{"id":21413,"date":"2022-01-12T13:33:56","date_gmt":"2022-01-12T13:33:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=21413"},"modified":"2023-06-08T18:23:00","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T18:23:00","slug":"living-martin-luther-kings-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2022\/01\/12\/living-martin-luther-kings-legacy","title":{"rendered":"Living Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Black<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, \u201cOur lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Professional
Dr. Denise Vaughan, lecturer in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences and head coach of the speech and debate team<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By taking these words to heart, students on the University of Washington Bothell\u2019s speech and debate team keep King\u2019s legacy alive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They give voice to things that matter. The students have written and performed speeches about their personal experiences of being a Black woman in the United States, being a trans person in sports and witnessing society\u2019s recent uproar about a missing white woman and its silence about missing or murdered Indigenous women and women of color. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The students also talk about what it\u2019s like to be \u201ca chocolate chip in a bowl full of whip cream,\u201d said Denise Vaughan, lecturer in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences and head coach of the team. \u201cTheir speeches have moved me to tears many times.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through their work, members of the speech and debate team have learned that while actions often \u201cspeak louder than words,\u201d words also have the power to spark action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dream of Luke Scott <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Like King, they use words to activate, to inspire and to make change. Student Luke Scott, a sophomore majoring in Law, Economics & Public Policy, wrote a speech in spring 2021 about what it\u2019s like to be a trans person in sports. He dreams of a world that, at the very least, considers the humanity of trans people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Profile
Luke Scott, sophomore majoring in Law, Economics & Public Policy and captain of the speech and debate team<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am a trans man, and growing up I was very into sports. I was a two-time competitor in the world championship in martial arts. I played softball and was on a premier women\u2019s soccer team,\u201d he said. \u201cBut when I came out, I was kicked off the team, and I could no longer play sports because I wasn\u2019t female. In their eyes, I wasn\u2019t male either.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a 14-year-old youth just trying to exist as a trans person, he said it never occurred to him that he should have had the option to play for the male team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn spring of 2021, I heard about legislative bills that were trying to keep trans youth out of sports and locker rooms, and I knew I had to do something,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was too late for me, but at least I could try and help keep other trans youth in sports. So, I pulled together a speech and delivered it at nationals in March, just two weeks after writing it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He placed among the top students in what was his first competition \u2014 but more important to him was the positive feedback he got from faculty and fellow students. After giving his speech, one of the audience members also told him that he learned something new and thanked him for informing him on the issue. \u201cHearing that gave me a lot of hope,\u201d Scott said. \u201cIt meant a lot to know my experience resonated. It\u2019s proof that our message as trans people is not lost. There is hope that we can still be validated and humanized.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vaughan said Scott performed the same speech at Novice No More, another national competition, and placed second. \u201cThe speech not only swayed some of the listeners,\u201d she said, \u201cbut proved the community is listening as well.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helping others climb the ladder <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While speeches can benefit communities, they also benefit the speaker. \u201cStudents who participate in speech and debate see an increase in their test scores, improve their grade point averages and perform better in classes,\u201d Vaughan said. \u201cIt also increases the likelihood of graduation and graduating on time.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She explained that it\u2019s partly because these students have a faculty mentor who is invested in their success. As a mentor herself, Vaughan said she knows the students so well she could tell you their favorite restaurants and what they like to eat for dinner at debate tournaments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great to form those personal relationships as it gives students a broader community and support system,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause I know them so well, I can help by connecting them with other faculty from different departments based on their interests and needs.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The students also pay it forward by mentoring local middle and high schoolers through Climb the Mountain, a nonprofit organization in Seattle that provides direct, individualized support for speech and debate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the schools where the team members volunteer are comprised predominately of students of color from low-income households. These students do not often see people who look like them in positions of power. And when they do, Vaughan said, it can make a deep impression. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was the case with a girl who saw one of the mentors, Ayan Abdi, who is Muslim and wears a hijab. The girl came up to Vaughan after class and said, \u201c\u2018Ayan wears a hijab\u2019 \u2014 and the way she said it was like it was a revelation. Seeing someone who looks like her in front of the classroom made a big impact.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following Dr. King\u2019s footsteps <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Vaughan first realized the importance of representation in speech and debate while at a national tournament. \u201cOne of my students came out of a debate and said, \u2018That was the first time I ever had a Black judge.\u2019 I felt deflated,\u201d she said. \u201cWe were at a national convention, which should serve as an example to teams across the country. I just couldn\u2019t believe that was the first time.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It inspired her to do some research, and she found that in the region \u2014 Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska and parts of Utah \u2014 she is one of only several female directors. and among them there is only one woman of color. The rest of the directors are white males. She then looked at coaches and assistant coaches, and found that she is the only director who has hired a non-binary or trans person. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe lack of representation is just horrible,\u201d Vaughan said. \u201cMost people join speech and debate to find a voice, many from marginalized communities, and they need leaders they can relate to. We need to do better.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to the UW Bothell students, the local speech and debate community is doing better. Students of different sexual and gender identities as well as different religions and nationalities are all involved on the team and volunteer to mentor younger generations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the reasons I am involved with Climb the Mountain is due to representation,\u201d Scott said. \u201cI think about as a child how much I wished I had a role model who was queer like me \u2014 how incredibly impactful it would have been to know that who am I is okay. Maybe one day, I can be that validation someone needs.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vaughan is exceptionally proud of her students. \u201cI am continually amazed by who they are, what they do for others and the impact they make in our community,\u201d she said. \u201cThey follow in Dr. King\u2019s footsteps by giving voice to the things that matter.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Students on UW Bothell’s speech and debate team live out Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy by being advocates and by mentoring local youth to do the same. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[202,211,200,214],"tags":[],"school":[421],"class_list":["post-21413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-campus-news","category-honors-and-awards","category-profiles","category-research","school-school-of-stem"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":"","link_2":"","link_3":"","link_4":"","link_5":""},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":"","button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"Contact Us","email":"test@uwb.edu","phone":"(206) 999-1234","box":"Box 358500","address_line_1":"18115 Campus Way NE","address_line_2":"Bothell, WA 98011-8246","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"\nLiving Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy - 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