Urban debate teams from Baltimore and New York  listen to the judges panel

The NAUDL Public Debate took place at the Transportation Research Board's 92nd Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Arguing the affirmative case were Raiesa Fraser and Avril Gordon Joseph of the Achievement First Brooklyn High School, New York City Urban Debate League and on the negative case, Darius Adejo-Liely and Jabree Gordon of Knowledge and Success Academy, Baltimore Urban Debate League.

The Transportation Research Board event was part of the NAUDL Public Debate program to promote urban debate leagues nationally. "We are thrilled to offer these young urban debaters a chance to present their arguments - and the results of their hard work on this important topic - to this audience of transportation experts," said Mark Norman, Director of the Technical Activities Division of the TRB.  

The NAUDL and staff of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) assembled an impressive panel of VIP judges from the transportation policy sector: Dorval Carter, Chief Counsel at the Federal Transit Administration (FTA); Julie Cunningham, President and CEO of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO); Susan Kurland, Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs of the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S DOT); Shirley McCall, Director of the TransTech Academy at Cardozo Senior High School; Lucy Priddy, Research Civil Engineer, U.S. Army and incoming chair for TRB's Young Members Council; Jeffrey Shane, partner at Hogan Lovells and former Under Secretary of Policy at U.S. DOT under George W. Bush; and Charles Wright, Executive Director for the James E. Clyburn University Transportation Center at South Carolina State University.

The debaters presented arguments for and against federal government investment in transportation infrastructure, including evidence from their own experiences as commuter students in New York and Baltimore. Members of the audience and the judges were impressed not only with the teams excellent debate skills, but with their preparedness and poise before an audience of transportation leaders.

Also in the audience were students from the TransTech Academy of Cardozo Senior High School in Washington, DC. The students voted along with the judges. The affirmative team from NYCUDL won in a close vote. Following the debate, audience members participated in a lively Q&A session with the debaters.