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Hi, my name is Mary Beth Tinker.

Nearly a half-century ago, I was part of a group of students in Des Moines, Iowa who made history by wearing black armbands to school to mourn the Vietnam War dead and support a Christmas truce. My brother, John, and our friend, Chris Eckhardt, were among the others, along with Chris Singer, Ross Peterson, Bruce Clark, and Perry Hutchison. Even my little sister and brother, Hope and Paul, wore armbands, saying "we want peace, too!"

Making history was the last thing on our minds.

I was a shy 13-year-old, John had just turned 15, and Chris was 16.But we did make history, eventually winning a landmark Supreme Court ruling in favor of First Amendment rights for students.The year was 1965, when about 1000 soldiers had been killed in Vietnam. Inspired by an antiwar rally in Washington, DC, we wore the armbands to mourn the dead and to support Robert F. Kennedy's call for a Christmas truce. A few hours after school started, I was sent out of algebra class and told to remove my armband by the vice principal. I did, but was suspended anyway. Within days, others were punished as well.Four years later, following heated school board meetings, death threats to our families, a fantastic ACLU lawyer named Dan Johnston, and two lower federal court cases, the United States Supreme Court heard our case.

On February 24, 1969 - we won. But the victory was really a victory for American education, with Abe Fortas' famous ruling that neither students or teachers "shed their Constitutional rights...at the schoolhouse gate" and that "students in school as well as out of school are 'persons' under our Constitution... possessed of fundamental rights which the State must respect, just as they themselves must respect their obligations to the State. In our system, students may not be regarded as closed-circuit recipients of only that which the State chooses to communicate."

The Tinker ruling is still cited in nearly every student First Amendment case (almost 6000 times, according to Lexus-Nexus) and almost all American civics and history textbooks. It's popular for History Day projects, too!

I've spent my career as a pediatric nurse, but I speak frequently with students about our case and about the Constitution because I've decided that civics affects our health, too. And, civics is in dire straights, which is a real problem in "mighty times" like these. In fact, one recent study by the Annenberg Public Policy Center shows that only one-third of Americans can name the three branches of government, and another third can't name any. One-third think the president has final say over decisions, and that Supreme Court decisions can be appealed.

So, I left my hospital in 2013 and embarked on a "Tinker Tour" to promote youth voices, free speech and a free press. That first year, I was joined by Student Press Law Center attorney Mike Hiestand, who over the years has helped thousands of students, teachers and administrators with student speech issues. The goal of our tour was to bring real-life civics lessons to students through the Tinker armband story and the stories of other young people.

To kick off the Tinker Tour, we gathered at the Arch Street Friends Meeting House (Quaker) in Philadelphia on September 15th to pray and honor the spirit of our tour. It was the 50th anniversary of the horrific 16th St. Birmingham church bombing, when four African American girls were murdered by the KKK to punish 2000 children for their righteous actions in the Birmingham Childrens' Crusade several months earlier.

With that reminder of why we were traveling, on Constitution Day, September 17th, we had an amazing stop at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia- another reminder of why we would be traveling.

That fall, we covered 15,595 miles across the American east coast, midwest and southeast speaking to more than 20,000 students and teachers at 58 stops, including schools, colleges, churches, a youth detention facility, courts and several national conventions. All the way, we told- and heard- stories of young people who speak up for a better way.

In the spring of 2014, we moved on to schools and events in the American west, midwest and southwest, as well as a stop in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Vancouver, Canada.

In the 2014-15 school year, Mike Hiestand was sorely missed when he returned to his family and home in Washington state. Mary Beth kept the spirit up, though, with many great events at schools and conferences.

During the 2015-16 school year, the Tinker Tinker included a special 50-year anniversary week in Des Moines, Iowa to celebrate 50 years after getting suspended. All the Tinker siblings got together in Des Moines for a week sponsored by the Des Moines schools superintendent and alumni organizations. We were enthusiastically welcomed into a number of Des Moines schools with warm hospitality, which was so touching. My, how life can change! It was a wonderful year, and the stop in Des Moines a real highlight.

There was plenty to talk about during the 2016-17 school year, with so many students making history, using their rights, and weighing in on the controversies of our times. It was also a huge year for National History Day, whose theme was "Taking a Stand in History." My brother John and I enjoyed many interviews with fine young historians.

In 2017, the Tinker Tour kicked off with a celebration of Constitution Day in Ithaca New York September 19-21. It's a good year for youth voices, and the Tinker Tour wants to hear them! See the fall itinerary under "tour information."

