Mary Beth Tinker visited Maize April 11 to discuss her story in relation to students’ first amendment rights.

In the sixties,Tinker and her siblings made history when their case made it all the way to the Supreme Court and won. To protest the Vietnam War they wore black armbands to school after being specifically told they were against the rules.

Traveling nearly 2,100 miles on tour, Tinker and Mike Hiestand greeted a crowd of more than one hundred people ranging from Wichita State to Lawrence Free State High School students.

She began the presentation with a short reference to journalism teacher Dan Loving’s recent actions. Loving spent the previous weekend in Topeka fighting for teacher’s rights, an action Tinker believes is vital.

“Teacher’s have to be examples on how to put our constitution to action. And that’s what Mr. Loving is doing,” Tinker said.

Tinker continued her lecture with a brief overview of her story. She asserted herself as a shy child who looked up to older children at the head of the movement. Over time she realized everyone needed to stand up for their rights, especially young people.

“You have a natural sense of justice, of fairness.”

She stressed the need for student’s to get involved, starting with education. Tinker pulled students onstage who could name the five areas covered by the First Amendment.

Mike Hiestand spoke about his experiences with growing up in the military and the need to defend your rights even from the homefront. Hiestand works as the staff attorney for the Student Press Law Center and is the main author of the center’s book Law of the Student Press. In 2009 he received scholastic’s Pioneer Award, the highest honor for journalism educators.

The speakers continued to express their beliefs in the “power of journalism,” as illustrated by Tinker.

Tinker continues to prove herself a trailblazer for the First Amendment rights, even outside the courtroom.

“‘We the people’–Is that really for everybody?”