Charlie Kirk died for free speech, and I would too

In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, there have been a flood of reactions and comments. Many honoring his life and legacy, and some celebrating his death or showing little empathy.

These types of controversial events make it easy for us to post and comment with feelings of anger, sadness, and frustration. However, I don’t think that’s the best path forward and it’s not what is best for our country.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m angry and I’m saddened by what Kirk’s family is suffering through and anyone personally close to him. I’m also mourning the loss of an essential figure within the Conservative movement. Kirk was instrumental to Trump’s 2024 victory where turnout for Trump increased by four points for voters ages 18-29 and five points for voters ages 30-49. But we shouldn’t be guided only by anger and frustration, instead we must be inspired by Kirk’s legacy and motivated to do the work that must be done.

Kirk’s death has invigorated me and affirmed that I’ve made the right career decision: Pursuing politics even though my degree is in chemistry. I strongly believe that a key to politics is changing hearts not minds. If people made decisions based solely upon logical arguments and conclusions, we’d likely live in a different world. Human beings listen to their hearts more often than not, and we must take that into consideration.

Thus, we must listen to our hearts now. Violence is never warranted, no matter how diametrically opposed you are to a person or an idea. Violence, especially political violence, rips our souls apart and breaks our hearts.

However, it is important to also use our minds and remember one principle: Free speech and words are not forms of violence.

In my lifespan, people have tried to restrict my speech because they believed my words would commit harm to others. In fact, free speech and constructive dialogue does the very opposite. It allows people to grow, learn, understand, and develop their ideas about the world. Speech isn’t harmful but part of the human experience in civil, liberal societies.

In our past, humans used to wage wars over differences in viewpoints. Now we don’t have to resort to violence, but can respectfully listen and share with each other our conflicts.

America is one of the greatest nations in the world. I am forever thankful to have grown up here in the States, when I could’ve led a radically different life if I was never adopted from China. I’ve visited a multitude of countries around the world: Liberia, Vietnam, India, Japan, Thailand, and many others. Each country has its own distinct culture that is shared throughout the entire nation. America, although, is different. We have almost every culture living together in one country. We have the privilege to learn from each other and share our differences.

So why can’t we do that peacefully? What did we do wrong? I believe part of the issue is within the school systems and higher education. We have done a poor job at teaching students how to respectfully share, listen, and discuss with each other. Instead we’ve introduced cancel culture and phrases like “silence is violence.” We need reform in how we approach dialogue at the most basic levels.

In my last year at Hope College, I delivered a TEDx talk discussing why constructive dialogue and free speech are vital components within higher education. This is more important now than ever. You can start small by bringing difficult discussions to your dinner table, especially if you have children.

This concept of open debate and free inquiry is a passion I shared with Charlie Kirk, and his death motivates me to further advocate for these principles. Kirk was willing to die for this cause, and honestly, I am too.

Every human has innate dignity and respect. We have forgotten this. No matter what you may believe or hold to be true, we need to remember each other’s dignity and respect. Kirk championed his Christian faith as the most important belief he had, and thus conducted his work for free speech with human dignity and respect in mind. We must follow in his footsteps and continue the movement he built.

We need to remember that words are not violence. And when we use our words, we acknowledge that every person has this innate dignity and respect, no matter what. This is the principle we must teach our children and our students. This is how we save America and honor Kirk’s legacy.