The Washington Urban Debate League is a DC youth program that is partnered with more than 75 schools across 3 school districts, providing students a space to get involved in debate, which, before it was founded in 2014, was primarily exclusive to private institutions.

From an objective perspective, expanding access to debate may seem like the program’s primary achievement. However, this barely scratches the surface of how transformative WUDL truly is to students in DC, and how essential its teachings are, especially in today’s polarizing political climate.

The film Immutable featured on PBS on March 6th further explores this transcending perspective of the Washington Urban Debate league, to truly get to know the program beyond what’s on the WUDL website or assumptions of a traditional school program, and how important it is to invest in youth.

I had the amazing opportunity to speak with directors and producers Charlie Sadoff and Gabriel London along with one of the students, Parker McCauley, to learn more about their perspectives with the program. Charlie and Gabriel as observers of the program worked closely with students at WUDL through two years of filming Immutable; Parker participated in the league throughout their high school experience.

While competition is a central part of debate, WUDL is equally defined by its strong sense of community. Parker emphasized that students are not just participants, but leaders. As they gain experience, many take on mentorship roles, helping younger debaters develop their skills and confidence. Parker noted how seniors and graduate students will go on and take on a mentorship role with freshmen and new members.

They went on to say “WUDL is not like a football team where you will be competing against different schools, and when you see them its only about win or loss. When we’re at tournaments, we’re all so focused on improving our own arguments and learning from each other… if we didn’t try to talk to each other and form any form of relationship, we wouldn’t be able to bounce off each other’s ideas and understand each other’s arguments so that we can argue against them.” The emphasis of Communication in debate seems to be a guiding principle of bringing people together and forming these strong relationships.

Gabriel, another debater, described how this sense of community extends beyond high school: “Debaters will graduate, and come back as judges or mentors with younger debaters. There is a great spirit of community and giving back to each other, so many coaches were former debaters.” As a D.C. student myself, this stood out.

DC has a competitive, hustle culture, creating a fast-paced atmosphere where it can feel like everyone is on their own path and be isolating. WUDL provides a space where students can feel a sense of community and also uplift each other through mentorship, even in such a competitive activity like debate.

WUDL also opens doors for students in meaningful ways. Former WUDL student Liv Birnstad, who went on to win National Debater of the Year in 2023, is now a junior at Harvard University. Parker McCauley went to Howard after nationals their senior year, and both Liv and Parker are still involved.

WUDL creates this cyclical nature of community where students will graduate, new students will come in, and old students will come back as coaches and mentors.

“At every tournament, and every time we turned around, there was Liv because she was staying so involved, not just in the Urban Debate community in Boston, where she was, but also with Washington Urban Debate League,” says Gabriel.

One of the most striking themes from my conversation with the filmmakers and Parker was how debate can serve as a response to today’s increasingly polarized political climate.

Gabriel described WUDL as an antidote to the division that defines much of today’s discourse:

“At this moment, everyone is focused on tribalism and hyper-partisanship. The film acts as an antidote to that—it shows something different. These students learn to make arguments from both sides and to see empathetically. There’s something really leveling about that, because it shows what’s possible when we create space for real conversations and engagement with each other.”

Parker echoed this: “So many topics we learn about in debate are things that schools won’t touch on. You learn both sides, and it expands your thinking because new things are happening all the time, especially with current events.”

That kind of deep engagement feels increasingly rare. Research has shown that average attention spans have shortened significantly in the digital age, and media outlets have responded by trimming articles and prioritizing quick takes over nuance. Literally and figuratively, people are losing the patience to read between the lines. Forming a well-rounded argument — the kind WUDL demands — requires dedication, research, and the willingness to genuinely understand a position you may not personally hold.

That stands in contrast to much of how political identity works today. Many organizations are built around shared beliefs, which is beneficial to advance specific causes. WUDL, however, is built around a shared passion for learning, not a belief system. Rather than rallying around a specific viewpoint, in WUDL, students win championship debates by defending sides they may agree or disagree with, requiring a well-rounded understanding of perspectives. This skill is invaluable to real-world politics. I believe the more educated you are, the less clear-cut your opinions are, because you are able to hold multiple truths at once.

Maturity, in many cases, means accepting that some questions don’t have a right answer — only perspectives worth understanding. Debate trains you to sit with that discomfort, and WUDL makes that training accessible to students who might never have had it otherwise

Immutable is a compelling and powerful film. As Charlie explained, “You don’t have to know about debate—or even be interested in it—to enjoy the film. Debate is part of it, but it’s much more than that. The film is about people—kids overcoming obstacles and being inspired.”

That sentiment holds true. While Immutable follows a youth debate program, it ultimately tells a much larger story: how to think critically, how to support one another, and how to be role models for a more understanding world.

