Anna Bialkowski
Editor-in-Chief
The afternoon of Sept. 10 was drenched in a fuzzy feeling of disbelief as I sat on my couch and received a haunting text message from my mom: “Anna, he’s dead.”
It didn’t feel real. It still doesn’t.
I briefly met Charlie Kirk at a private Republican event that I was asked to attend as a junior in high school. We didn’t exchange words, and although I didn’t see much of an opportunity to go up to him and speak with him – even shake his hand – I truly wish I could go back and be brave enough to say hello.
Over the next few years, Kirk grew in notoriety for debating students on college campuses. His conservative and Christian values made him a controversial figure on these campuses, bringing people from all walks of faith and belief to the microphone in front of him.
That was Kirk’s mission: to inspire free speech and debate at these college campuses – where conservative values are unpopular. Kirk, without fail, was able to debate each and every student that came up to that microphone. Some exchanges were more successful than others, but Kirk always met the energy of his opponents.
When I found out Kirk was shot, shock bubbled in my chest like the carbonation from an open soda can. It wasn’t long until the grueling video of his assassination came up on my Instagram feed and I just felt numb. I still had hope that he would survive. But he didn’t. I still feel a pit in my stomach.
Within just minutes of his death, hateful videos and posts were flooding social media celebrating Kirk’s tragic assassination. Celebrating death – especially an assassination in our country – is incredibly wrong. I never thought that our generation would come to see an assassination with not only political motivation, but filmed and spread across social media.
John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 and Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated only five years later. I do not think that it is appropriate to compare the lives and deaths of individuals, but I will say that both of these individuals were leaders within the political sphere and killed for what the beliefs they fought for. Kirk was no different and should be treated with the same respect as these leaders.
48 hours after Kirk’s death, his wife Erika released a 17 minute long video addressing her husband’s assassination. Her anger and hurt was palpable from the screen. I sat in my car and watched the whole video, feeling a heaviness in my heart for Erika, her family and the pain they were experiencing. I cried in my car.
Kirk would not want us to stop talking, however. He would want free speech to continue in our country. There are several fine lines within the first amendment, one of them being that violence has no place within expressing your opinions, especially political ones.
I was not brave enough to stand up and approach Kirk when I had the chance. But now, I feel more inspired than ever to carry on his immense legacy. We might not be able to change the world, but we can certainly make an impact within our social circles. The least we can do is be respectful of Kirk and his life, despite personal beliefs.
This is the time to stand up for what we believe in and listen with compassion to others in the midst of disagreement. We must all lift each other up in compassion – even in the midst of disagreement – not hate or violence.
Rest in peace, Charlie Kirk. Thank you for everything.
