Mary Beth Tinker Discusses Student Rights, Modesto Junior College Incident with 'USA Today College'

In USA Today College, reporter and student Katy Cardin spoke with noted Supreme Court litigant Mary Beth Tinker about The Tinker Tour, her campaign to teach students across the country about the First Amendment.

Tinker discusses the violation of student rights on college campuses and colleges’ tendency to silence student opinions rather than encourage them. She also references FIRE’s case at Modesto Junior College (MJC), where a student was stopped from handing out copies of the Constitution on his campus. According to Tinker, the best way to fight censorship like the kind seen at MJC is by spreading the message of free speech:

We’re doing it by telling my story and the stories of other young people in history and today who have used the First Amendment, and telling students about legal issues involving their rights and the schools’ for free speech and free press,” she said. “I just want to encourage all of the young people to stand up for their rights to make a better world and not to be discouraged, but keep on keeping on.