It’s a Wednesday lunch when students sit in a circular arrangement in Room N318, as seniors Lucie Bhatoey-Bertrand and Oliver Wilson present different political issues on the board: abortion rights, climate change, government cuts and efficiency, the Russia-Ukraine War, and gun policy. 

The attendees put their heads down and take a vote on which topics they want to discuss first. Students contribute through a combination of speaking freely and raising their hands to be called on, and the discussion goes from there. Occasionally there is disagreement on a topic, but everyone listens and everyone has the opportunity to speak.

Sharing the value of free speech, Lucie, the president of U-High Progressives, and Oliver, president of Lab Liberty, formed the Coalition for Free Speech at Lab, a space at the end of every month meant to facilitate conversations about politically relevant topics.

In late March 2024, the first post was published on Lab Liberty, which lists itself as “a site dedicated to economics, and libertarian-based analysis.” Lucie began to read the posts. While she disagreed with many of the opinions on the blog, one about the freedom of speech and the alienation of less-mainstream ideas stuck with her. 

Lab Liberty became a club in September. In January, Lucie reached out to Oliver to see if they could organize a space like the coalition.

“For me, that marked a pretty significant turning point in the way that I was looking at the political space at Lab,” Lucie said. “It was a moment where I began to see it more as a bubble and realized there was something I could do about it.”

Lucie wants the coalition to be a supportive space where everyone is heard.

“I feel like Lab lacks spaces where you can really share your political opinions without feeling the judgment of others,” Lucie said. “The coalition aims to create a space that is non judgemental and values your opinion.”

She also believes that different outlooks have a positive impact on the community.

“The value of diversity of thought and free inquiry creates better thinkers and better learners,” Lucie said. “If we narrow ourselves down to one way of thinking about the world, it’s just not creating a community of people that want to challenge what their teachers say, what their peers say, and creating an argument about what you want to believe.”

Oliver agrees that political conversations among students at U-High makes them better learners but also provides them with different perspectives.

“We can rationalize people’s views instead of demonizing them and keeping those ideals in the dark, so it gives people an opportunity to understand each other,” Oliver said. 

As a result of the coalition, Lucie’s perspective on others’ thought processes was shifted.

“I think it challenged the way I think about the way other people think,” Lucie said.

Reflecting on the first meeting Jan. 29, ninth grader Syria Vegna-Spofford, a U-High Progressives member, said that she felt it was civil, achieving its goal.

“I thought it was gonna be heated, but it was relatively relaxed,” Syria said. “It felt like we were having a respectful conversation.”

By inviting speakers and hosting a Social Justice Week workshop next month, Lucie and Oliver hope to expand on the coalition, keeping their combined passion for free speech in mind.

Oliver said, “I think we both agree that there is not enough of it, and I’m grateful that we were willing to do that together.”