The assassination of conservative activist and influencer Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10 has sparked some polarizing conversations.
State Representative Parker Fairbairn — who says Kirk inspired him to a career in public service — is hoping for a cooling of the rhetoric that's followed Kirk's death.
"Political violence is not progress," Fairbairn wrote in a statement issued Monday. "It is the collapse of everything we hold dear.”
The Republican is 26 years old and represents a district that includes Charlevoix, Emmet, Mackinac and Chippewa counties.
IPR spoke with Fairbairn about his views on how the country moves forward. Listen to the conversation using the audio player above, and read some highlights below.
Interview highlights
On how Kirk inspired his career: "The way he acted, the way he presented himself when he went into these colleges and campuses, I think really inspired me. I had the opportunity to see him at MSU ... and do what he did best, which is have his dialogue with people who disagreed with him. It was really beautiful to see really nice arguments go on between people who have such different views than him. ... His even keeled-ness really struck a chord with me."
On taking the first step: "I saw a really beautiful thing on social media. It was over the weekend and it was up in Marquette. The Marquette County Republican Party and the Marquette County Democrat Party came out and did a joint statement about Charlie Kirk's assassination. ... That's what I'd like to see out of this, is everybody coming together and being able to have dialogue."
On how he'll proceed: "I'm going to control what I can control and that's my actions and the way I really hold myself up down here (in Lansing). I'm going to keep myself to that philosophy that I'm always willing to have conversations. I don't care if we're totally opposite on the issue. I think we can each learn something from each other."
