In a large democracy such as the United States, freedom of speech is considered one of the most important values.

Recently, 44 academy girls demonstrated their right to free speech by traveling to Washington, DC for the annual March for Life, a pro-life protest. The March takes place every year on January 22. It commemorates the day of the decision on the Roe vs. Wade case. Hundreds of thousands of people flock to our nation’s capital in order to show the government their values.

This year, around 800,000 people participated in the March. It marked the 43 anniversary. The level of participation varies from year to year depending various factors such as weather and media attention. Last year, the weather conditions were similar to that of a blizzard, as described by Kierstin Mayor, a senior at the Academy. As a result, fewer people made the journey, reluctant to face the weather. However, we were very lucky this year. The weather was sunny and in the 40s. Spirits were high and people were comfortable in the outdoors.

This is one of the national events as of lately that has demonstrated the importance of democracy. France recently came together to show their feelings toward freedom of speech. In early January in France, there were terrorist attacks on a satirical newspaper that compromised the freedom of speech the democratic country of France values so highly. As a result, millions of people in France joined together to demonstrate the importance of free speech. Similar to the March for Life, people gathered on the streets to chant, shout and express their beliefs.

Don’t ever be scared to express your beliefs! Just be sure to be respectful and considerate.