On Monday, Sept. 28, a dialogue on how students can exercise their First Amendment rights will be led by Mary Beth Tinker, whose own right to free speech during the Vietnam War was ultimately upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. Ms Tinker's appearance will begin at 4 p.m. in the Science Center’s Kelly Family Auditorium.
Ms. Tinker, then 13, was one of several students in Des Moines, Iowa, who were suspended in 1965 for wearing black armbands in high school to show their support for a truce in the Vietnam War.
Through their parents, the students sued the school district for violating their right of free expression and sought an injunction against disciplinary action. Their case, Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, was dismissed at the district level and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit upheld the school discipline, but the Supreme Court ruled that the armbands represented pure speech and that the students’ First Amendment rights had been violated.
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| Ms. Tinker as young protester. |
Ms.Tinker's talk is jointly sponsored by the Robert H. Jackson Center of Jamestown and Fredonia in recognition of Constitution Day and is free and open to the public. A reception will follow in the Science Center atrium.
Tinker, who began a national tour two years ago to spread her message that students should take action on issues that are important to them, is listed in the book, “101 Changemakers: Rebels and Radicals Who Changed U.S. History.”
Prior to her campus visit, Tinker was scheduled to speak at Tufts University, Suffolk Law School, Emerson College and Buffalo Seminary, the alma mater of Fredonia President Virginia Horvath.
