By Tara Walker
Malcolm X, one of the movement’s most prominent leaders, used debate as a tool to uplift and empower the black community during the Civil Rights movement.
Forty years later, the University of Louisville debate team is making its own mark on society by carrying the legacy of Malcolm X into the arena of collegiate debate.
“The U of L Malcolm X Debate Program uses debate in the same spirit of Malcolm, to create advocates for groups that lack direct access to democratic institutions of power,” stated the debate team’s Web site.
U of L’s debate team and their unique style was featured in a Nov. 8 Velocity article. In the article, Dr. Ede Warner, director of U of L’s debate program and an associate communication professor, related the team’s approach to that which is reminiscent of Malcolm X, Barbara Jordan and other debaters of the past.
“Back then, debate was slow and rhetorical, and persuasion was the centerpiece of it,” Warner said.
However, attending a collegiate debate tournament today can be overwhelming and hard to follow. The sheer speed at which debaters present their arguments is one reason why spectators may leave a competition feeling unsure of what took place.
“Starting in the 1960s debate became focused on debating in front of more specialized judges who were able to process large amounts of info in short periods of time,” Warner said. Since the rise of this technique, arguments were executed faster and faster making debates today “sound like listening to auctioneers,” said Warner.
In addition to the rapid rate at which arguments are presented, debate has its own language. Debaters use terms like “topicality,” “kritic” or “permutation” to justify their line of reasoning. Such technical jargon can be confusing to audience members unfamiliar with the terms.
Some say collegiate debate teams are comparable to sports programs, but graduate teaching assistant Lindsay Bird feels spectators will disagree with debaters seeing themselves as players, and debating issues as a game to be won.
“These students are playing with real issues and trying to discuss policy-making about really serious matters,” said Bird, who is also a first-year debate tournament judge. “Making such a game out of it especially when that game is so exclusive, is a little disturbing to an outside audience.”
The U of L debate team chooses not to focus on speed and difficult terminology and looks at issues like politics, race and social activism instead. The team has gained a national reputation for their unconventional techniques and their passion for social awareness.
Because U of L students use personal experiences and elements of hip-hop to present their arguments, the collegiate debate community has been critical of U of L’s program, saying their style is inappropriate for competitive debate; however, team members seem to take such criticism in stride.
Aaron Price said being a part of U of L’s debate team has been an eye-opening experience. The first-year debater said he values not only the debate team’s unique style, but also the feeling of promoting change through competition.
“At the end of a round, sometimes you get a judge who says I never thought about that before. One time we even got a team who said ‘we never thought about those arguments,'” Price said. “It is rewarding to win and make progress [and] to see at least a little change.”
U of L’s debate team is comprised of students as diverse and unconventional as their style of debate. “Coming from a middle class white background, it has been interesting being in a situation where I am the minority,” Price said.
U of L’s multiethnic debate team defies the stereotype that debate teams are comprised mainly of wealthy whites. U of L students can submit an application or walk onto the debate team.
Members are also recruited from teams at their respective high schools. Team advisors travel throughout the year on scouting trips and are able to attract some of the best talent from high schools.
“I attended a high school for teenage mothers [South Park TAPP] my senior year, and while I was in attendance there they started a debate team,” said Stacy Bradley, a senior member of U of L’s team. According to Bradley, debate was the only extracurricular activity offered at South Park TAPP.
Bradley was recruited to U of L through an outreach program that hosted debate tournaments for Jefferson County’s high schools. She appreciates the opportunity the debate team offers to learn about important issues and sees collegiate debate as a means of developing into a better individual.
Other members say the debate team aims to be a catalyst for change. It seems their goal is being achieved in more ways than one.
In terms of competitive accomplishments, the team has been busy traveling to tournaments across the country, raking in several successes along the way.
Several members competed in three intercollegiate tournaments throughout the month of October, and a number of students were recognized for finishing in top spots of their respective competitions.
During November the team will attend competitions at James Madison University, the Frederick Douglas Debates at Towson University, Wake Forest University and Appalachia State University, hoping to garner even more success.
Though the debate program appreciates their competitive accomplishments, they are especially committed to raising social awareness. The team recently partnered with the Muhammad Ali Institute to kick off the Do No Harm campaign.
Warner believes the debate society should be respected for more than just their competitive victories.
“We believe that activism has to be apart of the program,” Warner said. “We are trying to train and develop leaders so that the students can take that to the community.”
As evidence of the debate team’s presence in the community, a book chronicling how they influenced a high school team was recently released.
In “Cross X: A Turbulent, Triumphant Season with an Inner-City Debate Squad,” author and journalist Joe Miller profiles a high school debate team from Kansas City’s Central High who was so influenced by U of L’s debate program that they now use several of the team’s techniques. “Cross X” also features U of L debate team sophomore Ebony Rose as one the main characters.
Refusing to be bound by tradition and elitism, the U of L Debate Society continues to debate the issues with their own unconventional style.
