The tragedy surrounding Charlie Kirk's assassination one month ago highlighted a dire need for greater efforts in peacemaking and unity.
In Utah Valley, different groups are doing their part to bring the community together.
In Provo, BYU students and community members are finding ways to be better peacemakers. These steps range from small and simple strategies to powerful events.
At a Provo vigil honoring Kirk at Memorial Park, hundreds gathered to hear messages. Among the speakers was Utah state representative Trevor Lee.
Lee repeatedly referenced Kirk’s dedication to respectful discourse and his integrity of character, remarking that “he walked the walk [and] led with his example” by keeping a respectful tone in his many debates.
Lee continued by urging residents to make greater efforts to build bridges of respect.
“Now it’s up to us … to keep living on with that legacy that he has started,” he said. “We will do it.”
Figures like Kirk, who are constantly under public scrutiny, have ample opportunities to practice this. However, being in the spotlight isn’t a requirement to make a difference. Across BYU, individuals and organizations are promoting simple ways to foster a culture of unity.
Taryn Frerichs, a BYU student in sociology and women' s studies, laments that Kirk’s death is a giant leap backward for building unity.
“Events like this just divide people even more,” she said.
She considers herself to be politically active — helping out with community events on and off-campus, staying up to date on news and never shying away from respectful conversation.
“Finding the humanity within one another is one of the most important things we can do … when we remember that those we are talking to are also people, it makes us much more empathetic,” Frerichs said.
How can BYU students practice that skill?
There are lots of opportunities around campus to engage in a friendly way with people of other perspectives, especially through BYU’s Initiative for Peacemaking.
According to their website, the Initiative “seeks to coordinate and encourage BYU mission-inspired scholarship and academic research on peace.”
The Initiative offers ample opportunities for community members to do this, primarily through the student organization known as the Peacemaker Project. This group has hosted dinners featuring political discussions, brought guest speakers to campus and more.
On the day of Kirk’s assassination, the Initiative for Peacemaking hosted Patrick Mason, a professor of religious studies and history at USU. He spoke on how to disagree civilly.
The project has also hosted debates. Kirk Hawkins, a BYU political science professor and director of the Initiative for Peacemaking, made it clear that peacemaking is not about avoiding debate, but standing up for opinions respectfully.
“It’s okay to disagree ... you should be able to talk about it without being demonized,” he said. “That’s what we’re aiming for.”
BYU offers other services for peacemaking, including the BYU Law Center for Peace & Conflict Resolution.
Eross Coito-Paz, a second-year law student at BYU who works at the center, spoke to an insight he has gained by working in mediation: opposing parties are usually more congruent than they think.
“As it might apply to the macro-political scale in a time like today, I think oftentimes, different philosophies … have similar goals … but their means of doing that come out in a lot of different ways,” Coito-Paz said.
He said that the best way to find these similarities and build bridges from there is simply to seek for a deeper understanding.
“One of the most powerful tools at our disposal as human beings is curiosity,” he said. “It can be a very powerful tool to understand somebody at a deeper level.”
Coito-Paz continued by saying people will often get a “big ‘oh’ moment,” realizing the person they are arguing with thinks or feels completely differently than they had assumed.
According to Hawkins, the most important thing the BYU community can do is stay involved in political discussion.
“It’s easy to say right now, ‘I’d better be quiet and hunker down. [That’s how] I’m being a peacemaker,’” Hawkins said. He explained that engaging in conversation while applying principles of respectful debate can bring needed change.
The Initiative for Peacemaking will continue to host events on and off-campus. Those interested should view the calendar here.