Charlie Kirk Assassination Leads to Open Table About Free Speech

On September 10, media personality Charlie Kirk, 31, was assassinated while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University.

Following his assassination, Deerfield students met with one another in an Open Table discussion in order to understand and examine Kirk’s death.

Kirk began his involvement in the Republican party at 18, and his career included co-founding Turning Point USA, an organization advocating for conservative ideals.

News of Kirk’s death sparked discussion at Deerfield. Dean of Ethical and Spiritual Life Jan Flaska said, “Following the assassination, conversations came up to me through Alasdair Mcdonough. I would even say that [the event] was already part of the dialogue at sit down tables.” He added, “Knowing students were talking about it, we had this gathering.” Alasdair McDonough ’27 helped organize this Open Table discussion with Mr. Jan. McDonough stated that “dialogue was really important and I also think it was really unique that at Deerfield, you could have people who you eat meals with and be able to converse about broader topics and respect their opinions.”

Around thirty students attended the Open Table about Kirk’s assassination. Haley Hickman ’26 shared her experience at the Open Table: “it was really cool to see people from all parts of campus come together. At least thirty people were there and everyone was super respectful.”

Tyler Long ’26 attended the event for a similar reason as Hickman. Long said that he “knew who Charlie Kirk was, but [he] didn’t really understand too much about their influence, so when [he] heard about their Kirk’s as-sasination, it struck [his] attention, wanting to gain more perspective from other students.”

Though Mr. Jan and McDonough faced challenges facilitating a safe space for a discussion about political and polarized topics, Mr. Jan emphasized how classes at Deerfield enabled an open-minded community, embracing different perspectives and productive dialogue. “We do a lot of work to invite the right kind of conversation between [members of Deerfield]. We have a lot of ways for students to practice engaging in good conversations, so it went in a positive direction although there were strong, raw, and emotional claims,” he said. McDonough added to Mr. Jan’s points, explaining that “questions that were open ended and invited both sides.” Long described the discussion as “very successful in the sense that we were able to come together as a collective and see different people’s understandings about Charlie Kirk.”

The discussion itself ranged from topics such as social media algorithims, why the media publicized Kirk’s death, and free speech. On the latter topic, Mr. Jan shared, “we really shouldn’t fear having a conversation. I believe we are very careful about politics in a way we aren’t about other values. We aren’t a perfect school, but always aspiring to be better, and politics are fair game in these conversations.” Adding onto Mr. Jan’s comments, McDonough highlighted the importance of having healthy conversations across campus. He believes that “it’s healthy to have an outlet in which to express [ideas] that’s not judgemental and creates a collective understanding of your peers.” McDonough emphasized the importance of facilitating peaceful and productive dialogue both in larger political spheres and within the Deerfield community. Hickman echoed McDonough, saying that the Open Table was “definitely successful.”

Sensitive topics that are often overlooked due to their controversy are addressed through Open Tables, something that is important in a diverse community such as Deerfield. To meet the need for healthy discourse, he hopes that Open Tables could become a “more ritualized thing – maybe every Sunday after Sitdown.” Frequent opportunities for conversation helps us “understand what’s happening outside the [Deerfield] bubble,” McDonough explained.

Ultimately, the Open Table acted as a leeway for many students to engage in respectful, productive, and politically controversial topics in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Many left with a broader understanding of the event, and beyond that, a more comprehensive outlook on their peers and the environment that surrounds them.