Brooklyn Debate League

Brooklyn Debate League ("BDL") was born Brooklyn in 2017 and remains deeply rooted here—led by New Yorkers who know firsthand the transformative power of Speech/Debate for public school students. Co-founders KM DiColandrea (DiCo) and Jonathan Conyers (Jon) are both graduates of NYC public high schools for whom debate was life-changing. DiCo, the first in their family to attend a four-year college, found healing after witnessing 9/11 three blocks away as a 16 year old by talking about current events on their high school debate team. A State and National finalist, DiCo returned to teach in NYC after graduating from Yale to ensure more students could access the same life-altering opportunities that they did. Jon, one of DiCo’s former students at Frederick Douglass Academy, overcame challenges in his youth, including housing insecurity, early encounters with the criminal justice system, and parents struggling with substance abuse. Encouraged to join debate, Jon competed at top national tournaments, earned a full scholarship to Stony Brook, and became a Neonatal Pediatric Specialist at NYU Langone. He now serves as BDL’s Director of Community Outreach and coaches students at partner schools. Jon and DiCo’s story was featured in a viral Humans of New York post in 2022, drawing national attention and helping BDL raise $1 million+—leading to official 501(c)(3) status after 5 years of grassroots programming.

Since formally incorporating three years ago, BDL has partnered with 19 NYC public schools to build debate teams from scratch and has been featured across multiple platforms including The Kelly Clarkson Show and Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History Podcast. Through a comprehensive program that includes school-based programming, online classes, competitive tournaments, and an intensive in-person summer camp, Brooklyn Debate League provides middle and high school students from marginalized communities the opportunity to train alongside students from specialized, parochial and independent schools, offering an all too rare opportunity to learn in environments that are integrated along lines of race and socioeconomic class.

BDL helps Brooklyn public schools build sustainable, competitive Speech & Debate programs to confront the inequities of NYC’s segregated school system. While debate fosters critical thinking, communication, and civic engagement, access is often limited to private and screened public schools—leaving out many Black and Brown students. At the 2025 NY State High School Speech & Debate Championship, BDL’s 5 partner schools were the only Title I schools competing.

Why this matters for racial equity in Brooklyn is best captured by a student’s reaction last spring. She made history as the first from a Title I school—and the only Black-Latina woman—to reach elimination rounds in Student Congress at the State Championship last April. When her coach texted her the news, she replied: "THAT'S LIKE COOL, BUT WHAT? HOW'S THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?" We’re proud of her, but she’s right—it shouldn’t be exceptional. Our goal is a world where Black/Brown kids in NYC public schools regularly debate and excel at States and beyond.