John Tinker Describes His Values and Continued Activism

John Tinker describes his values regarding peace, justice and equality and how that influences his continued activism.

Mary Beth Tinker was a 13-year-old junior high school student in December 1965 when she, her brother John, 15, and their friend Christopher Eckhardt, 16, wore black armbands to school to protest the war in Vietnam. That decision led the students and their families to embark on a four-year court battle that culminated in the landmark 1969 U.S. Supreme Court decision for student free speech: Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District.
 
This interview was recorded on February 21, 2019 at Iowa PBS studios in Johnston, Iowa.

I think our attitude toward militarism, toward war and the killing and the death and destruction.

I think it was right then, at the time back then, and I haven't changed. I'm the same. I feel the same way. I feel that militarism is the greatest, perhaps the greatest problem that we have in the world.

The expenditure of our treasure on means of destruction rather than on ways of solving our problems. I think that's still our number-one problem, and I still identify as a peace activist that's really. I really haven't changed all the way through. I don't think I'm doing that just for a desire of consistency either.

I think that every time I look at the problems of the world and think them through, I come to the same conclusion that we need to spend less on military.

We need to spend more on diplomacy. We need to work on justice and equality and respect for all peoples. Respect for all religions.

I think those are really crucial for us getting through this epoch into the future.

If we're going to have a future, we need to solve those problems. That's still my number one focus, honestly.