Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and one of the most visible voices of the MAGA conservative youth movement, was assassinated by a sniper on September 10 during a speaking event at Utah Valley University. As the nation reels from the politically charged killing, reactions from Black Americans—both leaders and citizens—have ranged from restrained compassion to open condemnation of Kirk’s legacy, with a clear consensus: violence must not become the language of politics.
The 31-year-old conservative activist was addressing a crowd of nearly 3,000 when a single bullet struck him fatally onstage. The suspected shooter has not yet been publicly identified, but law enforcement officials are investigating the killing as a targeted political assassination.
President Donald Trump, a close ally of Kirk, ordered flags flown at half-staff and called Kirk “a legend with the heart of America’s youth.” However, reactions from Black Americans have been far more nuanced and reflective of Kirk’s divisive political career.
Despite his long history of inflammatory rhetoric against Black people, several prominent Black leaders have issued statements urging their communities not to meet violence with celebration.
One of the most widely shared reactions came from Dr. Umar Johnson, a Pan-African activist and psychologist, who condemned both the killing and the celebration of it in some online circles.
“While I did not agree with Mr. Kirk’s rhetoric, and considered him to be an anti-Black bigot, I will never rejoice at the loss of life of anyone who hasn’t directly participated in the unaliving of a member of the Black Afrikan race,” Johnson wrote on Instagram.
“I am ashamed to see members of my community celebrating this situation. I will never ask you to mourn the loss of an enemy of our race but to celebrate an unaliving is completely unacceptable. We know all too well that the greatest recipients of political assassinations in this country have been our own people. Stop laughing at the misfortunes of others and get prepared. Political assassinations have returned to the United States of America courtesy of the deep state.”
Former President Barack Obama also released a statement condemning the violence while expressing sympathy for Kirk’s family.
“We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy,” Obama tweeted on September 10.
“Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.”
Vice President Kamala Harris echoed that message, issuing a call for national unity and political peace.
“I am deeply disturbed by the shooting in Utah. Doug and I send our prayers to Charlie Kirk and his family,” Harris posted on X.
“Let me be clear: Political violence has no place in America. I condemn this act, and we all must work together to ensure this does not lead to more violence.”
While many Black Americans on social media have acknowledged Kirk’s deeply harmful rhetoric, including comments denying systemic racism, mocking Juneteenth, and disparaging Black civil rights leaders, the mood among prominent voices is one of caution—not celebration.
As a conservative firebrand, Kirk routinely stoked controversy. He referred to affirmative action as a “scam,” dismissed Black professionals as “diversity hires,” and even once suggested Martin Luther King Jr. was “not worthy of a national holiday.” In recent years, he had increasingly aligned himself with Christian nationalist ideologies and fringe conspiracy theorists.
Still, the act of political assassination—something many associate with the darkest moments in American history—has prompted a rare moment of bipartisan grief, especially among Black leaders who have experienced the costs of political violence firsthand.
Many have invoked the assassinations of Black icons such as Malcolm X, Fred Hampton, and Martin Luther King Jr. as reminders of the human toll that political extremism often inflicts on the most vulnerable.
Black Christians and civil rights groups have since released statements of sympathy for Kirk’s family and prayers for peace, especially for the young people traumatized by the event.
In a country where mass shootings and political polarization are on the rise, Kirk’s assassination has become a flashpoint in the national debate about civility, justice, and the cost of radical rhetoric.
Though Kirk’s words offended many, his death has become a sobering reminder that political violence does not discriminate—and that no ideology, regardless of its message, should justify bloodshed.
As Dr. Umar warned, “Get prepared. Political assassinations have returned to the United States.”
