I slept terribly last night. I bet you did, too. My heart aches for our country, and I’m struggling to make sense of something that feels so senseless, so incredibly unnecessary. Charlie Kirk is dead.
This amazing young man, who lived his life by example, is no longer on this earth, assassinated at Utah Valley University on a date we should never forget: September 10, 2025.
Charlie was doing what he loved when he died. He was living his beliefs in a respectful way. By now, we’ve all seen the horrific video, a sniper’s bullet piercing Charlie’s neck. Thinking to ourselves, there’s no way he survived, but still, we prayed hard and hoped beyond hope that this husband, father, and friend to countless people had survived. But, he didn’t.
All night long, I kept thinking to myself, Why? Why did this happen to a man who only wanted to talk about America, faith, and freedom?
I’m grieving alongside millions of others this morning. I finally got up, realizing sleeping wasn’t in the cards. I looked at social media, watching, and reading what some people are saying, especially on the far left. I didn’t want to see it, but it’s unavoidable. It’s everywhere. Some wished Charlie dead. Some celebrated his death. And I can’t fathom that kind of hatred. Seeing that takes me to a place I desperately don’t want to be. We deserve so much better in America.
Charlie was a conservative, but he was so much more than that. He was a man who loved America, his God, and his dear family. He believed in the same things so many of us hold dear: freedom, faith, and a conviction that America is worth fighting for, flaws and all. Charlie wasn’t out there throwing punches; he sat at a table, inviting anyone to prove him wrong. That had nothing to do with hate. That was courage. And he was making a difference.
As I write this, my soul screams for our country. I feel this event was, in fact, a turning point. I’ve always believed strongly that the majority of Americans are near the middle of the political spectrum because I saw this over a long career as a newspaper publisher and now a radio host. And this morning, your soul is probably screaming, too. We want the craziness to end.
Charlie’s values were so clear. He wore them on his sleeves. You may have known him on TikTok or X. You might have listened to his podcast. You might have met him on a campus near you. You might have watched his speeches or interviews on cable TV. Charlie wasn’t playing a part. He was living what was in his heart and soul. He was living a mission — your right to speak freely, bear arms, and chase dreams without the government getting in your way. Charlie stood for individual liberty. He championed free markets. When Charlie said America was exceptional, he believed it deeply in his soul. Those of us who followed him from all walks of life understood this about him.
Charlie coveted talking and respectfully debating with people. He’d look you in the eye, no matter your politics, and say, “Let’s talk.” And I can’t get my heart and mind around this, but that’s what made him a target — not hatred but reason. And it cost him his life.
When someone like Charlie is taken, there is no way they fade away. He lit a fire of hope in so many of us. It’s a hope for an America that’s free, faithful, and worth fighting for. That fire that’s burning in me, in you, it’s going to spread until it brings us all together to keep his dream alive. History proves it. Martin Luther King, Jr., was killed for fighting for equality, and it ignited a movement that still fights for justice. Abraham Lincoln was shot for holding our nation together and became a symbol for unity. Joan of Arc was burned to death for her faith and inspired a nation to rise.
If you’re reading this and you didn’t know about Charlie, believe me when I say his assassination will breathe more life into his movement. Charlie’s death is already bigger than him. And it will grow. I hear people calling him a martyr this morning, and I feel he was one. But I hope this doesn’t just rally the conservatives in America. I want it to wake us all up.
Why did this happen? Why did Charlie, a man who wanted to talk, face death? Why did some cheer his murder? I believe it’s because we’ve forgotten how to see each other as humans. Some are so entrenched and polarized that they’ve turned neighbors into enemies. I’ve had people end friendships over how I voted. Charlie’s “Prove Me Wrong” tables on college campuses were an invitation to talk about our differences, not fight over them. It’s so hard to understand how we got to a place where too many posts online feel like a battle. How in the world did Charlie’s calm reasoning become such a threat? He was changing minds, especially young ones, and he was silenced for it.
We have to find some way to stop letting our differences breed hatred. Hurricane Katrina taught me hope isn’t just wishing; it’s getting up, holding tight to what matters, and building something better. America is strong because of people like you and me — people who want a good life, a safe home for our kids, and a country that doesn’t give up. Charlie believed that, too. And I believe most of you do, as well, no matter how you vote. His death will be a lasting wound, but it’s also a chance to come together. We can’t let violence win. We can’t let hate stop the conversations.
Where do we go from here? We have to reject the poison in our politics, condemning violence but not ideas. We all have a role to play in lowering the heat, as Utah Governor Spencer Cox said yesterday after Charlie was killed, and remember deep in our hearts that words aren’t weapons. Let’s all protect free speech because that’s how we find our way forward. And just maybe we will start seeing each other as neighbors again.
Charlie Kirk believed America was worth fighting for. I do, too. In a way, I became Charlie yesterday. Many of us became Charlie yesterday.
God bless Charlie. God bless America.
The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of SuperTalk Mississippi Media.
