Have you ever been kept from something just because of who you are? For Wiley College debaters in the 1930s, that was real life. Texas House Resolution 1609 He tells stories and respects the school’s debate team. A movie, a $1 million gift and a group of young students helped open a otherwise closed door to a national title.
a team that was not allowed in
Wiley College was founded in 1873 by the Freedmen’s Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Marshall, Texas. Wiley is a historically black college. Melvin B. Tolson came to the school in 1924 and formed its own debate team. His team was not allowed to join the national forensic fraternity, Pi Kappa Delta. But his debaters did not stop. They kept competing and proving themselves.
In 1935, Wiley defeated the University of Southern California, that year’s Pi Kappa Delta national champion, in a debate. school’s About Wiley University Page lists the 1935 victory as the subject of the film great debater. The team broke up in 1947 when Tolson left. The story remained silent for a long time.
A movie and a million dollar gift
After almost 60 years, people became interested again in the team. Actor Denzel Washington directed and starred in The Great Debaters. According to About Willie, the film, released on December 25, 2007, depicts the legacy of four alumni: Hobart Jarrett, Henry Heights, James Farmer Jr. and Henrietta Bell Wells. University page.
That same year, Washington announced a $1 million commitment to Wiley to revive his debate team, paid $100,000 per year for a decade. The school’s history page notes that the commitment was made by Haywood L. It was done during Strickland’s time. The school says the team was later named after both Tolson and Washington. Texas House Resolution 1609 also notes that Washington later donated $1 million to the college. A new team needs members, coaches, and a lot of practice before we can talk about trophies.
After seven years, a national title
In March 2014, the revived team won the Pi Kappa Delta Comprehensive National Tournament. That was seven years after the 2007 commitment. The resolution said the team consisted of 23 first- and second-year students. They competed against debaters from 80 colleges and universities in the largest Pi Kappa Delta tournament ever held.
According to the resolution, Willie came in first place with 60 awards. That season included 373 tournament wins and several exhibition debates. There is a slight irony in all this. Pi Kappa Delta was the same group that initially banned Tolson’s team. Forget about winning its biggest competition. The resolution said the win deserved special recognition and was a big moment for the school. The team later won the Pi Kappa Delta overall sweepstakes title again in 2016.
What does this story tell us
It’s easy to read a story like this and assume that charity was the whole story. The record shows much more than this. This gift helped bring the team together again. But it was the young students who did the hard work to prepare, speak and win. The resolution also recognizes coach Chris Medina’s leadership during the 2014 season.
A gift can start a program, but it takes people to sustain it. Debating requires courage because students have to stand up and speak while others evaluate them. The story also shows that history can be corrected, at least up to a certain point. Willie’s debaters were eliminated by a group that later saw him take first place. Today, the school is called Wiley University. The lesson is simple for anyone who has counted out. A closed door is not the end of your story.