Marybeth Tinker is someone who stood up for what she believed in, and in this particular instance it led to the famous First Amendment case on school speech rights. To quote Tinker, “Young people are the voice of the future. They can change things.” This is one of the reasons why free speech is important in schools. There have been so many examples of young people being the voice of their generation and standing up for what they believe. One example was in Birmingham, Alabama during the times of intense segregation, children and teens took up the cause that Martin Luther King, Jr. was leading, and for that hundreds of them were arrested. The jails filled up quickly, forcing the creation of “outdoor jails”. But they were all willing to go to prison for speaking up for a cause they believed in. After hearing this story as well as many similar ones, Tinker realized that it is truly a way of life to stand up for what you believe in.
It was truly an eye-opening experience to listen to someone who had lived out such an important part of history and had made a difference for students of the future. It was inspiring to learn about her willingness to put forth action in order to stand by what you believe in. I think it is amazing that she is leading this “Tinker Tour” by talking to students all over the world about her story – as well as theirs.