In “Your Story” we celebrate the remarkable stories of everyday Americans from diverse backgrounds — in their own words — showcasing the enduring spirit of Our America’s Hometown Heroes across the nation.
Camille Solberg is the Senior Policy Advancement Manager for the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. As a minority herself, she has worked in minority outreach at all levels of government during her career and is passionate about protecting the free speech rights of ALL Americans.
“I was raised in an environment that encouraged freedom of speech and thought. As a kid, I was living the First Amendment without knowing it. My parents wanted me to have that right of conscience. They felt that it was imperative for us as children, as well as everybody around our family, to be able to speak one’s mind.
“My mother and father went to graduate school in Spain in the 1960s when Francisco Franco was the head of state. There was a lot of oppression. If you said one word against Franco you would be locked up for a long time.
“Suddenly in America, I’m now 58, and I have to think twice before writing online because of the backlash I could receive from the platforms I post my thoughts on.
“If you limit people’s freedom of thought, how can you innovate? If you limit imagination, freedom of speech, we would never have what we have now because innovators made this country.
“Unfortunately, despite the Supreme Court’s strong protections for free speech, today many governments, workplaces, schools and other institutions are still attempting to suppress speech because they disagree with what others are saying.
“If you limit people’s freedom of thought, how can you innovate? If you limit imagination, freedom of speech, we would never have what we have now because innovators made this country.
“I’m here in Atlanta, Georgia, exercising my freedom of thought, and educating minority communities on our freedoms to make Georgia a better place for people to live, thrive and innovate.
“There’s still a lot of work to do, but it’s so worth it when helping people feel confident in using their freedoms to change the world around them.”