Now that 2018 is underway, it looks like it's going to be a very busy and important year for the Constitution, our country and our world. It's an especially important time for young people, who are feeling- and often hurting- from the effects of policies over which they have very little control. In democracy, people have the right to advocate for themselves, and young people are no different. I'll be talking with lots of them this year and sharing their stories. Thanks for traveling with me on the Tinker Tour for kids' rights!
In 1965, we made with simple armbands. Now, students are using new speech tools to make history again, which is great news for democracy!

We love hearing all the ways students are doing that, and we love generating enthusiasm for civics and the First Amendment in a real, fun way. (Check out our "theme song" performed by students just for us!)

The Tinker Tour began as a special project of the Student Press Law Center and continues to be a close friend of the Center. The Tinker Tour has also been endorsed by many of the country's leading civics education, civil rights and journalism groups. For that, we are very proud and grateful.

To keep the Tinker Tour rolling, you can make a tax-deductible donation to the Student Press Law Center here. Click on "yes" when asked if you want to dedicate your gift, then specify Tinker Tour.

Or send your contribution to:

Tinker Tour, c/o Student Press Law Center, 1608 Rhode Island Ave NW, Suite 211, Washington DC 20036.

This is an important time in history, especially for youths, who are naturally creative and hopeful, but often feel discouraged. They want to hear about other young people who have used their rights- and still are- to make a difference. On the Tinker Tour, they do!

Thank you,

Mary Beth

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Hi, my name is Mary Beth Tinker. Nearly a half-century ago, I was part of a group of students in Des Moines, Iowa who made history by wearing black armbands to school to mourn the Vietnam War dead and support a Christmas truce. My brother, John, and our friend, Chris Eckhardt, were among the others,...

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The students poured out of class, then crammed into Metro stations throughout the city. They crowded downtown streets carrying signs, marching and chanting until they arrived at the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Many couldn't vote in this election, but they wanted to put a voice to their frustrations.

More than 2,000 D.C. middle school and high school students ditched classes Tuesday afternoon to protest the election of Donald Trump, telling the president-elect that, despite his campaign's divisive rhetoric, their diverse student bodies would remain united.

"This isn't an anti-Donald Trump rally," said Jordan Johnson, a 17-year-old senior at McKinley Technology Education Campus in Northeast Washington. "We're coming out here to display unity, despite all that's happened these past few years."

Wilson High School students in Northwest organized the protest, which ultimately attracted students from schools throughout the city. Students from Dunbar High, Eastern High, D.C. International School, BASIS, Columbia Heights Education Campus and more joined, marching from Trump's hotel to the Capitol to the Supreme Court, closing the eastbound lanes of Pennsylvania Avenue along the way. Some of the participants then marched down Independence Avenue to the Mall, eventually landing at the Washington Monument and White House.

[In election's wake, racist incidents have schools on edge]

Students said they know that their protests won't change the outcome of the election, but they said they want to make their demands heard in the nation's seat of power.

"We want him to have a sneak peek of what we want," said Kimberly Manalang, a 17-year-old senior at Wilson.

Because they couldn't vote, the students want President-elect Trump to know that they are engaged, and maybe even help change some of his opinions.

"We are a diverse school and accepting environment, and we feel the Trump administration is going to try and divide us," said Pearl Strand, a 17-year-old Wilson senior. "We are protesting to show we are united."

Johan Ramirez, 16, a Columbia Heights senior, said he was surprised at the robust turnout: "I see people really care. These are big issues."

The students chanted and rallied about climate change, reproductive rights, tolerance and immigration. "Love trumps hate," they screamed, followed by "our bodies, our choice." Some rejected Trump as their president, and others chanted "No KKK, no racist U.S.A." Teenage girls wore shirts that said "Nasty Woman" and other, more explicit shirts, such as one that read: "P---y grabs back," a reference to an incendiary remark Trump made in a leaked 2005 recording during which he made vulgar comments about pursuing women.

One student managed to climb atop a 20-foot-tall statue of Benjamin Franklin in front of the newly opened Trump hotel. The protest was peaceful, and D.C. police, who were aware of the protest beforehand and provided an escort while students marched, said they made no arrests.

The anti-Trump sentiment in the District after the election is no surprise: In the nation's capital the Republican got 11,000 votes, or 4 percent of total ballots cast, his lowest share anywhere in the United States.

[President Trump, don't count on a visit from the Welcome Wagon]

The students in Washington joined others across the country who have protested since Trump's surprise victory in the Nov. 8 election. Most of the student protests have been centered in areas where Democrat Hillary Clinton won at the polls, including in states on both coasts, in major cities and on college campuses nationwide.

[High school students in Montgomery County protest Trump's election]

The D.C. students' protest came a day after hundreds of students at a Maryland high school in Montgomery County walked out of their classes and into the streets to protest Trump's election. That march initially involved students at Montgomery Blair High School but gained strength as peers from nearby schools joined them throughout the day. George Washington University students also participated in an anti-bigotry rally Tuesday in front of the White House, demanding that their school issue statements vowing to protect minority students and reproductive health care on campus.

