Atlanta girls make history with Harvard debate competition win

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Two teenagers from Atlanta have made history as the first Black female dou to win the Harvard Debate international competition.

This year 16-year-old Jayla Jackson, a rising junior at Holy Innocents Episcopal School, and 17-year-old Emani Stanton, a rising senior at North Atlanta High School, took the grand prize in the debate of “Resolved: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization should substantially increase its defense commitments in the Baltic States”

And Jackson and Stanton did it with an undefeated record.

They secured the fourth consecutive championship for the Atlanta-based team with an undefeated 10-0 record.

Each summer the Harvard Debate Council hosts a summer residential program for hundreds of gifted youths from over 15 countries around the world.

They converge on campus for two weeks of intensive study, which culminates in a program-wide debate tournament.

This year’s residency and competition were held virtually due to COVID-19.

The Atlanta program recruits and trains highly-motivated Black youth for a summer debate residency at Harvard, putting them in position for scholarships to elite schools.

Thousands of students apply to be a part of the project each year, but only about 25 to 30 are selected.

The new cohorts have already been selected and will begin training at the beginning of August.

Congratulations ladies!