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Africa Here We Come

The Bates Academy Umoja Debate Team triumphed at the Umoja Debate Tournament on June 1, 2024. This victory marks their fourth consecutive win in the series of debate tournaments held in March, April, May, and June. 

During the tournament, Bates faced various challenging topics. In the debate against Bunche, they argued whether the City of Detroit should require police officers to reside within the city and emerged victorious. In the semifinals, Bates debated Emerson on whether the United States government should lower the voting age to 16, securing another win. 

The final debate was against Paul Robeson Malcolm X, where the topic was "Pan-Africanism is a necessary precondition for total Black Liberation in America." Bates Academy clinched the championship with this victory, earning an all-expenses-paid trip to Ghana.

Bates Debate Team strategizingRaeghen Stinson and Kennedy BarlowAfrican trophies