D.C. officials had been aware of the planned high school protest since this past weekend, with students using social media to spread information about the event. Kimberly Martin, Wilson's principal, sent an email to the school community Monday morning emphasizing that the protest was not a sanctioned school event and that students who miss class would receive unexcused absences.

But Martin wrote that school administrators and teachers defend students' rights to peaceful protest and self expression.

"Wilson Social Studies teachers, and many other teachers, empower students to be inquisitive, informed, and engaged citizens who use critical thinking, inquiry and literacy to prepare for college, careers, and civic life," Martin wrote in the email. "However, students will be reminded to follow their regular class schedule, as we cannot ensure the safety of any student that chooses to leave the school before dismissal."

[Trump just laid out a pretty radical student debt plan]

Some charter schools not only allowed their students to attend but also had teachers and administrators accompany them to the protest.

Tim Shaw, an eighth-grade humanities teacher at Capital City Public Charter Middle School, said civic engagement is an important component of the school's curriculum; the school encouraged students to attend the rally if they had parental permission.

"Once we heard about it, we really wanted to get our students to participate in peaceful public assembly. It's a human right," Shaw said. "We are really trying to teach students how to be involved and participate in the democratic process."

Hasinatu Camara, 72, cried as she watched the young students protesting in front of the Trump hotel. The D.C. native said watching the students Tuesday reminded her of when she was young in the 1960s, witnessing the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee compel change through protest during the civil rights movement.

"But the color line is not here anymore like it was back then," she said. "When I watched SNCC - they were young, and they were fearless. They were led by people like Stokely Carmichael and Marion Barry. These could be Marion Barry's grandkids."

T. Rees Shapiro contributed to this report.

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D.C. students walk out of class to protest Trump

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The students poured out of class, then crammed into Metro stations throughout the city. They crowded downtown streets carrying signs, marching and chanting until they arrived at the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Many couldn't vote in this election, but they wanted to put a voice to their frustrations.

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By Chris Maltby and Aaron Reese May 23, 2016

Her journey started with wearing a black armband to school and proceeded to the landmark Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District (1969) , but it by no means stopped there: Mary Beth Tinker, namesake of the decision, continues to be a free-speech icon.

Interviewed by Robert Corn-Revere, the eminent First Amendment attorney who represents FIRE's Stand Up For Speech Litigation Project plaintiffs, Tinker sheds light on her case and the state of student speech rights today, connecting the past with the present.

Tinker sets the scene by noting that she and her siblings were raised in Iowa, where their father was a Methodist minister. Both of her parents believed in "putting faith into action," she explained, and were actively involved in the social gospel movement. This led them to take part in the civil rights movement and the fair housing movement. It made sense, then, that all of the Tinker children were influenced by their parents' advocacy and social consciousness.

"My parents came from World War II very concerned about the good people who say nothing and allow things, like Nazism, to take hold. So they really believed that you have to speak your conscience," Tinker said.

When Mary Beth, her brother, and their friend Christopher Eckhardt saw the violent scenes of the Vietnam War on the news, they felt compelled to take a stand against the war. They decided to wear black armbands to school to mourn the dead on both sides of the war. Having learned of the planned protest, the school district preemptively banned armbands, so the students were suspended for wearing them. Unable to convince the school district that the armbands were protected forms of expression, the Tinkers decided to contact the American Civil Liberties Union and sue the school district.

Losing at both the district court and appeals court levels, the case seemed doomed. "I thought we would lose the whole thing," said Tinker. "No big important judge is going to rule that kids can break the rules."

Fortunately for free speech, the Supreme Court sided with the Tinkers, famously saying that "[i]t can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate." The decision in Tinker v. Des Moines has served as the modern foundation for students' right to free expression.

Though remains the best-known legal precedent for student rights, Tinker cautions that students must also recognize the effects of self-censorship. She said:

The fear of being unpopular is causing kids to censor themselves. I want to tell kids and encourage kids that popularity is not the most important thing because that can change. Look at me, I was suspended from my school in 1965. Last fall I went back to the school and they rolled out the red carpet. I have my very own locker at Harding Junior High-forever!

You can check out the full interview above, or on FIRE's YouTube channel. While you're there, don't forget to subscribe to receive automatic notifications when new material is posted.

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From Black Armbands to the Supreme Court: Mary Beth Tinker and Student Free Speech Rights - FIRE

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Her journey started with wearing a black armband to school and proceeded to the landmark Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District (1969), but it by no means stopped there: Mary Beth Tinker, namesake of the Tinker decision, continues to be a free-speech icon.