Brendan Stern

Former basketball coach, current professor of American politics, future curmudgeon

Debate, Not Silence: Why Confronting Controversial Issues is Essential to Equity

I’m excited to share my new article, “Debate, Not Silence” published in the September/October 2025 issue of Rostrum.

Written in connection with receiving the 2025 Activating Equity Award from the National Speech & Debate Association, the piece explores why real equity requires courage, not just compassion.

Drawing on Gallaudet University’s debate with Georgetown University about curing deafness, I argue that confronting controversial issues through debate is the path to lasting change.

If you’re curious how collaborative dialogues and competitive debates can work together to build a more just world, give it a read and let me know what you think.

(And if you want to throw a sharp elbow my way, please feel free.
It’s part of the game!)

🔗 Read the full article in Rostrum

One response to “Debate, Not Silence: Why Confronting Controversial Issues is Essential to Equity”

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    Anonymous

    So many thoughts here. I would have loved to see this debate at Georgetown about curing deafness and I was intrigued about 54 percent voting against curing deafness. I can see both sides. I can understand Why some people would object to a debate about curing deafness. I was reminded of an incident in high school. It was in the newspapers. A University invited a speaker to campus and many students objected to the speaker because they did not like the speaker’s politics. My father said that they lost an opportunity to debate. He said that even if you do not agree, it is good to debate because that is how you learn critical thinking. My mother said the same thing. It is important to develop language to discuss ideas. You can debate and stay civilized.

    Not sure if this is connected, though I was reminded of people taking genetic testing because they wanted sons instead of daughters. Some people want sons, not daughters, for example. Regarding deafness, I remember many years ago when a couple found out their baby was going to be deaf Before their baby was born, the couple decided to learn ASL so they could communicate with their deaf child. Before I was two years old, I became very sick and almost died. Instead of dying, I became deaf. My entire family, including myself, learned sign language.

    First, Why would someone want to cure deafness? Is deafness “life threatening”? I agree that critical thinking and debate are important. When I was in school, many students from the high school debate team won scholarships, including Full scholarships, to colleges. Because I was the only deaf student at my high school, I only did the background research and worked with my friends who were actually on the debate teams. I remember writing index cards and stacks of legal pads. I have a basic knowledge of how a debate team works.

    When I was at University, I had a professor whose politics was 360 degrees from my politics. I learned a very important lesson. Even if my professor did not agree with my politics, he Listened and was always polite. He Never ever demeaned my opinions. I learned that it was possible to disagree and Stay Civilized.

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