#Immutable

Featured image courtesy of immutablefilm.com.

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The Howard University Swimming and Diving team partnered with Warner Brother Studios to host a Special Practice and Day party in promotion of their new movie “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.” The practice took place at Burr Gymnasium on Dec. 9 and provided the team the opportunity to have a little fun amid the grind of the season. Warner Brother Studios decided to partner with Howard’s swim and dive team due to their recent success and the media attention they have garnered over the past years. The motion picture powerhouse provided free movie tickets to the Dec. 22 premier at the special practice.

In an interview with Nicholas Askew, director and head coach of the Howard University swimming and diving teams, he spoke on how success from the team – specifically last year’s Battle of the Burr versus Georgetown University – and the men’s first conference championship in 30 years played a part in presenting this opportunity for the program.

The open practice featured a DJ who narrated the practice while playing live music for everyone to enjoy. The team wanted to stay within the norm of their day-to-day practices, as they are now less than 70 days away from the NEC conference championship. Langston Weddington, a swimmer on the team, spoke on how it felt to show fans a different aspect of the sport they normally don’t see, while also being able to inspire the young swimmers of the future.

“It was a great feeling because we got to showcase the exciting aspect of the sport and we were able to do it in front of a lot of kids that came out and aspire to be swimmers for Howard in the future,†Weddington said. “It was also great to be able to get a slight break from the regular ole “come in and hurt” and go about your day. It was a big success for everyone involved, from the team to the coaching staff, and our supporters that came out and got to take part in the action.â€

The event took place on a Saturday, a day that the team usually uses to take data and learn what swimmers and divers need to improve on throughout the season. Askew spoke on what normally goes into a weekend practice in preparation for upcoming matches during the week.

Coach Askew is pleased to see his team continue to grow throughout the year while dealing with a more aggressive schedule – they owe that to the team’s success last year. With the team already being the top HBCU swim and dive team in the nation, it’s good to see that they are still not satisfied.

The Howard University swim and dive team will begin the NEC championships on Feb. 20 in Geneva, OH.

Article featured photo courtesy of Branson Brooks.

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The Howard University Men’s Basketball team’s 2023-24 season has truly been a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows. With the Bison coming off their first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship since 1992 while facing higher expectations and a tough schedule, the team has had to come into every game ready for a battle. 

The war started in Burr Gymnasium when the Bison faced off against their historic rival, Hampton University, on Nov. 6. The team was able to come out victorious in the battle of the two prestigious Black universities in an overtime thriller which ended in a score of 92-80. Bryce Harris, a junior forward for the Howard Bison, led the team in scoring with 23 points and five rebounds, while Marcus Dockery, a junior guard for the Howard Bison, was able to chip in 21 points, knocking down five threes.

After the game, Dockery felt ecstatic to come out with the win in a rivalry game with a history that stretches before he was born. With this also being his second year at Howard after transferring from the University of Maryland, he looks forward to the opportunity of taking on a larger role this season.

“It’s amazing. This is a rivalry game that’s been going on for years, before I was even born, HU versus HU,” Dockery said. “There was one point in time where they (Hampton) were in the MEAC conference, and now they’re not. So this energy that came from the crowd, from the coaches, extended from years back. And to be able to play my game, not to be rushed, take every possession slowly and to do what I do best and to have the trust in my coaches that they have trust in me goes a long way. I’m thankful for this opportunity.”

The Bison then traveled to Atlanta to face off against Georgia Tech University on Nov. 9. This would be the teams first taste of real power 5 competition this season, and would serve as a test. The Bison would stay in the game throughout both halves and even lead the entire second half, but due to a late three by Miles Kelly, a junior guard for Georgia Tech, to give the yellowjackets their first lead of the second half the Bison suffered their first lost of the season with a final score 88-85. Shyheim Odom, a sophomore forward for the Howard Bison, led the team with 22 points.

The Bison would lose their following game as well to James Madison University, who came into the game hot after beating Florida Atlantic University, a team that was ranked top 25 in the nation at the time. 

Following the two losses, the Bison would return home in a game against Boston University in hopes to rekindle some of the fire they had in their season opener against Hampton to get back on track. Howard fans would also get to see the long-awaited debut of Seth Towns, a graduate transfer forward for the men’s basketball team, after being medically cleared by the NCAA to start his eighth season of college basketball. Jelani Williams, guard for the Howard men’s basketball team, made his season debut as well. 

Towns would provide some much-needed scoring, specifically from range, knocking down a three off a triple-threat move on his first possession in the game. Towns would continue his scoring effort throughout the game. Though struggling with game time conditioning, he was able to hit a couple shots in a row during the second half to give the Bison the leg up. 

