Free Speech Friday and Let’s Talk encourage campus conversation

“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.”

So reads the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution. Even though it has been written into American history, free speech isn’t necessarily easy to put into practice.

According to Wesley Walker ’11, students are limited in class discussions at Stanford, because they are constantly pandering to professors, trying to regurgitate the viewpoint that will help them achieve an “A,” rather than sharing their own perspective.

“We tend to learn more and better when we talk with friends outside of class,” Walker said. “That’s meaty discussion. We want to have profound discussions.”

While the general realization of the need for more communication at Stanford had been growing in discussions among Lyla Johnston ’11, member of The Spoken Word Collective, and her circle of friends, the actual idea for ‘Free Speech Fridays’ hit Johnson spontaneously.

“I was going to sleep one night, and I thought, ‘Man, I feel like I have so much to say,’” Johnson said. “‘And I wish I had a venue to express myself.’ And then it just popped into my head.”

Immediately acting on this burst of inspiration, Johnston called her friends and reserved the White Plaza stage for Friday, April 29. With an open microphone on the stage, Johnston, Walker and the others urged passers-by to pour out their feelings, read a poem or even talk about their day — anything to open up discussion.

“We were thinking of having the audience down on the ground there and the speaker on the stage,” Johnston said. “But we thought that might have been too hierarchical and too separational [sic], so we just had everyone on the stage.”

The second Free Speech Friday on May 13 coincided with other events at White Plaza, including an Amnesty International food fair and a band gig, attracting a crowd from those milling about the sunny plaza. This time, Free Speech Friday was opened up to forms of expression other than spoken word. Chalk was brought out, and soon a crowd of barefoot artists was covering the backdrop of the stage with fantastical swirls, ornamented forms of the word “love” and multi-colored hearts of varying sizes. Rappers came out and freestyled. A bearded guitarist sang and individuals read poems by Shel Silverstein and Jelaluddin Rumi.

There was still heartfelt sharing of dialogue as well. At one point, Johnston, who was M.C.-ing the event, took the microphone in her own hands and shared the story of her injury in Chile during the earthquake last year. Trapped in a trembling 12-story apartment building, Johnston jumped from the third story window, injuring her spine and pelvis.

One Stanford graduate sat on the stage and honestly shared his experiences with depression after his mother’s suicide. Lucia Hennelly ’11 believes that this kind of sharing could foster a healthier community.

“This campus had huge mental health challenges that were very, very much swept under the rug or that a lot of people simply aren’t aware of,” Hennelly said. “Huge sexual assault rates, depression and we don’t talk about that.”

Free Speech Friday is not the only event on campus geared toward trying to create more of a community at Stanford. As part of a wellness campaign associated with The Bridge, students sat on benches around White Plaza holding signs reading “Let’s Talk About Anything.” Participants like Sami Hartley ‘11 and Robin Thomas ’12 had conversations ranging from inflatable ties to politics.

“Sometimes we’re so afraid of bursting anyone’s bubble that we hesitate to acknowledge that other people exist,” wrote Hartley in an email to The Daily. “We’ll suddenly become engrossed in the sidewalk when another person approaches us on the street, we stare at out phones until we can escape bookstore lines and shove our purchases at the cashier and we silently zoom around campus from one bubble to another.”

Taking initiative and disregarding inhibitions is a key component of Let’s Talk.

“When students are able to put their fears and boundaries aside and truly open up to each other, the impact on student mental health and sense of community at Stanford is phenomenal,” wrote Taylor Winfield ’13, participant and facilitator in the movement, in an email to The Daily.

Fear is perhaps the root of the issues espoused by Free Speech Friday and Let’s Talk. The founders of these events hope that their presence at Stanford will erase this fear.

“Present your truth,” Walker said. “Talk because we want to know. We can only grow with dialogue.”