The Department was lucky to have a visit on March 30 & 31 from John and Mary Beth Tinker, plaintiffs (and victorious) in the 1969 Supreme Court case, Tinker v Des Moines. In that decision, the Court ruled that students had a First Amendment right to silent protest so long as the protest did not “substantially interfere” with the student body.
Dr. Clyde Brown (standing) introduces John and Mary Beth Tinker (seated) to assembled students and faculty
The Tinkers came from a family that stressed the importance of civil liberties and equality for all under the law. Their father was a minister raised in the teachings of Jesus Christ’s Sermon on the Mount.
Mary Beth Tinker was the first expelled for wearing the black arm band, and then the next day, her brother John was expelled for the same reason. In all, the family endured tremendous abuse from some of their neighbors, which included the host of a local talk radio program encouraging someone in the community to shoot and kill the Tinker family.
Both John and Mary Beth–who remain active civil libertarians–encouraged continued vigilence in protecting the rights bestowed upon all of us by the United States Constitution.
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For John Tinker’s summation of his visit, point your browser here.
You can also read about John Tinker’s effort to make an encyclopedia of important events from his POV. This can be found at Schema-root.org.
Finally, if you wish to read more about the Tinkers historically or their actions today, then I recommend Dale Maharidge’s Homeland.
