By Heather Schmitt, Carolyn Simon, Ashley Edelen
The USA Tinker Tour 2013 makes a stop in Boston for the annual JEA and NSPA convention. The tour helps encourage students to use their freedom of speech in school as well as everyday life. Mary Beth Tinker is a woman who made history by challenging the First Amendment when her freedom was challenged at her high school in 1965. Mary attended a school and Des Moines Iowa. Mary and a group of friends wore black armbands to mourn the loss of over 1000 soldiers in the Vietnam War. They were challenged by their school and later won the freedom of speech in a Supreme Court case.
Mike Heistand is also on the tinker you and he grew up in a military family moving all over the country. He is a graduate of Marquette University College of journalism and Cornell law school. He has helped over 15,000 high school and college students with legal assistance in journalism. He joins Mary bet tinker on your to help give insight and knowledge about the first amendment “freedom of speech”. He also helps to encourage journalists to freely express themselves with the stories they write.
Freedom of speech is a very controversial issue even today, and is challenged in many schools both private and public. Mary Beth Tinker states “The basic idea of the Tinker rule still applies today, and has been cited over 6000 times by judges in various rulings having to do with teenage expressions today.” This shows the problems students face even today with freely expressing themselves.
The tinker tour 2013 plans to make over 200 stops to share the story of Mary Beth tinker. Some of the major stops include Iowa, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts. They travel on a bus throughout all the states that is decorated for the tinker tour 2013!
Mary Beth Tinker says, “An ordinary child can speak up and stand up just a little bit and make a huge difference. You can be you and still make a difference.” Tinker stresses how important it is to use small actions for a big change. The Tinker Tour informs young people that they are capable of making an impact in our world. This tour wishes to show the youth their potential and let them know that they have the right to say what they feel.

First Amendment