Kirk was practically unknown to the African American community. Until. Until his death, and Black folks started to Google him. Their first introduction to Kirk was found in the thousands of fiery speeches over the years, and they were not happy.

Of the most revered civil rights leader in history, Kirk said, “MLK was awful. He’s not a good person.” This certainly got a response from the surviving children of Dr. Martin Luther King.

About the Civil Rights Movement, it got uglier. “We made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the mid-1960s.” The Act “created a beast, and that beast has now turned into an anti-white weapon.” Kirk vilified the hard-fought victories of that bloody movement.

Kirk accused four successful Black women of not having “the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously.”  According to Kirk, political commentator Joy Reid, former First Lady Michelle Obama, the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson were all undeserving beneficiaries of affirmative action. They could not have possibly attained their positions on their own merits.

Past the racist, insensitive remarks, Kirk showed his sociopathic side when he coolly shared his belief that it was “worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.” This is coming from a righteous Christian.

You can tell a lot about an influencer’s life and legacy by their impact, as well as those who share the values and follow the philosophy. Did the rhetoric and actions of Kirk and his followers move the country closer to a deeper understanding of one another? Did they inspire us to see the greater good beyond our own selfish interests? Did the vision contribute to a more unified and just society?

The hateful speech of Kirk and others like him is twisted to be protected under the First Amendment. Laws have been enacted to qualify and clarify speech in this violent country. Hate speech can lead to hate crimes against targeted constituencies. These constituencies are often targeted based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, political views, and economic status. Over the years, Kirk trashed all of them under the guise of free speech and moral privilege.

This country is in a phase where political violence by MAGA supporters is being encouraged and protected at the highest levels. We are now in the phase where we are fighting, not just to save this democracy, but to save our own lives. Our redemption lies in the salvation of a morally corrupt and brutal nation.