X, saying the university “caved to the WOKE MOB” by postponing the event and called for it to be rescheduled immediately.

As the campus faces a financial crisis these protesters are arguing that by allowing speakers like Dawson on campus, UM could push away potential students who visit campus or see who is invited for campus events.

Protest organizers, who asked to be identified only as A.O. and J.S., believe this decision will only bring harm to their already hurting university. A.O. says if they were an incoming freshman on a campus tour and “someone with that background was sitting in front of a place, one of two places to eat on campus, I probably wouldn’t have ended up here.”

“That background” referring to Dawson’s felony filled background of cocaine trafficking, serial car theft, attempted murder and the releasing of information that led to the suicide of Alabama mayor and pastor Fred “Bubba” Copeland.

J.S. said this makes the university they attend feel unsafe. “I just wanted to do something to let the university know that we don’t agree with this,” they said.

A.O. and J.S. are also concerned about the influence Dawson will have on campus.

“Giving someone a platform, it emboldens people,” A.O. said. “When the event was announced, I saw a flood of Yik Yaks … where people are saying stuff about [being] glad people are getting deported.”

A.O. and J.S. shared they are not against free speech but against hateful and harmful speech.

“The point of the event is not to protest Turning Point USA having a chapter on campus or them having the right to have events,” J.S. said. “It’s the particular people that they’ve chosen.”