We met Jokim Bryant as an opponent, when he faced off with Charles Flowers’ Makinde / Banjo in the Quarter-Finals at the Urban Debate National Championship in 2022. After a convincing victory that knocked us out of the competition, we were excited to learn he was Howard bound in the Fall. 

If you can’t beat em, recruit em! 

Jokim has been a strong supporter of our travel program, serving as a judge for the first few years he was in D.C. before he assumed the coaching role at Richard Wright School of Journalism. 

Richard Wright has been a long-time partner of the Washington Urban Debate League, but it’s team has never experienced much competitive success or been very large. One of their debaters was recognized as our New Debater of the Year before COVID, the highlight of their team’s competitive exploits back in 2019. 

Since Jokim joined the coaching team, they’ve turned things around. The team has grown in terms of participation, entering 8-10 students in most tournaments instead of 2-4 students. They’ve also started winning. They won enough Novice awards that they jumped up to JV. Now, they’re winning a lot of those awards now too. Nala Hunter was recognized as High School Debater of the Year in the American League – chosen by her peers as their favorite competitor. This cadre of students is poised to get their toes wet in Varsity this Fall.