Mary Beth Tinker, of the famous Tinker v. Des Moines Supreme Court case, spoke at Simpson College Wednesday in the annual Constitution Day lecture.

Tinker and four others wore black armbands to their public schools in 1965 to protest the Vietnam War, violating the schools’ policies. The students were suspended from school and, in response, their parents filed a lawsuit against the public school system.

In the landmark decision, the Supreme Court agreed that students do not shed their First Amendment rights at the schoolhouse gate.

Simpson Student Media held its annual Constitution Day Free Speech Wall last Friday in Kent Campus Center to remind students that it is their First Amendment right to say and write anything they want.

In a country that grants us so many freedoms, it is easy to forget how lucky we are to be able to have the First Amendment.

To be able to say how we feel, with no fear of retribution, is truly something we should not take for granted but often do.

For example, the newspaper you are currently reading is created solely by student journalists and your peers. We have a platform to express our opinions, free from constraints of the government or Simpson administration.

We also welcome compliments and criticisms of our work because, as consumers of The Simpsonian, it is your right to do so.

We also welcome any Letters to the Editor or opinion pieces you would like to offer up to The Simpsonian, as your opinions, as students, faculty and staff of this campus, are important.

During this election season, it is evident that we may not all agree on the issues or which candidate to vote for. But it’s nice that we live in a country where both sides of the arguments can be portrayed equally, and sometimes it’s hard to remember that.