Tim Walz, Kamala Harris' pick for vice president, has repeatedly asserted during the campaign that there is “no guarantee of free speech.” The aspect he is targeting is “hate speech”. But the Supreme Court has said the First Amendment even protects hate speech. Some may argue that we shouldn't have the right to call gays or black people derogatory names, but that's not the point here. The First Amendment protects views and opinions that the government may deem “hateful.” I would not be where I am today without freedom of speech, so I am grateful for that.
When I first moved to Chicago from Indiana over 20 years ago, I kept my mouth shut. Liberal politics dominated the black community, and the black community did not go against the tide. I've seen a lot of things I don't like, primarily the continued reinforcement of black people's dependence on government. I saw failures in education and the job market that didn't need to happen. I saw teenagers mapping their families based on government policies. I saw it so much that I kept my mouth shut.
I was afraid of the repercussions of speaking out. Penalties for black people are often higher than for other Americans, often due to the stronghold that black politicians and their liberal white counterparts hold over their communities. He was worried that his legitimacy as Uncle Tom would be stripped away. Look at Ralph Ellison, Shelby Steele, or Thomas Sowell, who were vilified as Uncle Toms for speaking truth to power.
A serious crisis hitting America that no one wants to talk about
Eventually, the anger at the fear building inside me and the shame at turning away from the reality I saw on the streets became unbearable. I felt a nudge from God when a young man born to good parents was shot and killed. I walked across the street from the church to a motel infested with drugs, prostitutes, gamblers, and murderers, and climbed onto the roof in protest.
That was the moment I started exercising my freedom of speech. I wasn't going to accept it anymore. I'll start telling the truth. I drew strength from the foot soldiers of the civil rights movement who used the power of free speech to explain the horrors of racism and white supremacy and advocate for a more moral America.
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It didn't stop there. A few years after I raised enough money to buy and tear down the motel, I came out as a Republican. In doing so, I publicly broke with the politics of my community. I began speaking out against over 60 years of liberal policies that had destroyed our community.
In response, I faced death threats and had to send my family into hiding. My church was robbed. Most of all, people accused me of speaking hate.
That's why freedom of speech is so important. Imagine if those people, some of whom are employed by the government, had the power to silence me for hate speech. All I did was say these liberal policies are killing my community, and it was labeled as hate speech. They did it to protect their power, money, and identity.
We cannot ever allow the principle of free speech to be violated in any way. It is the greatest principle and power that man could ever have. If we look back at human history, we can see that almost all progress of some kind began with humans speaking their minds.
You don't need to look anywhere else. Ever since I announced I'm a Republican, I haven't stopped speaking out. A few years ago, FOX News asked me to work with him on the Rooftop Revelations series. What I'm most proud of in this series is that it allowed so many people on the South Side to speak in public without varnish. That was the raw truth. This allowed outsiders to see our community firsthand and see what was needed.
That's why today I'm in the midst of building a $40 million Leadership and Economics Center across the street from our church. Yes, it's the exact same spot where that motel used to be. That is the power of free speech and why we should never allow free speech to be violated in any way. We have everything to gain from it. Especially the truths that give us the power to advance society.
Click here to read more about Pastor Corey Brooks' story
