Mary Beth Tinker presented to group at ICPL - video now available

May 5, 2016
6:30 PM
May 5, 2016
6:30 PM
Iowa City Public Library, 123 S. Linn Street

Free speech advocate Mary Beth Tinker visited Iowa City to speak about the Tinker case and the current state of free speech and civics awareness among America's young people. The UI Public Policy Center and Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum co-sponsored this Forkenbrock Series event.

Tinker was among a small group of students from Des Moines who, in December 1965, wore black armbands to school to mourn those lost on both sides if the Vietnam War and to show support for Robert F. Kennedy's call for a "Christmas truce." School officials suspended her, a First Amendment battle ensued and her case ended up with the U.S. Supreme Court, which in 1969 issued a landmark decision upholding the students' right to wear their armbands, and for the first time, made clear that all students have First Amendment rights, even when they are in school. 

The Supreme Court’s decision in Tinker v. Des Moines Indep. School Dist. is one of the first cases cited by judges in virtually every student free speech case handed down since 1969. Whether the case involves the right of students to hold up a banner across from a school, publish something in their student newspaper or, more recently, post something to their Facebook page or other social media site, for more than four decades Tinker has been the foundation upon which student free speech law in America has been built.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Leslie Gannon at 319-335-6817 or leslie-gannon@uiowa.edu.

 

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Forkenbrock Series on Public Policy
The Forkenbrock Series provides a forum for dialogue about policy areas from applied, academic, and interdisciplinary perspectives. The series was established in honor of David Forkenbrock, a nationally recognized transportation researcher. Dr. Forkenbrock established the Public Policy Center at the University of Iowa in 1987 and directed the Center until 2007. His vision was to enable public and private sector decision makers to work with faculty, staff, and student researchers to explore solutions to complex problems related to the public interest.
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Dragana Petic at dragana-petic@uiowa.edu.