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After Utah's Republican Governor Spencer Cox identified the suspected shooter of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, he pleaded for a change in the country's political culture. Cox also delivered a message specifically to young Americans. Martha Harris with member station KUER in Salt Lake City reports from Utah State University.
MARTHA HARRIS, BYLINE: Cox spoke Friday morning from behind a podium inside Utah Valley University. The state school is where Kirk was murdered. Cox looked exhausted and emotional. He told young Americans...
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SPENCER COX: You are inheriting a country where politics feels like rage.
HARRIS: This shooting has hit some young Americans especially hard. Not only did some witness it, but many of Kirk's fans were young people. At the same time, Cox acknowledged there were young people who hated Kirk.
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COX: Your generation has an opportunity to build a culture that is very different than what we are suffering through right now - not by pretending differences don't matter, but by embracing our differences and having those hard conversations.
HARRIS: Freshman Grace Atkinson agrees. The Utah State University student was sitting with friends on a sunny afternoon. Atkinson said she believed some of Kirk's views were dehumanizing, but she thinks his death is tragic and signifies the problems in America.
GRACE ATKINSON: But I really think that we do need to have hard conversations. Otherwise, things aren't going to change.
HARRIS: She says that kind of dialogue is not happening right now. Atkinson is sitting by her roommate, Sydney Archibald. Archibald liked Kirk, and she agrees with Atkinson.
SYDNEY ARCHIBALD: I've never really ever talked politics with, like, anyone my age just 'cause it's something we have been, like, told, like, not to do. So we just never do it 'cause we don't want to offend somebody.
HARRIS: Archibald says Kirk's death might make her peers even more scared to share their opinions. During the news conference, Cox said this was a traumatic event, especially for college students.
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COX: Again, I would encourage people to log off, turn off, touch grass, hug a family member, go out and do good in your community.
HARRIS: Student Riley Tingesdahl appreciated Kirk. She found him the same way most young people did - through social media. She thinks that it may be worth taking a beat away from those platforms, but it's a catch-22.
RILEY TINGESDAHL: I mean, realistically, it's hard for just so much of our lives are spent on social media. And we also connect with a lot of people on there as well, in a lot of good ways.
HARRIS: All three students want to be able to speak more openly with others, and they're grappling with how to get there. For NPR News, I'm Martha Harris. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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