Potential Charlie Kirk Statue On Campus?

The recent assassination of Charlie Kirk has caused the country to be divided on whether or not he should be honored. Kirk was a controversial figure who held conservative political views.

Some of his controversial takes included opposing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, rejecting the idea of empathy, and not supporting abortion rights.

On September 18th, Oklahoma Republican senators Shane Jett and Dana Prieto proposed a bill that would require a memorial of Kirk on public college and university campuses, sparking discussion among students and staff at Langston University.

Kayle Elam, a sophomore majoring in criminal justice and sociology at Langston, discusses controversial topics like those presented by Charlie Kirk in her classes.

When asked how she felt about the passing of Kirk, she said, “To be honest, I didn’t know much about him until he died. I obviously didn’t agree with his opinions because a lot of it was negative toward poor communities.”

She also said that she doesn’t believe that he deserved to be shot in front of his family. However, she talked about an interview she had seen him in.

“He said in an interview that a couple of people have to die every year, in order for us to have our Second Amendment right to have a gun. I feel his words ended up coming back on him.”

Elam believes the media is pressuring the public to express sympathy for Kirk’s passing and to view him as a political leader. She mentioned that people die in tragic ways every day, and some of those stories we never hear, especially when it comes to the black community.

Elam was asked if she feels that Kirk should have a memorial statue, and she immediately said no. She said, “Black people are getting shot and killed, children are getting shot and killed, where are their memorial statues?” She also said, “What difference has he made for him to have his own statue on a college campus?”

Jordan Banks, a junior psychology major at Langston, also feels that Kirk should not have his own memorial statue. “He was an influencer, he was not a politician. All he did was talk about his political opinions, which anybody can do.” It’s important to note that Charlie Kirk was the leader of a political group called Turning Point USA.

She went on to say, “They are saying his statue will represent freedom of speech; if that is the case, where is Martin Luther King’s and Malcolm X’s statues?”

She also said that she does not agree with Kirk being assassinated because he talked about what he believed in. She believes that everyone in the country should have the right to believe in what they want without worrying about getting killed. “That takes away our First Amendment right to have freedom of speech if people can’t convey their opinions.”

When asked about the proposal to designate October 14th as ‘Charlie Kirk Free Speech Day‘, she said, “Yeah, let him have it … Like I said, people don’t have to agree with him, I don’t have to agree with him, but we have days for other people. We don’t have to celebrate it, but people who agreed with Kirk’s views can.”

George Burnett has been an Oklahoma attorney for 40 years, and he teaches three classes at Langston University: criminal justice, Oklahoma history, and broadcast law. Burnett is no stranger to discussing law and politics in America. When asked how he felt about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, he immediately said, “It was tragic.”

He also went on to say, “America grew up to be the marketplace of ideas. We saw Charlie Kirk actively engage in the marketplace of ideas, and someone, because of what he believed, did an illegal act and took his life.”

When asked if Kirk should have a memorial statue on Oklahoma college campuses, Burnett took a pause, then said, “I think yes, when it is appropriate.”

Burnett believes that the senators should evaluate what the culture is like at the school before they make a decision. He argued that putting the statues on all college campuses would have diminished their value, ultimately lessening Kirk’s legacy and what he stood for.

Burnett believes time should pass to see if Kirk’s impact endures before establishing a day in his honor.

“I lived through Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, and more. I think sometimes we have to sit back and let their legacy ruminate, to see what’s the appropriate way to honor them,” Burnett said.

He feels that if Kirk starts a political empire that influences America in the next decade, then that’s when he can have his own day. Burnett makes an example out of this when it comes to the Oklahoma City bombing. “I worked in downtown Oklahoma City after the bombing, and over the years and decades, it has less impact compared to when it first happened.”

According to The Guardian, the day after the death of Kirk, seven HBCUs went into lockdown following threats of violence against their students.

When asked how Burnett felt about the threats, he said, “It’s backhanded racism. African Americans had nothing to do with the death of him.” He feels that people are just trying to find another group of people to blame. “When people divide us up, we start to have problems.”

In response to a question about whether the country is taking the right precautions to prevent something like this from happening again, Burnett said, “We live in a free society. We are gonna have this, it’s gonna happen again.”

He went on to say he has a friend who goes to China, and his friend feels very safe when he goes there. However, he is being watched the whole time.

“Do you want to live in a society where you are being watched the whole time, or do you want to live in a free society where you’re not being watched?” He said if you make the country safer, then you are going to give up some of your individual freedoms.

The bills will be considered when the legislature reconvenes on February 2nd. As time goes on, we will see how likely it is for public college campuses to have a memorial statue of Charlie Kirk.