Students From Across the Nation 'Speak Up' at Forensics Tournament

Last weekend, the James Logan High School Forensics team hosted the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Speech and Debate Invitational for the nineteenth year in a row.

For the past 24 years, the Logan forensics program has given Union City youth an outlet to not only express themselves as individuals, but an opportunity to hone the priceless skill of communication.

Under the tutelage of Dr. Tommie Lindsey, Jr., Logan has produced dozens of state and national champions in the activity. But, more importantly, hundreds upon hundreds of lives have been changed, Lindsey said.

The legacy of Dr. King was about service above self, and that’s the same mantra Dr. Lindsey lives his life by. Oftentimes, he paid for his students’ trips, suits and coaching out of his own pocket with little to no return other than the knowledge that he helped a student succeed.

Nineteen years ago, Lindsey and another former assistant coach decided that there would be no better memorial to Dr. King than hosting a speech and debate tournament — an event that allows children across the nation to speak up for something bigger than themselves.

As a former forensics student, I can say that the invitational challenges students to really think about things most teenagers may not think about otherwise. In the debate realm, students are mini-policy makers. They debate about a wide spectrum of topics ranging from whether or not the U.S. should increase space exploration and abolishing birthright citizenship to the moral permissibility of victims to use deadly force in attacks.

“I honestly learn more in researching information for my cases than I do in most of my classes,” sophomore Sean Trinh said. “I’m able to dissect information far better than I would be had I not joined forensics.”

Throughout the weekend, students competed for three days from early in the morning until late at night.

“It’s really a marathon,” senior Brandon Deadwilier said. “It gets incredibly tiring, but it’s the stage to see who’s really the best at what they do.”

With a total of 1,604 entries in the tournament from students from across the country coming down to compete, they were able to do just that.

During the awards ceremony, Dr. Lindsey had a former student speak to the competitors. She recalled her involvement in forensics in the very first Martin Luther King invitational in 1992.

“Nineteen years later, I’m certain Dr King is still smiling from his grave because of this group,” she said. “There’s no better way to celebrate his legacy than through this activity. He was an incredible speaker, and so are each and every one of you.”

Lindsey continues to urge students to use the tools they learn in this activity to be “a voice for the voiceless.”