Listen: It’s been a long and winding path, but here we are, the last piece of Safe Streets, Healthy Kids. (I’m saving a concerto of reflection for a blog post tomorrow looking back at the whole campaign, so come back and check that out!) And I don’t think there could be a better student or topic with which to end.
When I arrived at Milwaukee High School of the Arts to check out the Urban Debate League’s summer camp for high school students, I was immediately impressed — on one of the hottest and most humid days of summer, they managed a strong showing of students who’d dragged themselves out of bed and into a lunch room where they would be learning… debate! Debate? Yes, debate. And as I discovered very quickly, these kids were into it. Case in point…
Miloran Robinson and I immediately found common ground with each other — we’re both Samuel Morse and Rufus King grads, and the bond with those schools runs pretty thick. As we got talking, I could see her fast-thinking ways in action. Her answers came quickly, but without a doubt thoughtful and earnest. Listen as Miloran discusses how debate has helped shape her life in an academic setting and beyond: see podcast below.
“It doesn’t matter where you come from, where you think you’re going. You can be articulate, you can be empowered through words.”
“All that matters are the ideas.”
“Yes — And how you can win people over with them.
A wonderful and fitting parting thought for a summer of Safe Streets, Healthy Kids.
To learn more about Urban Debate around the country, follow this link . To get up to speed on what’s going on with Urban Debate in Milwaukee, check out their website .
Produced by: Adam Carr