The week of January 26-31 is First Amendment Awareness Week at GHC.

This is the time each year when everyone at the college is encouraged to become more aware of what the First Amendment to the United States Constitution actually says and reflect on the important freedoms it protects.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
— The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

GHC First Amendment Week is sponsored by the Six Mile Post and co-sponsored this year by seventeen other college organizations: Phi Theta Kappa, the Baptist Student Union, the Old Red Kimono, the College Democrats, Green Highlands, the Equality Alliance, the GHC chapter of AAUP, the Human Services Club, the GHC Chapter of AAWCC, the English Majors Association, the Spanish Activities Club, Brother 2 Brother, the Political Science Club, Student Veterans of America, Diversity Initiatives Committee, Students Without Borders, and the Gaming Club.

The SMP editor will be sending an email to all students asking them to read the First Amendment, and on behalf of the SMP staff and advisers, I am asking GHC employees to take a moment during the week to think about how important the First Amendment really is. While it is just one sentence long, it protects some of our most cherished freedoms—our freedom of religion, speech and press and our right to peaceably assemble and to petition the government. These have been our basic rights for a long time, and the free exchange of ideas the First Amendment protects is fundamental to the academic environment of a public college and to a democratic society.

The January 27 issue of the Six Mile Post will have content related to the First Amendment, as well as the list of this year’s co-sponsoring organizations.