No National Debates for H.B.C.U.'s

Professor John Davis, Screenwriter Jeff Porro, and I at the National Press Club

You have got to be kidding me!!!

That is the reaction I had while speaking with two-time Howard University debate coach Attorney/Professor John Davis. We spoke for an hour after Davis' presentation, Davis' statement below.

The screenwriter for Oprah Winfrey's film "The Great Debaters" Dr. John Perro, which starred Denzel Washington and Forrest Whittaker, expressed his outrage as well this past Friday at the National Press Club in Washington DC.

It is always a pleasure to speak with passionate proponents for African-American college students fighting for advanced opportunities. Professor John Davis and Dr. Porro were at the National Press Club this past Friday to state their mission of re-opening opportunities for Student Debaters from Historic Black Colleges and Universities (H.B.C.U.'s).

Their objective was to bring attention that there are absolutely zero, none, nada students from H.B.C.U.'s competing at the National Debate Championship in Austin Texas this weekend, and none have ever qualified for the National Debate Tournament Championship (NCT) in the 62-years of the tournament. Secondly the under-resourced HBCU debate teams, are not given its' proper respect -- comparable to the athletics -- from HBCU's trustees and adminstrations.

Denzel Washington was noted to have given one million dollars over a ten year period to Wiley College, the H.B.C.U. featured in the movie "The Great Debaters". Davis emphasized that while 100-thousand dollars a year is an impressive amount from one donar, Denzel's contribution was one of the very few contributions given H.B.C.U.s. Davis says that "100-thousand dollars a year would not be enough to effectively compete, considering airfare, debate coach's salaries, scholarships etc..." Link: http://www.utexas.edu/news/2009/03/26/debate_tournament/ .
Professor Davis states that there are roughly twenty "major" college debate competitions, where the team receive's points toward the National Debate Championship. Professor Davis is not speaking of independent debate challenges (e.g. the recent Howard U. versus Yale U. debate at Yale University.)The point system is very similar to Professioal Tennis, Golf, and Nascar. A colleges' accummulative points from each sanctioned debate competition adds up at season's end to qualify -- or not qualify -- for the National Debate Championship.

Fact: The last FOUR YEARS, NONE OF THE HBCU's competed at qualifying debate competitions, which receive points for the National Debate Championship.
Pictured are Davis, Porro, and event coordinator Mike Smith.

One of the biggest annual qualifying debate competition takes place at Wake Forest University. I highlight Wake Forest University debate competition, because Wake Forest is located in North Carolina. North Carolina is within driving distance from most of the 105 H.B.C.U.'s. The question I personally asked at the briefing, was why can't students from the H.B.C.U.'s drive or take a school bus to North Carolina for at least the Wake Forest competition? Davis stated that, "as in sports, the major Universities are taking the best, most qualified African-American students and giving them a free ride. HBCU's cannot compete with that."

An 'older' friend of mine who played HBCU basketball in the 60's, once said that the HBCU's athletic leagues back then, were the toughest competition in all of collegiate sports. African-Americans were not allowed to compete at the most major basketball and football so-called powerhouse Universities, such as Alabama U. in football, and Kentucky U. in basketball. The same was the case when African-Americans could only go to HBCU's prior to the 1960's to compete on their debate teams. The smartest African-American all went to HBCU's pre-1970's. And following the pioneering debaters, like the late John Hope Franklin at Fisk University in the mid-1930's, HBCU's routinely had a seat at sanctioned debate competitions. Surprising still, is the fact that no HBCU students have competed in these debate competitions for FOUR consecutive years.

Davis (pictured right) pointed out that full scholarships are absolutely necessary to effectively compete, as the brightest, most scholarly students are normally selected, as tackling the rigors and expectations that debate competitions demand, requires debaters to be at the top of the class. Davis should know as he is currently the winningest debate coach in the near 150-year history of Howard University.

Professor/Attorney Davis once paid out of his own pocket to fund his debate team to compete in a sanctioned debate competition. Davis notes HBCU's administrations and trustees choose to fund every athletic trip to all games scheduled, over the debate team. And this occurs despite HBCU's athletics consistent failure to remotely compete for the National Championship.

Davis and Porro are stating their case now to the Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to provide full scholarship funding, and additional support from other sources for H.B.C.U.'s students to compete in sanctioned debate competitions. As mentioned, these qualifying debate competitions are a stepping stone for the National Debate Championship, like the one held in Austin, Texas this past weekend.

Below are comments from Professor John Davis

This weekend provide a perfect contrast in national priorities.

One example is this weekend's "March Madness" -- the annual NCAA Basketball Tournament Championships -- where everyone can play, and there is an equal opportunity for all students to compete. The result: a highly competitive highly diverse and highly profitable activity.

Contrast that with the other intercollegiate tournament that will crown a national champion this weekend -- the National Debate Tournament Championships (NCT), chartered and sanctioned by the American Forensics Association. In start contrast to March Madness, not a single African American nor other minority is even on the team at all of the 78 Universities competing at the NDT.

And, none of the 78 teams invited are among the nation's 105 Historically Black College or Universities (HBCU), which by definition is an institution that was established prior to 1964 for the expressed purpose of educationg African Americans.

The NDT result, by contrast to the NCAA tournament, is a highly competitive, yet virtually all white and all male activity. That means that intercollegiate debate, which helped to produce so many African American leaders throughout American history, IS NOW CONFINED TO ONE GROUP. Where would young James Farmer, or James Nabritt, or John Hope Franklin, Jr., or Dr. Benjamin Mays, Barbara Jordan and Donald McHenry have an opportunity to debate today? NOT AT AN HBCU like they did in the 30's, 40's and 50's, and probably not at one of the debate powers competing this weekend at the NDT.

Yet the evidence (as documented in a UMKC study) demonstrating the educational and leadership value of debate is overwhelming: increased literacy by 25%; imporved grade-point averages by 8 to 10%; and graduation rates of nearly 100%. Furthermore, a long historical record demonstrates that debaters are porven to be effective advocates for themselves and their communities.

Notwhithstanding our national progress in the 75 years since Professor Melvin Tolson had a vision to build a highly competitive debate team at Wiley College to crack the color barrier, it is certain that barrier will remain through 2009 as well, and dejure segregation is no longer the culprit.

I've been involved in debate since 1974, beginning as a high school sophomore. For decades as a debater, coach and league founder, I've seen the difference it can make in the lives of African Americans and every other group that takes part. That's why I, along with Tim O'Donnell (chair of the NDT and Director of Debate at UMW - one of the top national teams) and my colleague Jeff Porro, launched the Debate Consortium in September 2008, with the support of the White House Initiative on HBCU's. The Debate Consortium shares Melvin Tolson's vision, but goes beyond just cracking the barrier. It seeks to eliminate it forever, just as Texas Western did at the 1966 NCAA Basketball Tournament.

I'm happy to say we've gotten some great response, but it is clear we can't do it alone. And that's why we're here: to call upon Education Secretary Arne Duncan to direct Stimulus funds to achieve greater diversity at the NDT within 5 years.

In sum, America gains a broader national benefit when it brings to the table all of the top talent it has to offer in any given endeavor. We need help from America's political, civic and business leaders to end a system that retards our national benefit and under develops large segments of our society.

We can achieve it.