Opening Ceremony and Freedom Sings

The lights were dim and the band was rocking tonight at Mizzou Arena. The Opening Ceremony, held September 10 at 8:00pm, formally kicked off this week’s Centennial celebration. The event began with a short speech from Dean Mills as he accepted a resolution from the Missouri Senate recognizing the Missouri School of Journalism’s Centennial. The microphone was then handed over to Brady J. Deaton who spoke about the School of Journalism’s accomplishments over the past 100 years. Mills then introduced Ken Paulson, USA TODAY Editor, Mizzou Alum and creator of “Freedom Sings”, a musical celebration of the First Amendment. The “Freedom Sings” performance highlighted the importance of journalists as a watchdog to the government and was a ideal way to begin the Centennial festivities. Although much of the music may seem ancient to this year’s freshman class, the Freedom of Speech message is one that rings true with any American. The feeling in the arena was one of nostalgia, a pining for the good ol’ days of rock and roll and rebellion. But, the message presented is still strikingly relevant to today’s media and to future journalists-freedom is worth fighting for, whether the fight is waged with bullets or with words.

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