The
Future
Kenneth-Michael
The Great Debater-
Kenneth@excapethematrix.com
The Great Debater
Before the Cross Examination Debate Association tournament finals began, debater Deven Cooper took a drink of water while his partner Davyon Love (both of Towson University) prepared their notes. As the host of the tournament introduced the opposing teams and the judges for the competition, Cooper and Love were ready to present their argument in support of the affirmative on the topic. The audio of hip-hop artist Lauryn Hill’s Freedom Time led into their opening statements. Cooper followed with an impressive rapid fast pace fifteen page speech that was surprising based on the interview supporting their side in less than eight minutes.
This has been a skill that Cooper has perfected for over eight years while a student at Lake-Clifton Eastern High School. “It wasn’t until my freshman year of high school,” said Deven Cooper, “that I was first introduced to the sport of debate.” He recalls that it was teacher Patricia Hamilton who asked if he would be interested in attending a debate summer camp at Emory University in Atlanta. With little formal training in the art of debating except for with family member, he accepted the offer and went on to win five out of six rounds at his first camp finals
Cooper and his partner Davyon Love were the first black team to win the tournament finals and the first team from Towson University in 11 years to enter CEDA.
Being exposed to debating and succeeding at the camp reassured a confidence in Cooper that helped to calm his complex of speaking in front of large audiences. “I started to notice that not only did I feel more comfortable speaking in front of others,” said Cooper, “but my vocabulary expanded due to debating. I was forced to use diverse word choices and exposed to social topics that weren’t taught in his inner-city high school setting. The confidence that came with debating forced upon him a scholarly work ethic and the ability to argue formally.
That diligent work ethic soon led to a full debate scholarship to Louisville University in Kentucky and valedictorian of his high school class. With over fifty trophies and awards, Cooper made it a top priority to advance in the debate arena by becoming the first African-American to win the Cross Examination Debate Association Tournament (CEDA).
Cooper and his partner Davyon Love were the first black team to win the tournament finals and the first team from Towson University in 11 years to enter CEDA. Winning the CEDA was a surprise to Cooper and his partner because they went against many of the norms or rules of debating to present their side. “Debate is typically taught in very Eurocentric manner,” said Cooper.
Many of the judges in debate frown upon teams who personalize their argument or tend to bring about race. “You shouldn’t talk about yourself because it isn’t fair because other people don’t have the same experiences as you,” a statement from a previous tournament judge addressed to Cooper.
To win the CEDA, Cooper and Love decided to ignore the norm rules and relied on three techniques to win the tournament such as personal experiences, audio from spoken word and hip-hop artist, and academic evidence.
“Debate is typically taught in very Eurocentric manner,” said Cooper.
With this win under his belt, Cooper wants to go for the National Debate Tournament next year which is the top title of debate. He knows this will be a challenge because they typically compete against predominantly white schools and judges get preconceived notions that they aren’t as good because of limited resources and come from a small university. Although this is a challenge for Cooper and his partner, he knows that is it a challenge that is not unreachable.