Standing before 100,000 people at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, Erika Kirk poured out her heart, shared her indescribable grief and—following the example of Christ himself—uttered words of forgiveness. “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do,” she said, repeating Christ’s prayer to the Father from the Cross at Calvary.
The shadow of the July 13 attempted murder of former President Donald J. Trump in Pennsylvania will loom large over the 2024 GOP convention, so Milwaukee’s historical ties to another attempted assassination plot take on added significance nearly 112 years later.