[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_single_image image=”124037″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]05/20/2021 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – Imagine a place where officials say that speaking about your faith is not covered by the First Amendment. ICC regularly reports on persecution overseas, but this also takes place on college campuses across the United States.
“When I was 20 years old, I was approached by two men who were Christians and wanted to share with me the things of Christianity,” said Chike Uzuegbunam, a student at Georgia Gwinnett College. “I want to get to know people and love people by sharing the greatest news in the world in a compassionate way.”
In July of 2016, Chike sought to share his faith publicly on his college campus, so he began to distribute religious literature and talk to passersby. Shortly after he arrived, campus police told him that he needed to stop and seek advanced permission before sharing his faith publicly on campus. They also said he could only do so in a designated area.
Nonetheless, Chike obtained official permission from the university after submitting the time, place, and even the specific content that he would be sharing. Yet, two police officers came and stopped him again.
“I felt disappointed and confused,” Chike said. “Why would you encourage vigorous conversation on campus and then ask me to stand in a specific spot for me to share my faith?”
This case gained attention across ideological lines. Everyone should have the ability to express their viewpoint and have an education debate—all protected under the First Amendment.
The college argued that Chike’s speech should not receive constitutional protection, and changed its policy to claim that it should be able to avoid any penalty for violating Chike’s free speech rights. In March 2021, two courts agreed, but the Supreme Court decided to hear Chike’s case and ruled in his favor.
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