South Dallas Gilliam Debaters victorious

Special to Texas Metro News

It was a great day when the Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Museum (KJGM) “South Dallas Gilliam Debate Team” won both rounds of competition at the Atlanta Urban Debate League Tournament (elementary competition). There were two teams of three and each team won both rounds!

Sponsored annually by Emory University in Atlanta, GA, this would be the Dallas team’s first competition since COVID. The debate program has been in existence since 2016. Each year of participation, they have come home with winning teams and this year they continued the tradition!

The 2023-2024 debate team members, all hailing from South Dallas, are Matthew Cash Hill; Jayce Allen Dabney; Ella Grace Najm; Savannah Louise Lewis; Jackson Ellington Yates and Claudette Pounders.

This year the students were asked to come up with a plan to “reduce human-caused climate change.” The South Dallas Gilliam Debaters developed a campaign to get children involved in climate change and called it the “Get it Right On Using Light” campaign.

Their plan was precise and very easy to do. They offered suggestions such as reducing the use of electricity; keeping home and business temperatures regulated; unplugging vampire devices and using high efficiency light bulbs.

Coaches will continue to plant the seed for success in October 2024 when they will pick up where they left off — working with this same group of bright, bold, confident, determined and quite energetic minds. At least one new team of three will be invited to join the group.

This season, the Museum welcomed two new coaches to work with the students: Attorney Cheryl Wattley (Professor of Law at the University of North Texas Dallas) and son Andrew Wattley (Intellectual standup comic).

The coaches bonded instantly with the students.

“This is a remarkable mother and son tag team who gave each student 100% of their time in preparing for the tournament,” said KJGM President and CEO Connie Harris. “Such a unique pair – sharp and funny which allows the students to relate.

“The coaches offered their assistance on a volunteer basis to help broaden young minds. With their patience and genuine concern to see this group of young students succeed, they have truly made a difference. They have planted memories that will follow each debater for many years to come.”

Junior coaches for this class were Amir Najm (Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy); LaDarius Buckner (St. Anthony Academy); and Aleigha West (Martin Luther King Jr. Arts Academy). They also are from the South Dallas Community.

Carla Ranger (retired DISD Board Trustee) also worked closely with the students in preparation for the tournament. The iconic Kathlyn Joy Gilliam was a civil rights and education advocate in the City, State and Nation. She played a major role in civil rights work in Dallas. This was during a time when the educational prospects for African Americans in Dallas were bleak at best.

Mrs. Gilliam mustered the courage and fortitude to embark on a historical journey which totally transformed the educational and social land- scape for schoolchildren and educators of African American descent. Beyond the political networks that were previously unavailable and inaccessible for most African Americans and other minority citizens, an inclusive curriculum was established by her forthright service as a pioneering educational leader. Elected to the DISD as a board of trustee in 1974, she became the first Black woman to hold this position. She later became the first Black woman elected president of the board serving from 1980 to 1982 in this capacity. She served as DISD trustee for 24 years. She remained on the board until 1997 but continued her work with the South Dallas community founding and leading organizations such as Clean South Dal- las/Fair Park, the Dallas chapter of the Political Congress of African American Women. The City of Dallas honored her contribution to the educational system in Dallas in 2011, DISD opened a college preparatory school in Dallas named the Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy.

Mrs. Gilliam’s former home – was designated a Dallas Historical Landmark in 2015 and now serves as a community learning lab that includes a Reading Room and Debate Center. It is located at 3817 Wendelkin and hosts summer reading camps, read-ins, computer literacy classes and other educational projects for young and old.

The Debate Center encourages discussion of everyday issues and opinions, teaching youth to communicate without becoming physical or confrontational. “Our children have not mastered the art of discussion,” Mrs. Gilliam would say. Debates are a way for those holding opposing views to discuss controversial issues without descending to insult, emotional appeals or personal bias. During Mrs. Gilliam’s school years, debate team competitions were a vital part of training and educating youth. The Museum is renewing this tradition.

Mrs. Gilliam’s voice stood for many – in ethics, inclusion, civil discourse, and lawful resolution. She opened many doors.