Fanning the Flames: The Freedom Project Blog

1.17.2007

Foot in Her Mouth?

By Shawn Healy
Foothill High School administrators incited a national uproar when they prematurely ended valedictorian Brittany McComb's graduation speech last June. Her case is one of 24 religious liberty controversies that we highlight in our current exhibit at the Freedom Museum, "Your Faith, My Freedom." It also invited the attention of Chicago Tribune reporter Josh Noel, who quoted me in his article last Friday.

Noel wrote:
In the McComb case, he (Shawn Healy) said, he aimed to present the facts as objectively as possible, in part because he is unsure how he feels about the school's decision.

"If she wants to say the person she admires is Jesus Christ and I want to say that the person I admire is Mayor Daley, I'm not sure there is that much of a difference," he said. "But there's a difference between saying Jesus is important to me and Jesus should be important to you. It's a fine line, and if she didn't cross it, she came very close."


My good friend from high school and college also weighed in, drawing a parallel between McComb's actions and those of our friend Getch, the class clown who was chosen by his peers to deliver the commencement address.
Let me weigh in real quick on the graduation speech. She (the speaker) was told beforehand what could and couldn't be included in the speech, and for that reason I think the school had the right to act as they did. Once she strayed from the framework of what was agreed to before the speech, she openly disrespected the privilege she had been given.

A great example would be our graduation when Getch was picked to speak. A lot of students put a great deal of pressure on him to rebel and change his speech from what the school had agreed to, but Getch understood the privilege he had been given and acted accordingly. Also, in my opinion, a graduation speech is not a platform to be used selfishly to promote one's beliefs.


Although I failed to take as firm of a position as my friend, my mission to make visitors draw their own conclusions about the exhibit was accomplished. At the end of his message, my friend admitted, "Well obviously your example did its job and got me thinking a little."

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SHAWN HEALY

Managing Director

McCormick Freedom Project

Shawn is responsible for overseeing and managing the operations associated with the McCormick Freedom Project. Additionally, he serves as the in house content expert and voice of museum through public speaking and original scholarship. Before joining the Freedom Project, he taught American Government, Economics, American History, and Chicago History at Community High School in West Chicago, IL and Sheboygan North High School in Wisconsin.

Shawn is a doctoral candidate within the Political Science Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago where he received his MA in Political Science. He is a 2001 James Madison Fellow from the State of Wisconsin and holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, History, and Secondary Education from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

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About Fanning the Flames and the McCormick Freedom Project


Fanning the Flames is a blog of the McCormick Freedom Project, which was started in 2006 by museum managing director Shawn Healy. The blog highlights the news of the day, in hopes of engaging readers in dialogue about freedom issues. Any views or opinions expressed on this blog represent those of the writers alone and do not represent an official opinion of the McCormick Freedom Project.



Founded in 2005, the McCormick Freedom Project is part of the McCormick Foundation. The Freedom Project’s mission is to enable informed and engaged participation in our democracy by demonstrating the relevance of the First Amendment and the role it plays in the ongoing struggle to define and defend freedom. The museum offers programs and resources for teachers, students, and the general public.


First Amendment journalism initiative


The Freedom Project recently launched a new reporting initiative with professional journalists Tim McNulty and Jamie Loo. The goal is to expand and promote the benefits of lifelong civic engagement among citizens of all ages, through original reporting, commentary and news aggregation on First Amendment and freedom issues. Please visit the McCormick Freedom Project's news Web site, The Post-Exchange at