
The students’ armbands included a peace sign. (Tinker, John, Replica armband sent to authors, March 3, 2025)
In 1965, when John and Mary Beth Tinker wore black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War, their suspension sparked a legal battle. Tinker v. Des Moines culminated in a 1969 landmark Supreme Court decision that affirmed student rights to free expression and school responsibility to protect them, which redefined the First Amendment and provided a pathway to influence for youth.

The students’ armbands included a peace sign. (Tinker, John, Replica armband sent to authors, March 3, 2025)

"Mary Beth Tinker and her mother at a Des Moines, Iowa school board meeting in 1965." (Tinker Tour)