Dear Parliamentary Debate Community:
Racism and bigotry have been a stain on our nation since its founding. Though these issues are hardly new, we feel it is an outrage how our Black community has been treated. We mourn and are deeply saddened by the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and too many others. We stand in solidarity with all communities harmed by the scourge of racism and bigotry.
The National Parliamentary Debate League Board expresses its greatest sympathies for those who have lost lives and those who continue to be drained by systematic oppression.
An injustice against one is an injustice against all. We are collectively outraged that our society has allowed systemic racism to thrive, and brutality to be committed by the state that is supposed to protect us. Now is the time to come together and stand united against the inexcusable treatment of the black people from all walks of life.
Lani Guinier, author of The Miner’s Canary, utilizes the symbol of the canary to remind us that regardless of race, we are all harmed by an anti-Black society. Guinier explains that the canary is placed in mines because if it faints or dies, it signals to the miner that there is danger. While the exploited canary falls first from poison, it serves as an alert that the environment is dangerous to all. Systemic racism is everyone's problem.
We often talk about access to the debate space. The truth is, many communities have been largely shut out and it has been that way for a long time. Communities of color and those in poverty are discussed in many, if not most Parli debate rounds. However, if we are honest and reflective, we can see we have done a poor job of including those same communities we so often discuss.
Debate encourages us to find and use the power of our voice. It challenges us to engage in critical thinking with diverse ideas which question our views, and to empower ourselves to express effectively. Where do we go from there? Once we have developed an understanding of issues and found power in our voice, debate does not necessarily lead to action. Debating is a wonderful skill, but as the saying goes “Actions speak louder than words”. Do our actions both inside, and outside of the debate space, reflect the values we speak of? Are we helping others? Do we make the effort to improve the world? Words are wonderful tools, but without actions, they become stories we tell ourselves about what could be done.
Debate by its very nature is an event that makes “Winners and Losers”. However... if we get lost in the competitive framing, we forget we are talking about the real world. The issues we discuss are not games, and the real world impacts we talk about, affect real people. That real world is much bigger than any debate round. Once we have engaged with morality, ethics, knowledge, understanding, diverse narratives and broad opinion, ought we hold ourselves to a higher moral standard? Not just in words, but in the way we live our lives.
We may need to ask ourselves: Do we have a moral obligation to actually help the communities we claim to care about in our debate rounds? If not, we run the risk of making real world issues nothing but tools for our wins.
As a community, we can do better. We believe we should always strive to improve and grow. If we grow our skill in argumentation, reasoning and persuasion without growing our empathy and compassion, we run the risk of becoming a part of the problem. Let us all question ourselves, know that we can all grow and improve, embrace humility and ask what we can do to help Actually make the net benefits we all talk about so much.
As a board, we look forward to helping foster spaces where students can continue to develop their skills, knowledge, kindness and compassion, as well as digest real world challenges and discuss meaningful actions within a community that is thoughtful, strategic, and empathetic.
Black Lives Matter.
In Solidarity,
The NPDL Board