DALLAS—Thousands of people loudly chanted “Charlie! Charlie! Charlie!” as high-profile speakers paid tribute to slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
And, in quieter, less-obvious ways, Kirk’s spirit echoed in minds and hearts among GOP convention attendees on Sept. 10, the first anniversary of Kirk’s assassination and the final day of the historic 2026 GOP convention.
“I don’t think I really, truly realized the impact that Charlie had on the conservative movement until after he passed away,” Ajua Mason, 43, of Dallas told The Epoch Times in a hallway of the convention venue, American Airlines Center.
To her, Kirk served as the “glue” that held together various factions of American conservatives. “Now things seem a little off-kilter, since he’s been gone,” Mason said. But she says it’s encouraging that people he inspired, including her, are pulling together to continue what he started….