Chalk Day celebrates free speech

Students crouch, hands dusty with chalk, ready to exercise the right to free speech by drawing, quoting or writing poetry on the mall. Chalk Day, which celebrates freedom of speech and assembly, will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 9.

The event started in 2004 after former student Gabriel Garza left a bucket of chalk on the mall to see what his friends would do while he went to class, Irene Abrego, journalism instructor, said. "They used it and wrote all over the pavement. A staff member saw them and complained, because one, they did not have permission, and two, who was going to clean that up?"

"I thought it was ridiculous for them to get in trouble. It's chalk; it will wear off," Abrego said.

Bam! Chalk Day was born, an event sponsored by The Ranger and the journalism program.

"A few people thought it was childish," she continued. "I think it's because it's not what people do everyday, and it reminds us of our childhood, but it is not necessarily childish."

Even though the event is a celebration of freedom of speech, participants are encouraged to follow standards similar to those used by The Ranger. "We discourage people from using obscenities."

Chalk Day is in conjunction with National Newspaper Week, this year observed Oct. 4-10, because it too celebrates the First Amendment, said Jason B. Hogan, editor of The Ranger. "Once you know what Chalk Day entails, it gives you the opportunity for your voice to be heard through the written word as it is meant to be," he said.

The journalism program distributes at least a hundred pieces of chalk throughout the day, he said.

Abrego said what is important is that people enjoy themselves and join in the impromptu creativity. "I walk around campus, and I don't see many people smiling, but on Chalk Day, they are relaxed, they are happy, and they feel a part of something. I think they feel a bit naughty, too," she said.

There used to be a designated free speech area on campus, but the Supreme Court ruled that it actually represents a restriction on freedom of speech.

Hogan and Regis L. Roberts, Ranger Web editor, remember a drawing of an egg detached from a uterus that read, "40 million killed."

"I thought it was tasteless and offensive," Roberts said. "But the beauty of Chalk Day is that one thing can be offensive to one individual group, but you or anyone else cannot be in control."

Abrego said, "It is not graffiti or vandalism. Just as quickly as it appears, it disappears."