Graduation Ceremony Valedictorian Is Silenced

At a high school graduation in North Carolina, valedictorian Leen Hijaz stepped to the microphone and spoke her conscience.

After delivering her approved remarks, Hijaz added a brief message reminding her classmates that their voices matter. "Every single person here has a voice," she said. "We are privileged to have the freedom to use it." 

She spoke about people suffering in Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Afghanistan, and families affected by immigration enforcement, telling the audience, "These are not distant issues. They are happening right now as I speak." Then she delivered a line that has since resonated far beyond her graduation ceremony: "We're not given a voice to stay silent." And that's when the school principal stormed the podium and shut off the valedictorian's microphone.

Hijaz says she was threatened with not receiving her diploma because she departed from her pre-approved speech. Whether people agree with her message or not, the video raises a larger question about free speech and the growing pressure many people feel to keep quiet, stay within approved boundaries, or risk consequences. 

Throughout history, progress has often depended on ordinary people willing to speak uncomfortable truths. In that moment, a young woman stood before her community and used her voice anyway.

What do you think? Should students be free to express their views at graduation ceremonies, even when those views differ from what school officials approve in advance?