Remembering Charlie Kirk: Kai Schwemmer's Moving Tribute Speech Calls Nation to Honor His Legacy Through Action
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Remembering Charlie Kirk: Kai Schwemmer's Moving Tribute Speech Calls Nation to Honor His Legacy Through Action
A powerful memorial speech by Kai Schwemmer honors Charlie Kirk following his assassination on a college campus, capturing the profound impact of his life and work. Schwemmer reflects on the supernatural pain felt across generations and political divides, describing how Kirk's ability to communicate complex ideas touched millions worldwide. From family members who weren't politically engaged to his adversaries, people experienced an inexplicable sense of loss. Schwemmer challenges mourners to transform their grief into action, continuing Kirk's campus conversations and political engagement. With references to the fear felt during the 24 hours before the shooter's capture, the tribute emphasizes that Kirk's death proves these conversations matter enough to risk everything for, and therefore must continue.
Few things in life are as satisfying as having something explained in a way that perfectly communicates it to you—something that might be confusing, something that might have been difficult to understand. Almost every single person listening felt that in some way when hearing something that Charlie Kirk said. It's an ability of his that spans generations and that has touched without a doubt millions of lives all across the world.
For Kai Schwemmer, it was particularly impactful to hear the concern and the way in which this assassination touched even those closest to them, who they would have never assumed would have been so affected. Their family is by no means a political one, but it was their dad who called just wanting to talk in order to decompress. Many were feeling the exact same way.
An Impact Across Generations
What Charlie Kirk did motivated young people just as much as it motivated their parents, the boomer generation, and everybody else who listened to him. He motivated people to strive to be more Christlike, to become more politically engaged. And it is now 100% our responsibility—it is 100% on us to make that memory last.
Obviously, there are things that Charlie has done which are going to far outlast him. The infrastructure that he created when he founded TPUSA is one that is unparalleled. The ability to galvanize and activate students on campuses is something that nobody else has been able to achieve or motivate. It is something that deserves absolute respect and it is very doubtful that there will ever be anybody who could do it as well as he has.
A Supernatural Pain
Despite not being there, despite receiving the news from somebody who was there, there was a feeling like being gutted that was something like supernatural—something not describable and that did not make sense given the fact that many did not personally know Charlie. As was said before, people weren't hunting buddies with him. They were not personal close friends or family. And yet even among his political adversaries, there was a profound feeling that something had shifted and there was a deep, deep pain.
That pain is important. That pain is something we have not felt as a country in a long time. And it is a pain that now has the ability to help all of us come together in an important way and realize that we are all children of God, to realize the worth of every single one of us. That pain is exactly what must galvanize us right now to act and to take so serious this fight.
Politics Is Not a Hobby
The fight of politics, besides being something that will generate views on TikTok or controversy or maybe as a fun pastime or a hobby, is one that will inevitably touch every single one of our lives. And if we allow ourselves to sit back, if we cower now, we will be betraying Charlie's memory. There is no doubt about that.
There are likely some who before coming out that day, and certainly Schwemmer's—especially those who are in elective office or have run and campaigned—knew there was likely for a moment a fear, especially during the over 24 hours that the shooter had not been caught. There was a fear of a second attack or somebody who might be motivated by the actions of that assassin. That was a fear that for a moment got people to consider staying home. But every single person came out, and Schwemmer wanted everyone to look around and realize there are way more people standing behind you than you realized.
We Are Charlie Kirk
There are way more people touched in many ways by Charlie's life or the things he said or even just his example, and those people are all galvanized by that same sacrifice that Charlie made. Of course, none wish that it would come to that. All feel this deep sense of unfairness, but all now recognize and feel implicitly that we are Charlie Kirk, that we must continue what he was doing.
The fact that he was killed having these conversations on a campus is no reason to stop having those conversations on campuses. It shows just how important those conversations are. They were important enough to kill over for political rivals, which means they are more than important enough to say, to speak up for.
The Eternal Stakes
The reason we felt that supernatural pain—something that can't be described, something that doesn't make sense—is significant. All have seen violence in their lives. All have seen a video on the internet of some gruesome tragedy. But it was before seeing the video, before seeing the way that his life was taken, that people felt that pain. Some unfortunately were there to witness it. But there were so many more people who were not there and felt the pain nonetheless.
This describes to us the stakes of the game. This describes to us that there is something eternal and that there is something much greater than us at play within politics and within these conversations.
Not Hypocrisy, But Humanity
It's important to speak to some of the people who may not have had the most optimistic or positive views of Charlie prior to his passing and that now may have shifted their tone. There are plenty of people who might see this as sides switching because it's been opportune, because it's something that will generate likes or revenue or support, because it's the popular thing to do. But Schwemmer wholeheartedly stated that is not the case.
When people pass suddenly in our lives, when important people are taken from us, it is natural that our perspective of them and our appreciation for them changes. And those who have lost a loved one are very painfully aware of that. It's not hypocrisy to appreciate him more now that he's gone. It's human. And it is an important realization that often times we are not merciful enough. We are not empathetic enough during our lives and during our interactions with those people. These are the moments that remind us how we need to be always. It is not hypocritical. It is human.
Always Forgive Your Enemies
Schwemmer cited some of the things that were also cited by Governor Cox that day. A statement of Charlie's which they love: "Always forgive your enemies. There's nothing that drives them crazier." And it's true. There is nothing more valiant than true forgiveness, than true love being what motivates our political goals. And frankly, there is nothing that will ever get you to work harder than love.
Families understand that. Parents understand that there is nothing that will drive them so far as the love they have for their children or the love children have for their parents. That love that we feel, which is a reflection of the pain we felt at Charlie's loss, is exactly what will drive us to create political solutions and change the state of Utah forever.
The Duty to Remember
But our memory is short. It is up to us to remember the name of Charlie Kirk. It is up to us to honor that memory and to not forget. The news cycle is so fast. The human mind and its short-term memory are so flawed, so weak that we must actively work to remember these cases. We must actively remember those people who have died like they were our own family. If we don't do so, we will lose.
The adversary, either politically or spiritually, counts on a failure in memory. He relies on our inability to appreciate the past. Luckily, Charlie has left behind a legacy that cannot easily be washed away. But nonetheless, it is absolutely our duty to remember him.
Love as a Political Weapon
Schwemmer thanked everyone for allowing the pain that they feel to get them out that night. They thanked all for remembering Charlie, for honoring him, and thanked them for allowing it to increase the love that exists on the earth. There is no more important political weapon, political motivation. There is nothing more powerful in the world, frankly, than the love that we can feel for those people.
"I love Charlie Kirk for inspiring all of us to be a little bit more Christlike and to certainly take more serious this grand battle that we are involved in," Schwemmer concluded to applause.
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