DETROIT, Mich. (WXYZ) — From developing confidence to promoting critical thinking, the Umoja Debate League has spent the past five years helping Detroit students build skills they can carry into the classroom and beyond.
What started with four students at one West Side middle school has grown into a nonprofit serving more than 300 students at more than 20 schools across Detroit.
For founder Jerjuan Howard, the idea grew out of his own experience as a student.
Howard attended Renaissance High School, where he said a debate class helped him find his voice and develop skills he still uses today.
“I was a kind of chill, laid-back type of student, but debate changed that. It gave me confidence to speak with confidence, my conflict resolution, articulation,” Howard said.
Seeing the difference debate made in his own life, Howard, who once planned to study law, came up with the idea to launch the Umoja Debate Team at his old middle school, John R. King Academy.
His goal was “to pretty much mold little lawyers in a way.”
The team started with just four students. Five years later, it has grown into the Umoja Debate League, with more than 20 Detroit schools and 300 students involved.
“It’s expanded from just an after-school program for middle schoolers to now high school as well, as well as a summer camp, and Umoja Village,” Howard said.
Students are also tackling issues that extend beyond the classroom.
The league has debated some of the same topics considered by the Detroit City Council, giving students an opportunity to research and discuss issues affecting their own communities.
“We’ve debated the Renaissance Center being demolished or not, we’ve debated the animal keeping ordinance, community gardens,” Howard said.
“They’re really sharpening their minds and becoming civically engaged.”
Howard said he now sees students developing the same confidence he discovered through debate.
“I’ve seen students who were extremely shy, they would almost cry when it was time to speak in front of a crowd. Now they’re standing with their chest out, chin up,” Howard said.
For Umoja Debate League member Nia Stewart, that sense of confidence and belonging helped turn debate into something more.
“Through that moment, I knew debate was home,” Stewart said.
Stewart has been part of the Umoja Debate League for three years. She said the program teaches young people the importance of speaking up for themselves and the issues they care about.
“Being able to stand up for what they believe in is very important and it’s a very fundamental skill,” Stewart said.
Those lessons are also helping shape her plans for the future.
“It’s just enlightened me to continue to pursue public speaking, getting into policy. Because I’ve learned my voice mattered,” Stewart said.
As the Umoja Debate League celebrates its fifth anniversary, organizers say they are looking ahead to reaching more students and developing the next generation of leaders in Detroit.
The nonprofit is marking the milestone with a five-year anniversary gala Saturday at the Marygrove Conservancy in Detroit. Tickets are still available.
