What Gov. Spencer Cox wants Americans to remember on ‘Charlie Kirk Day’

Gov. Spencer Cox has declared Thursday, Sept. 10 as “Charlie Kirk Day,” exactly one year after the conservative activist was assassinated while he was debating on Utah Valley University’s campus in front of thousands of Utahns.

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“Charlie Kirk came to Utah to take part in a fundamental American tradition: speak openly, debate ideas, and persuade others,” Cox said on social media. “Today, we honor Charlie’s memory by choosing a politics worthy of our country, one where we stand firmly for what we believe and reject violence.”

Cox has made it his mission, it seems, to make sure Americans keep talking — not at each other, but with each other.

In a recent interview regarding his new book “Off Ramp: How to Be a Peacemaker in an Age of Contempt,” Cox told the Deseret News that Kirk’s death was the “powder keg” of polarization in our nation set to go off.

Though it was a dark day in Utah and the country’s history, Cox said it needs to be remembered.

“There’s an obligation to remember what happened because that’s how we learn,” Cox said. “We commemorate the good things, but we should also commemorate the tragedies so that we can prevent that from happening again.”

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Memorials are planned worldwide on Thursday as people gather to pay respects to the young father and husband. Turning Point USA, the conservative nonprofit organization Kirk founded, said the organization remains committed to Kirk’s mission, but Sept. 10 is “not focused on the chapter numbers, the headlines, or the accomplishments,” TPUSA said on X.

“Today, we remember an incredible patriot, a husband, a father, and a man whose faith gave him the courage to spend his life serving a purpose he believed was bigger than himself,” it continued.

An event honoring Kirk will also be held at UVU Thursday evening, where speakers include Glenn Beck, a nationally recognized talk-show host and founder of Blaze Media; Frank Turek, a Christian apologist who mentored Kirk; and Andrew Sypher, Turning Point USA’s chief field officer.

“A year ago, we mourned, we filled stadiums, and we pledged that we would carry the torch. His torch,” Beck said in a post on social media Thursday. “Today, I’m challenging you to look at the quiet promises you made when emotions were high. The scripture you promised to read. The career or hobby you wanted to start. The hard truths you swore you’d stop ignoring.”