The assassination of Charlie Kirk - the founder of a youth political movement that helped revolutionize modern conservatism - at Utah Valley University is a tragedy. His killing is also part of a horrifying wave of political violence in America. Mr. Kirk was a husband and father of two small children. He was revered by numerous conservative college students. Now, suddenly, out of nowhere, his life was taken from him. One would be hard pressed to name many conservative political personalities in America who were more well-known or popular among the political and conservative right. As the founder of Turning Point USA in 2012, he was savvy enough to develop the outfit into the most successful conservative youth organization in the United States.

Admittedly, when I first heard the news, I was on the way to my exercise class; a message emerged on my cell phone. I was shocked! I literally said, “Lord, I hope that he is not seriously hurt!” A few minutes later, the reports from news outlets began pouring in announcing that Charlie Kirk had been assassinated. To put it bluntly, for the remainder of the day, I was pretty much emotionally drained. Mind you, this is a person who was not a family member, relative, close, personal friend, or anyone I knew personally. Yet, I was psychologically depleted. Perhaps some of my deep emotional state was related to the fact that Kirk’s death coincided with the death of my own mother who also passed away on September 10th, decades earlier.

Witnessing his wife, now widow, Erika Kirk, deliver her heartfelt tribute to her late husband, on September 12, I personally and profusely ached with emotion as I witnessed and felt the pain of a beautiful young widow trying to process life for herself, her children, the larger nation, and others after the death of her husband. May God be with her, her family, and loved ones.

Although there has been an abundance of commentary written about political polarization, particularly politically stratified online commentary that has saturated social media since immediately following the tragic news and continued onward, resulting in the suspension or outright loss of employment for a number of individuals. There has been less discussion given to the reaction of how Black America has responded to the Kirk tragedy. To be sure, as has been the case with individuals of all races, ethnicities, religions, socioeconomic backgrounds, sexual and political persuasions, reactions within the Black community have varied. Nonetheless, the commentary as it relates to the late political pundit seems to be thoughtful, nuanced, and overwhelmingly cordial, in particular among well-known Black personalities. Indeed, prominent Black figures and leaders are urging folks to come together.

Many people assumed that a culturally polarizing figure like Kirk - famous, or rather, infamous for his cringeworthy anti-Black, anti-LGBTQIA+, and pro-gun beliefs - would have inspired considerable division and derision among large segments of Black people upon his demise. Rather, and appropriately, in my opinion, Black democratic politicians, celebrities, and left-wing activists overwhelmingly condemned the assassination and engaged in thoroughly, empathetic commentary.

Cultural commentator Van Lathan emphasized that he felt “terrible” about his death despite all of the man’s offensive words. “There is no way I’m going to see that video of Charlie Kirk being shot and feel anything other than terrible. I’m aware of all of it, the rhetoric, the hatefulness, all of it from him, but I can’t be robbed of my compassion; that was awful, and we have to try to be better,” expressed Lathan.

Former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris both spoke against political violence in light of Kirk’s death. And Black Christians around the country have expressed their sympathies and prayers for Kirk’s family, his supporters, and the hundreds of attendees who witnessed the violent killing on September 10. The late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s own children also displayed compassion and called on others to do the same. Bernice A. King took to social media to say, “No child anywhere should lose a parent in such a hateful, callous way.” She added, “It will require much more than quoting my father for the United States to evolve from our current conundrum of multifaceted violence, tragic apathy, and degrading policies.” Indeed!

Many people transcending racial lines saluted Ms. King for resorting to the high road, particularly given that Kirk was a strident critic of Dr. King, even calling him a “mythological anti-racist creation of the 1960s.” In response to Kirk’s death, Martin Luther King III said, “While I strongly disagree with Charlie Kirk on most issues, especially his comments about my father, we all agree that political violence is inexcusable.” He added, “Disagreements must be addressed through civil conversations and free, fair elections.” Bravo!

Such acts and gestures demonstrate the often-forgiving nature of Black people. In fact, some people, including other Black folk, argue that sometimes, we as Black people are forgiving to a fault. We have seen this act of forgiveness time and time again, for example, from the relatives who lost loved ones at the hands of an unhinged, die-hard White supremacist in the Charleston AME Church massacre of June 2015 to the Buffalo supermarket shooting in May 2022. In both instances, we saw the victims’ families’ acts of forgiveness towards individuals who had brutally and savagely murdered their loved ones.

Given the fact that we as Black Americans are a group of people that have been historically subjected to violence ranging from centuries of lynchings, routine sexual violation of Black women, assassinations of Black leaders and activists - Dr.Martin Luther-King Jr., Medgar Evers, Malcolm-X, etc.. coupled with other forms of social, political and economic mistreatment, laced with an ample and healthy dose of compassion, Black people have tended to acquire considerable amounts of empathy and forgiveness. That is genuine Christianity at its finest!

Mercenary approaches aside, the truth is that if we are going to be honest and truthful, we cannot ignore the undeniable reality that Charlie Kirk was a high-intentioned provocateur whose acerbic rhetoric engaged in and relied on racist falsehoods. He trafficked in a litany of anti-Black, anti-Latino, racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, and anti-trans verbiage. He callously derided and dismissed diversity, equity, and inclusion programs as “anti-White.” He stated that White privilege was a “myth.” He denounced the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as a “huge mistake.” He even reversed his initial praise of Martin Luther King Jr., later calling him “awful” and a “mythological anti-racist creation.”

The late Mr. Kirk promoted the so-called great “replacement theory” - the White nationalist idea that demographic change in America is an intentional plot to reduce White influence. “The great replacement is not a theory; it’s a reality,” he declared. Such speech amplified prejudice, racial conflict, and religious hatred; amplified division; and was a brutal slap in the face to the humanity of millions of Americans. His ideology was devious, disingenuous, divisive, arguably opportunistic and perversely rooted in racism. His cruel and inhumane assassination does not erase or absolve such grim realities.

Charlie Kirk was a larger-than-life figure. In his all-too-short life, he managed to accomplish feats that many people spend a lifetime attempting to achieve. He leaves his many devotees, detractors, and those who fell into neither category asking why and how such a terrible tragedy could befall anyone. May he rest in peace.