Young Black Students Use Debating as a Tool for Justice, Dialogue

Young Black students use debating as a tool for justice, dialogue

In the 2007 historical film The Great Debaters, Denzel Washington played the role of poet and professor Melvin B. Tolson, who taught at the predominantly Black Wiley College in 1935 Texas.  He decides to start a debate team of strong-minded, intelligent young students, and they become the first Black debate team to challenge Harvard’s prestigious debate champions. The movie inspired a new generation of debaters and sparked broader conversations…

Young Black Students Use Debating as a Tool for Justice, Dialogue

By Laura Onyeneho In the 2007 historical film The Great Debaters, Denzel Washington played the role of poet and professor Melvin B. Tolson, who taught at the predominantly Black Wiley College in 1935 Texas.  He decides to start a debate team of strong-minded, intelligent young students, and they become the first Black debate team to challenge Harvard’s prestigious debate champions. The movie inspired a new generation of debaters and sparked broa…