“Get off your soapbox” may be what you begin to hear if plans go forward on an idea to put a “speakers corner” at the Principal Riverwalk. The The idea of a speakers corner came from a belief in the importance of freedom of speech, engagement and the art of oration. 

The Des Moines Register had an article yesterday that stated that’s the Iowa National Bar Association, a group of composed of minority lawyers has raised approximately $500,000 of its $1,000,000 goal to building a speakers platform on the Principal Riverwalk. A design or actual location hasn’t been determined as of yet, but they are looking at a spot near the federal courthouse building with hopes to break grown at the beginning of the year.

Leading the effort is Polk County District Judge Odell McGhee who wants to make this project on the scope of what Hyde Park has in London. The vision is to have a gathering spot where anyone could stand up and express opinions, “even if the KKK wanted to go there … anybody could go there to play a flute, debate, yell back and forth,” he said. An act of the British Parliament paved the way for the original in London’s Hyde Park almost 150 years ago. A speakers corner is to be located in the heart of the city and be shown as a powerful symbol of citizens’ rights, as well as focus for civic pride and a platform for free public exchange in the midst of the downtown events.

I’ve personally witnessed the speakers corner in Hyde’s Park a few years ago when I was in London. It seemed a popular attraction on Sundays when a range of speakers would get up on their soapboxes and ladders to argue with the passing crowds. I found it quite interesting to watch.

I think sometimes we forget out how lucky we are to live in a country that has a constitution that allows for free speech and what an important part it can play in our daily lives. It has been said that these speaker corners provide an opportunity for people to air opinions, listen to the views of others, and ultimately it informs the way we live and the way in which our communities develop.

According to Wikipedia, the US doesn’t have any permanently designated speakers corners but has instead adopted free speech zones, though these relate more to where activities such as picketing and pamphleteering are allowed, rather than speech itself. However, Chicago did have an area called Bughouse Square in Washington Square Park. And supposedly there was a Denver, Colorado Speakers Corner that was started in May, 2008.

For more information, you can go to the group’s website at: www.ianationalbar.com

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