By Elena Chin Coppola
“Without Freedom of Thought, there can be no such thing as Wisdom; and no such thing as public Liberty, without Freedom of Speech.” – Benjamin Franklin
On December 15, I had the honor of attending a White House event commemorating the ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791. With America nearing its 250th birthday, it was a powerful reminder of the liberties that make our unique experiment in self-government possible. Today, more than ever, those liberties are being put to the test and must be defended, especially in our schools and on our college campuses, where viewpoint diversity is too often punished rather than debated. Students are learning that certain perspectives are protected while others are policed; that conformity is rewarded and dissent is prohibited.
