In the 50th year anniversary week of the infamous Supreme Court case, Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent Public Schools, Mary Beth Tinker, her brother Leonard Tinker III, and her partner Kesh Ladduwahetty joined Weeks Middle School to celebrate and inform! Tinker began her visit by telling students in Mr. Tucker Regan’s eighth grade civics class about her experience with civil liberties as a student in 1965. Tinker and four other students protested the Vietnam War by wearing black arm bands with a “peace sign” painted on, ultimately getting all five students suspended. Word of this situation eventually reached the Supreme Court with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union. During Tinker’s visit, students asked questions about the experience itself and the events that took place after the case. Mary Beth brought black arm bands and a coloring book for the students that she signed. Tinker encouraged students to explore their civil liberties in and out of school.

To learn more about the history of this event, visit the Des Moines Public Schools home page and read the article “DMPS and the Tinkers: From Adversaries to Partners.”