Released On:
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
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Wiley College Public Relations
903-927-3201
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WILEY REUNITES WITH OCU FOR HISTORIC WEEKEND
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Oklahoma City—In 1931, Oklahoma City University (OCU) became the first white college south of the Mason-Dixon line to debate students from an all-black college. This historic debate between Wiley College and OCU, both affiliated with The United Methodist Church, would leave an indelible mark on both institutions.
Clint Normore, OCU director of multicultural student affairs and "The Great Debaters 2.0" committee chairman, agreed. "We take pride in the fact that we were willing to debate -- go head-to-head -- with Wiley College, and almost all other white colleges would not," he said.
OCU’s agreement to debate the all-black team was groundbreaking in a time of Jim Crow segregation laws and prevailing opinions, he said.
The two schools rekindled their relationship this past weekend on the campus of OCU for “The Great Debaters 2.0: Wiley College and Oklahoma City Reunited”.
The weekend’s events began with a reception hosted by the OCU Student Government Association followed by a series of meetings between Wiley and OCU students, faculty and staff. During the counterpart meetings, cooperative agreements were formed to further link the two institutions together. The evening concluded with dinner and a presentation of the movie The Great Debaters.
“The counterpart meetings were very productive,” said Michael Vickerstaff, Director of Residence Life at Wiley College. “The College is looking into expanding its offerings in residence life, so I was interested to know what initiatives OCU has in place to enhance their program. We also agreed to get together during the summer for a joint retreat”.
On Saturday, the Wiley College women’s and men’s basketball teams played their first game of the season against OCU. Despite valiant efforts from both teams, they were unable to pull off wins against the OCU Stars.
One of the most anticipated activities of the weekend was the exhibition debate on Saturday night in the Bishop W. Angle Smith Chapel. Contrary to the movie, the March 1931 debate between OCU and Wiley was conducted off campus at the Avery Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Christina Wolf, OCU archivist, said there is no evidence to support the theory promoted in "The Great Debaters" movie that the debate was held off campus because black people were not allowed on campus. Maggie Ball, OCU vice president of church relations, said the fact that the university invited the Wiley team shows that OCU was ready to defy the racism trend.
Wiley College debaters Caress Russell, a sophomore mass communications major, and Tristan Love, a freshman computer science major, waged a war of words against OCU debaters Christian Balden, a freshman religion/philosophy major, and Luke Reese, a freshman English major. The moderator for the debate was Senator Constance N. Johnson who has served in the Oklahoma State Senate since 2005.
“This is truly a historic moment. These young people exemplified excellence tonight,” said Wiley President Dr. Haywood L. Strickland. “I am extremely proud to have been a part of this monumental event.”
The evening concluded with a banquet in the McDaniel University Center. Nate Parker, the young actor who portrayed Henry Lowe in The Great Debaters, served as the guest speaker. Addressing an audience of faculty, staff, students and OCU board members, Parker encouraged students to take advantage of their youth and to strive for excellence.
“You are standing on the shoulders of all those who came before you,” said Parker. “It is now up to you to leave a legacy for future generations to build upon.”
The weekend concluded with a church service at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church. The speaker for morning was Rev. Robert E. Hayes, Jr., Bishop of the Oklahoma Conference of The United Methodist Church. The Bishop’s presence was fitting since he has a relationship with both institutions.
"Wiley has always been in my blood," said Hayes.
Hayes, a Houston native, said his grandfather
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