On Oct. 17, 2013, two Fresno State students have made history in the Henry Clay Invitational Debates.

The Collegian reported that Nadia Lewis and Jamila Ahmed were the first African-American women to win first and second place speakers in the history of Henry Clay Invitational Debates.
Henry Clay Invitational Debaters which takes place at the University of Kentucky began in 1971 and is the oldest and largest debate tournament in America.

The two women debated on the topic of U.S. policy and the question was: “The U.S. Federal Government should substantially increase statutory and/or judicial restrictions on the war powers authority of the president of the United States in one or more of the following areas: cyber operations, indefinite detention, targeted killing such as drones, and deploying the armed forces into hostile places.”

This was Lewis’ first semester debate, but she got first place and ranks 29th in the nation. This was Ahmed’s second semester in debate, but she won second place and ranks 16th in the nation.

Dr. Shanara Reid-Brinkley, director of debate at University of Pittsburgh, is no stranger to debating. In fact she was the most successful African-American female debater in national policy in the 90s. Brinkley truly feels that these young women are an example of a new wave of talent.

“Nadia Lewis and Jamila Ahmed have accomplished a feat that many debaters around the country can only dream of achieving… And, it is important to note that they did so as virtual novices competing in the varsity level division.

Their competitors are likely to have five to eight more years of debate experience than these young women.”

The university tweeted a congrats to the young history makers on Twitter.

The Cross Examination Debate Association. posted a breakdown of the votes in the debate. Congratulations to these two amazing history makers.