Gracious reader,
I am heartbroken by the tragic death of Charlie Kirk. When I heard the news, my children and I dropped to our knees in prayer—for his wife, his young children, and all who loved him.
In The Soul of Civility, I explain that civility is not servility. It is not mere manners or politeness. It is the recognition of the profound gift of being human—both in ourselves and in one another.
Our age is suffering a crisis of dehumanization, where opponents are too easily treated as enemies. Political violence is the most brutal manifestation of that crisis.
The antidote is not more hatred, but a renewal of civility: a deliberate choice to see, honor, and uphold the dignity of every human being, even those with whom we profoundly disagree.
Yesterday evening, I had the joy of spending time with my friend Daryl Davis, an African American jazz musician who has devoted his life to befriending and persuading members of the Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups—people who literally wanted him dead. Yet he has never given up on the art of conversation.
Daryl’s life is a reminder of what Charlie himself believed in: that words can change hearts, that persuasion is more powerful than violence, and that conversation remains our best hope for renewal.
This is not a time for retaliation against political opponents, but for recommitting ourselves to seeing the humanity in one another, resisting violence, and shaping a society where reflection and choice—not accident and force—order our common life.
Why I Have Hope Amid Despair
Two years after its publication, The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves is quietly becoming the handbook leaders are turning to in order to navigate these divided times.
Since its release, I’ve been on a whirlwind journey across 100 cities and five countries—often with my three small children in tow—and have seen the book spark a hidden grassroots movement. Its argument is simple:
• Civility is not politeness. Niceness won’t save democracy. Civility, grounded in respect for the personhood of others, means having the courage to disagree without dehumanizing.
• Agreement is not the goal. Respect across difference is.
• Every human being is a gift. Reclaiming that truth is the foundation of a flourishing society.
The Champions of Civility
This message has resonated with leaders across politics, business, culture, and education.
A few examples:
• Steve Forbes, publisher of Forbes Media, has championed the book as essential for business and civic life.
• Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation, joined me at the first Civility Summit to discuss how civility undergirds healthy democracy.
• Mitch Daniels, former Governor of Indiana, spoke at that first Summit and will return to our next one in Carmel this September.
• Francis Fukuyama, author of The End of History, hosted me at Stanford to discuss civility as a democratic imperative.
• George Will, columnist at The Washington Post, has spoken out in support of my book and work.
• Larry Wilcox, award-winning producer and actor (CHiPs, M*A*S*H*), is collaborating on developing The Soul of Civility for the screen, bringing its message to wider audiences.
• I’ve been invited to speak before the Canadian Parliament and the UK House of Lords, where legislators grapple with hyperpartisanship and civility’s role in democratic resilience.
And beyond the global stage, local leaders are carrying the torch:
• Patti Brown, founder of The Estes Voice, an award-winning local newspaper dedicated to dignity-first journalism, buys the book in bulk and gifts it to anyone who will listen.
• Lori Leander and Lisa Brandt, inspired by my book, organized what became the Project Civility Summit and the Civic Renaissance Retreat at my home.
• Jeff Worrell, city councilman in Carmel, Indiana, launched Project Civility built on the intellectual architecture of my book, and is convening the inaugural Civility Summit this September 26–27.
Together, these and many other leaders embody the same quiet conviction: I can’t change the whole world, but I can change myself and the community right in front of me. This should be our response to the crisis of dehumanization. We cannot control the evil others commit. But we can control ourselves. We can choose civility.
How You Can Help
If you’d like to be part of this Civility Revolution, here are a few ways you can join us:
• Subscribe to Civic Renaissance and share it with a friend who needs hope and perspective in these divided times.
• Support the work by becoming a paid subscriber—help sustain this project of healing division through reviving the power of ideas.
• Bring Civility to Your Community: Host a book club, discussion circle, or local summit using The Soul of Civility as your guide.
• Partner with Us: If you’re a leader in education, business, politics, or culture, bring this message to your institution or community.
• Cultivating an appreciation of the humanity of others is a practice.
• Share Your Idea: Write to us at ahudsonassist@gmail.com with one concrete way you’d like to advance civility in your corner of the world.
• Pray with Us: For our leaders, our communities, and our nation—that we may resist hatred and choose civility.
Civility is a disposition of the heart that sees others as our moral equals made in the image of God, and worthy of respect in light of that. Now more than ever, we must live this truth.
Warmly,
Lexi
No decent person should greet a murder with anything but grief, and I share in mourning the tragic killing of Charlie Kirk. His wife and children deserve compassion, not vitriol. Yet it is precisely here that your eulogy stumbles: to frame Kirk as a champion of civility is to overwrite the record of his public life.
Kirk made a career out of polarization, inflaming divisions for profit and power! However earnestly you invoke Daryl Davis or the language of dignity, it strains belief to cast Kirk in their company. Civility is not mere tone—it is a practice of truthfulness and restraint. To defend it while exalting a figure who trafficked in contempt undermines the very ideals you champion. Honor his humanity, yes. But honesty demands we not confuse the hope of civility with the politics of provocation that defined him.