All Aboard

It’s been a while since I’ve written. Been busy.

In junior high, Don and I joined the school newspaper. This was the mid-to-late 60’s and we were very politically aware of the Vietnam War, environmental issues, etc. We joined the newspaper thinking we might get a chance to do some good articles on some of this stuff. That we might be able to spread a little of the information to help keep others aware. Alas, what a pipe dream. The school newspaper was about as boring and rigidly controlled as you could get. Articles were standard fare about school functions, teacher bios, sports teams, etc. We asked about doing more worthwhile articles and were told, in no uncertain terms, that that was not going to happen. Therefore, there was only one alternative ……… we went underground and started our own paper. THE VOICE.

At first we did it as a lark, figuring no one would really care. Boy were we wrong! As soon as the word got out that we were doing our own paper, and doing socially relevant and timely articles, we were swamped by people who wanted to contribute to it and read it. We soon realized that this was not something Don and I were interested in, it was something everyone was interested in.

We got our first paper together and, in a stroke of luck, one of the other contributors’ parents thought our idea was great and supplied the paper and facilities to print about a hundred copies. The kicker was that the photocopies of our paper were better looking and more professional than the mimeographed school papers. The VOICE disappeared. Seriously. We brought them to school and in less than half an hour we were empty-handed. People asked us all day for more copies. We had another 50 printed that evening and brought them to school the next day. To our surprise, we were quickly called into the principal’s office, with the editor of the school paper, and grilled on what we were doing. We explained our situation and then were told that we were not allowed to distribute the papers on school grounds. They confiscated what was left of the second printing.

Those Nazi tactics pissed us off and the school populace was enraged when they found out. We decided to continue with the paper, even if it got us into trouble. We began work on issue 2. About a month later we had the next issue and brought 250 of them to school. However, we found out where the school property ended and set up a table near the front of the school about three feet from the property line. The papers went like hotcakes.

Less than an hour later we were back in the principal’s office. He told us we were not supposed to distribute the papers on school property. We pointed out that we didn’t. He said he didn’t want the papers in the school. We told him we were not responsible for what people did with the papers after they got them from us. He told us not to do it again and we told him he had no right to stop us from doing something that was not done on or within school grounds or using any school resources.

Two days later the school paper came out and, in an incredible show of support from the student body, the stacks of newspapers sat and rotted. No one wanted them and no one took them. They distributed them in home room and everyone walked out and left them sitting on the desks.

This scenario happened two more times with the same results. We were told to stop, and we continued. They printed, and no one read. We also found out that students were leaving anonymous notes in the principal’s mailbox and the teacher/editor’s room demanding they stop harassing us and let THE VOICE on school property.

We won.

The administration finally caved in and told us we could join the school paper and they would allow us to print socially relevant articles, but, that they would have the ability to censor or edit if they thought we were going to far for a public junior high school. We accepted and made sure we were careful with what we wrote, but, didn’t hold back any facts. We were challenged about facts a couple of times but, as long as we could produce the source, and it was legit, they went forward with almost no editing. I think the administration was astounded that kids that young would be so socially aware. They really didn’t understand the effect of growing up with the cold war and Vietnam on our TV screens had.

It was a great victory for the kids and Don and I got reputations as “anti-establishment rebels.” I liked that. When we graduated eighth grade, there was a tradition where the teachers got together and did a story about where the graduates would be in 10 years. In the story, several of the kids in class were lawyers, and their primary occupation revolved around getting me out of jail because I was in college starting campus riots. It was GREAT !!!!! To this day I have retained my social awareness and consider it my job to make sure I remind others around me of their social and moral responsibilities when I think they are losing that focus. It hasn’t always made me popular, but, I detest popular anyway. Time to move on to the next station.