Week

Week 7

A02

Priscilla Lee

            Freedom of speech is one’s own right; however, that has not always been the case. In “Berkeley Free Speech Movement: Paving the way for campus activism,” Cohen explains how the Free Speech Movement (FSM) on college campuses are so important. In the 1960s, students were prohibited from speaking out about their rights and talking about political causes. Students at the University of California at Berkeley would get arrested for vocalizing their civil rights. The FSM started when Jack Weinberg decided to set up a table at the entrance of the college forcing the administration to show their political restrictions in front of everyone. When officials arrested Weinberg, the sit-in for freedom of speech was formed. This rebellion brought to light that students don’t have the freedom of speech and don’t have their civil rights.

            In this day and age, it is hard to imagine that there was a time there were so many restrictions on what can be advertised or spoken out about. While there has been a big improvement in freedom of speech and self expression, there are still unspeakable causes that no one wants to bring up in the fear of what might happen to them. As schools advertise to be a friendly and welcoming place, there are many restrictions as to what is the “right” and “wrong” things to do and talk about. There are still lots of improvements to be done with freedom of speech and how the administration handles them, but we are slowly working in the right direction.

Question: What is considered “appropriate” to talk about on campus?

References:

1. Cohen, Robby. (1985). Berkeley Free Speech Movement: Paving the Way for Campus Activism. OAH Magazine of History, 1(1), 16-18.

2. Journal, Y. D. (2015, November 14) OUR VIEW: Free speech under fire on college campuses. Retrieved from http://yourdailyjournal.com/opinion/editorials/18517/our-view-free-speech-under-fire-on-college-campuses