The assassination of Charlie Kirk is a tragedy and part of a horrifying wave of political violence in America.

Kirk was a husband and father of two small children. He was revered by numerous conservative college students. One could be hard pressed to name many conservative political personalities in America who were more well-known or popular on the right, especially among younger people.

When I first heard the news, I was shocked. This is a person who was not a family member, relative, close, personal friend, or anyone whom I knew personally. Yet, I was psychologically depleted by the news of his assassination. 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, Erika Kirk, deliver her heartfelt tribute, I ached with emotion as I witnessed and felt the pain of a beautiful young widow trying to process life for herself, her children, and the nation after the death of her husband. May God be with her, her family, and loved ones.

Many people assumed a culturally polarizing figure like Kirk — 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 thorough, empathetic commentary.

Cultural commentator Van Lathan emphasized 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.”

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.”

King’s decision to take the high road is notable, given Kirk was a strident critic of Martin Luther King Jr. 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.”

Such acts and gestures demonstrate the often-forgiving nature of Black people. We have seen this act of forgiveness time and time again, 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.

We cannot ignore the undeniable reality Kirk was a high-intentioned provocateur whose acerbic rhetoric engaged in and often relied on racist falsehoods. His ideology was divisive, arguably opportunistic and perversely rooted in racism. His cruel and inhumane assassination does not erase or absolve such grim realities.

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 nor how such a terrible tragedy could befall anyone. May he rest in peace.

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Copyright 2025 Elwood Watson, distributed by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate

Elwood Watson is a professor of history, Black studies, and gender and sexuality studies at East Tennessee State University. He is also an author and public speaker.