By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times
The Birmingham City Schools system is reviving a powerful tradition of student voice and critical thinking with the launch of the Birmingham Urban Debate League (BUDL), which held its first official tournament Thursday at A.H. Parker High School.
Because of the visibility and partnerships sparked by The Penny Games, every Birmingham high school that hosted a competition is now actively participating in the BUDL. Before the Games, Ramsay was the only school with a debate team. Now that list includes Wenonah, Parker, Jackson-Olin, Huffman, and Woodlawn.
The event marks the return of organized debate programming in Birmingham schools after nearly a decade, following disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, said Dr. Christy Williams, 6–8 literacy and humanities coordinator for Birmingham City Schools.
The SpeakFirst program is one of three initiatives that Impact America operates.
“This is coming full circle for us,” said Williams. “We used to have SpeakFirst a long time ago, probably almost 10 years ago. When [Superintendent Dr. Mark Sullivan] came into this role post-pandemic, he talked about bringing it back.”
Williams said the district began exploring a revival of the program several years ago, but pandemic-related barriers delayed progress. Renewed partnerships and planning eventually led to the creation of BUDL, with Thursday’s tournament serving as the first of several scheduled events this school year.
“I’m especially excited on the middle school side,” Williams said. “It’s good to start in middle school and work our way up to high school.”
Middle and high school students from across the district gathered at Parker for formal debate rounds, supported by educators, alumni, and community volunteers.
According to organizers, all district high schools signed up to participate, along with roughly half of the middle schools, with expectations that participation will grow in future tournaments scheduled for February, March, and April.
Last week, students competed in structured debate rounds using topic packets provided in advance through the SpeakFirst curriculum. The materials allowed students to focus on argumentation, evidence, and rebuttal skills without relying on outside sources.
“I think it’s so important to give our students a voice, an organized way to speak their opinions,” Williams said. “They learn what a true debate is and how to hear other sides of the story, but also be able to counter those sides. That’s a real-world skill.”
Supporting the tournament were former SpeakFirst participants who returned as judges and volunteers, including Kylen Benson, a 2022 graduate of Ramsay High School and current senior at Harvard University.
“SpeakFirst was life changing for me,” Benson told The Birmingham Times. “As a young, quiet middle schooler, public speaking was a crucial skill for me to build, and Speak First was the perfect platform to do that in a nurturing environment.”
Benson credited the program with helping him develop research and analytical skills he now uses while completing his senior thesis in history and government.
Also volunteering was Jalkeria Clopton, a freshman at Lawson State Community College, who said debate helped her overcome a speech impediment and build confidence.
“Before I started doing speech and debate, I had a really bad stutter,” Clopton said. “After I joined debate, I started thinking more overall, making more friends, doing better in class, and raising my hand more.”
Both alums said returning to support the next generation of debaters was deeply meaningful.
“I took a seat in those chairs,” Clopton said. “Now I am that judge. I want to nurture these young voices and make sure they truly enjoy debate.”
Organizers say the long-term goal is for every Birmingham City middle and high school to field multiple debate teams, creating sustained opportunities for students to develop confidence, communication skills, and civic engagement.
“We expect it to be bigger and better every month,” Williams said. “Once students experience it live, the buzz will grow—and so will the league.”
Birmingham Board of Education District 3 representative Mary Boehm, who attended the tournament at Parker, said “It’s so incredible to have Speak First reignited. The amount of students who are turning out today is phenomenal, and the number of teams. The real heart of this is the teachers that have stepped up to train these kids.”
Visit Speakfirst and Impact America for more.
