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Minnesota Urban Debate League adds first-ever Somali Debate Initiative

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Keynote speaker and debate judge Ilhan Omar encourages Somali Debate Initiative guests to pursue college degrees.
Keynote speaker and debate judge Ilhan Omar encourages Somali Debate Initiative guests to pursue college degrees.

The Minnesota Urban Debate League—a program of Augsburg College—sponsored the first debate in the state among Somali youth. The Somali Debate Initiative serves middle- and high-school students from Minneapolis and St. Paul. A community forum featuring U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison followed the debate. MNUDL also hosted four Spanish tournaments throughout the Twin Cities, which helps make debate more accessible to Spanish-speaking communities.

In May, MNUDL hosted its third Mayor’s Challenge fundraiser. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman; Donald Lewis, co-founder and shareholder of Nilan Johnson Lewis in Minneapolis; and Barb Schmitt, senior director at Microsoft, served as judges. The event raised $18,500 plus $3,000 in matching grants from the Pohlad Foundation.

 

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