Freedom and responsibility

During a tour of Washington, D.C., the Summer CQ class stops for a photo at the Capitol.


Though I’ve thumbed through and studied the texts of American history books, this is the first time I’ve really felt the power of the First Amendment. It’s the first time I’ve seen our country’s beautiful Capitol. It’s the first time I’ve touched the names and faces etched into the granite memorial walls in D.C. And combined with First Amendment recitations, the soulful music of Freedom Sings and people around me who proclaim our rights, the First Amendment – and our country’s core freedoms – are made clear to me.

After the Freedom Sings concert, I stepped onto the patio for a moment to look, as I have countless times during the weekend, over Washington, D.C. Each monument and building stood out as something beautiful, a guarantee that our country’s founders were committed to making freedom a reality. I’m so thankful to be a Chips Quinn Scholar, right here, right now, and to finally understand the true responsibility and freedom of First-Amendment journalism.

-- Michelle Ma, Northwestern University, St. Cloud (Minn.) Times