Towns spoke about playing in his first official game for Howard and how the atmosphere from the fans and his teammates made it a great experience. “It feels good. It’s interesting getting back out in full force with a college basketball atmosphere but it felt really good man and I’m just happy to be able to do this with my team. The atmosphere was great. I love Howard,” he said. “My teammates got a lot of faith in me, so they encouraged me to keep shooting and I was just doing what I felt was best for the team. Doing anything to help my team win.”

The final score of the game read 64-53. Harris would continue his impressive early season output, pouring in 19 points and nine rebounds, with 15 coming in the second half. Towns chipped in 13 points and six rebounds in his debut. Dockery went 6-6 from the free throw line in the game, adding nine points.

However, the team would go another stretch of away games featuring more Power 5 competition, including Rutgers University, Bryant University, and Mount St. Mary’s University. The Bison would come out 1-2 in these games, losing to Rutgers and Bryant University but coming out victorious against Mount St. Mary’s.

The Bison would then return home again to play their toughest matchup of the season so far in the Cincinnati Bearcats on Nov. 28, who came into the game 5-0. The Bison would look to improve on a 10-game home winning streak going into their matchup with the Bearcats. The wingspan of the Bearcats affected the Bison on both sides of the ball for the first five minutes of the game, making it hard to score on the interior and keep the Bearcats off the offensive boards.

However, the Bison were able to counter the Bearcats inside attack by collectively knocking down shots from outside to open up driving lanes. Seth Towns, a senior forward, was able to get going, knocking down a couple of shots in a row late in the first half for the Bison to tie the game 25-25. During Towns’ first-half run, he eclipsed the 1,000 points benchmark for his college career.

The game would come down to the wire in the last minute, with the teams trading buckets up until the ball was in Towns’ hands with seconds remaining on the clock with a score of 74-71 in favor of the Bearcats. The veteran rose to the occasion, and off of a side-step three, Towns sent the game to overtime.

In overtime, the Bearcats continued to capitalize off offensive boards due to their size, which ultimately served as the downfall of the Bison. Although the Bison would never give up fighting, they would come out on the losing end with a final score of 86-81. Towns scored 24 points and had seven rebounds while playing a lofty 40 minutes in the game. Hairston chipped in 11 points, and junior guard Marcus Dockery added 13 points.

Kenneth Blakeney, coach of the Howard men’s basketball team, believes even in a loss, the experience of playing these Power Five universities so early in the season will pay dividends down the line once they face these types of teams again in March. Also, even with the team currently sitting at 3-5 Blakeney still has a positive outlook on how this season has gone so far in terms of them being able to stay competitive against top competition without a full roster.

“I feel the season’s been really good so far. We’re sitting at three and five currently at this moment. We have losses to Georgia Tech, James Madison, Rutgers, Cincinnati and Bryant. When you look at three of those, you’re talking about Power Five teams. I’m fairly happy with where we are. I’m not so concerned about our record, but are we getting better at this point in time,” Blakeney said. “One of the big things is that we still haven’t had our complete roster as of yet, and so I’m just waiting for us to have a complete roster where I feel like we are able to kind of put all of our weapons out on the court at the same time. We’ve been kind of practicing since the school year and since then we’ve only had four complete practices with our whole roster in those practices.”

The Bison continued their season at home against Regent University on Dec. 13. The team then headed to Las Vegas to Compete in the CP3 HBCU challenge, where they matched up against Jackson State University and Texas Southern University, all broadcasted on ESPNU.

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More than ever in the past 10 years, natural hair is being embraced as a suitable way to wear hair for Black women.

The revolutionary natural hair movement can be traced back to the Black Panthers, where members rocked their natural afros as a sign of Black power and beauty. In the 2010’s, YouTube became a platform for Black women to post tutorials for women with natural, coily and curly hair. The section of YouTube known as the Natural Hair Community, created a tight bond of Black women who were learning how to take care of their hair at home.

College can be a rough time for a person with natural hair. It’s difficult finding a barber or “naturalista,” as well as finding adequate natural hair products available near campus.

Thankfully, Towson University has its own natural hair community: the TU Naturalists (previously the TU Naturalistas). Originally formed in 2013, the club describes itself as a group that “helps others embrace themselves in their most natural state by promoting self-care and self-awareness.”

Each meeting, the group has its own special theme revolving around natural hair, such as how to take care of locs, creating hair oils, and discussing identity politics. Over the years, the TU Naturalists have created a community of natural hair wearers on campus, helping each other through their natural hair journeys.

I met up with the secretary of the TU Naturalists, Mya Williams, to talk about the reboot of the club and what it’s like wearing natural hair at Towson University.

Article featured photo by Raquel Santana on Unsplash.

