Denzel Washington's $1M donation helps Wiley College debate team win national title

Times of India · education

Seven years after actor Denzel Washington donated USD 1 million to re-establish its debate program, Wiley College's debate team achieved a significant victory. The 23-member team won the 2014 Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament, competing against over 80 colleges nationwide. This win marked a historic moment, as Wiley's Black debaters were previously barred from joining the same fraternity over 80 years prior due to Jim Crow laws. The donation, paid over a decade, supported scholarships, recruitment, and operational costs, revitalizing the program inspired by the 2007 film 'The Great Debaters'.