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The DC Voice likes to open Black History Month with the traditional Negro National Anthem- Lift Ev’ry Voice by James Weldon Johnson. Since then there have been other classics such as Black Pearl by Sonny Charles, Checkmates, Ltd., Say it Loud – I\’m Black, and I\’m Proud by James Brown, or Black Butterfly by Deniece Williams. However, Miss Nina Simone\’s – To Be Young, Gifted, and Black is probably the modern era anthem. This post was originally published in February of  2016. It deserves a spot in our annual Black History Month recognition.

*****

February 16, 2016

Photo courtesy of latevoice.com

The original body of work \”To Be Young Gifted and Black,\” a poem by Lorraine Hansberry. She then requested Nina Simone to sing the song.  Do the words still hold truth in 2016?

To be young, gifted and black,

In the whole world you know

Young, gifted and black

When you feel really low

Young, gifted and black

Oh but my joy of today

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Gary Antuanne Russell returned to Maryland after his rumble in Rio.  The judges\’ decision did not favor Russell even after knocking down his opponent Fazliddin Gaibnazarov. However, he is still the people\’s champion.  Many supporters and family gathered at Dave & Buster\’s in Capital Heights, Maryland to welcome Russell home with hugs, kisses, and much love.  Russell says \”I won\’t forget this moment.\”  A warm welcome was given by Russell\’s mother. She was overjoyed even though Russell felt he let her down along with his fans. Attendees reassured Gary Antuanne Russell that he fought like a champion and he is still the people\’s champion.

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It wasn\’t your typical Thursday afternoon at the Harry Thomas Senior Recreation Center in Ward 5 DC, not so much as a cloudy day.

It was a mix of swimming and survival tactics.  No! No one was injured. In fact, upon afternoon arrival many of the swimmers were on break while the lifeguards conduct In-Service training.  What is In-service?  Well, it\’s no simple explanation, especially since \”stand clear,\” \”analyzing,\” and chest compressions are involved. From the looks of the demonstration – much skill, training, machines, and support, moreover, most importantly team effort is required to stabilize a swimmer in the event of a life- threatening injury.

Manager Desean McNeil would call out the In-service training exercise, while assistant manager Rochelle Polanco and lifeguard Emily Henley provided the rescue for lifeguard Lance Magwood who was treading water in the deep end which looked to be about nine feet or more.  Magwood was pulled out of the water safely during the In-service training demonstration by both Rochelle and Emily.  These ladies were going to work, with the oxygen mask, counting, and making sure signs of life for a safe recovery.  Once Mr. Magwood showed signs of life, then the In-service training demonstration had come to an end.  It was now time for the lifeguard to blow their whistle for swimmers to get back in the water.

The majority of the swimmers stayed in the larger pool, but didn\’t enter the deep end while the smaller children enjoyed the whale waterfall in the center of the children\’s pool. Parents don\’t worry if you forget the life vest there are plenty to choose from at the pool.  \”No rough play\” says one of the lifeguards to the young swimmer, and \”no running.\”  Safety is most certainly first at the Harry Thomas Rec center.  Swimmer Troivaugn, 9 years old was enjoying the pool and stated \”waiting until they open the deep end\” since he knows how to swim thanks to his uncle Shaun.  Although he enjoyed the pool today, he wasn\’t sure if he would return tomorrow.  Children of all ages were having a great time at the pool, a set of twin girls 3 years old brought their pink ball to play in the water.  Then before you know it, the lifeguard blows the whistle then says \”break time\” and the young swimmer says \”not again.\”  While on break this time some of the swimmers delighted in some hula hoop entertainment.

Since the sun didn\’t seem as though it would surface again, it was time to gather the towel, dry off and go.  Furthermore, the pool is safe, In-service and staffed at the Harry Thomas Recreational Center in Ward 5.

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Critical Exposure is an Organization started in 2004 with the goals of teaching youth how to use the power of photography to voice their opinions and to advocate for the opportunities and resources they need to succeed. It has successfully made an impact on some of the DC\’s low-income students lives and education. \”Since our founding in 2004, students have helped secure over $500 million in additional education funds and made crucial improvements in their schools. Changes include: building a new school library, adding new, relevant classes to their high schools, improving the security processes as students enter school, and winning funding for a community garden.\”

The Executive Director & Co-Founder Adam Levner had this to say about the Program.

The Program has gained momentum and has received support from Mayer Brown as part of their \”Making a Case for Kids\” campaign. Making a Case for Kids is a community service and pro bono initiative to support underprivileged children in the Washington, DC area. Mayer Brown hosted a cocktail reception featuring extraordinary 2015-2016 DC High School participants. During the cocktail party, guests were privileged to watch a short film about Critical Exposure.

The overall goals of Critical Exposure are to help the youth gain:

The tools to express themselves;

The DC Voice was able to capture the voices and meanings of the expressions of three youths that participated in the Critical Exposure Program.

To find out more information, you can visit www.criticalexposure.org.

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