Wumi Ogunlade

Text by SADIE IBBOTSON-BROWN and EMILY YAO Art by ZANDER LEONG FINDING HER VOICE SPEAKING UP THROUGH DEBATE AND ACTIVISM

HEAD HELD HIGH, Wumi where she attended a private international zy,” Ogunlade says. “People would come Ogunlade delivers her debate school. She was first exposed to speech and to me and say, ‘What’s it like in Nigeria? case to the panel of squares in debate at the age of eight. Are there a lot of poor people there?’ Once front of her on her screen. “When I was little, I loved proving someone asked me, ‘Do you guys live with

“Democracy means rule by the peo- people wrong,” Ogunlade says. “I always lions?’ I told them that I lived in Nigeria, ple,” she says. She doesn’t back down, and wanted to be a lawyer.” not in the jungle.” looks the camera straight in the eye. As a way of getting out of the house At her high school in San Jose, Ogun-

Ogunlade has traveled across the globe, and pursuing that goal, Ogunlade joined lade continued to participate in speech and experiencing more than her fair share of her school’s debate club. debate as an extracurricular to continue her change, but speech and debate has helped In December 2017, Ogunlade and her passion and build new friendships. Debate her find a voice to speak out for what she family moved from Nigeria to San Jose, in America, however, was different from believes in. where she struggled to adjust to a new what she had previously learned. school and community. “It was the total opposite [from Nige-

From Nigeria to America “The transition from being a regular ria],” Ogunlade says. “I had to learn every-

Ogunlade grew up in Ibadan, Nigeria, Nigerian to an African American was cra- thing from scratch.”

SPEAKING HER MIND — As a part of Verde’s Black Lives Matter submissions, Wumi Ogunlade wrote a poem using the refrain “I Can’t Breathe” after the murder of George Floyd. Drawn on the background of a portrait of Ogunlade, the poem is an example of how she uses her voice for change. “I would like a government that ... sees everyone as equal,” Ogunlade says. Photo: Audrey Joachim

A new challenge

Due to her family’s move from Nigeria to San Jose, and then later to Palo Alto, Ogunlade has been forced to adapt to different debate styles depending on what each school had to offer. Over the course of her debating career, she has learned three types of debate.

According to Jennie Savage, Paly’s Speech and Debate coach, debaters often learn one of the five forms of debate and spend years mastering it.

“What Wumi did was difficult,” Savage says. “She made the transition from the hardest form of debate there is. It’s ex-

tremely difficult to jump from platform to to join IGNITE, a non-partisan organizaplatform, because they are so different from tion created to address the lack of women each other.” in politics. Over the summer, Ogunlade

Ogunlade spent months taking on became one of its ambassadors, using soan entirely new form of debate: Lin- cial media to refer people to Sofia, an oncoln-Douglas. This form involves one line chatbot created by IGNITE that walks debater affirming the topic and the other users through the process of registering to negating. Lincoln-Douglas debaters have a vote, or creating a plan if they are not yet total of 13 minutes of speaking time dis- eligible to vote. tributed in two to three speeches. As a strong advocate for civic engage-

Without the support of a team mem- ment, Ogunlade has also worked relentlessber, Ogunlade was forced to rethink her ly to mail postcards encouraging people to debating strategy as she dove headfirst into vote in the upcoming election. Working learning the new and unfamiliar style. alongside other youth to create change is

Despite Ogunlade’s perseverance, most inspiring, in her eyes. there were plenty of debate matches that “I feel like my generation is going to be ended in a loss. Her losses further drove her a game changer,” Ogunlade says. “We are desire to succeed, and she was determined all much more enlightened and more peoto learn something new from every defeat. ple are going to school.”

“When you lose, the coach focuses As well as being an advocate for voters, more on you,” Ogunlade says. “They show Ogunlade is a member of Paly’s Black Stuyou what to do differently.” dent Union, and she uses her poetry as both

This philosophy is something the Paly a creative outlet and a platform to speak Speech and Debate team emphasizes. about the injustices the Black community

“Losing forces you to examine how faces in America. Ogunlade wrote a poem

you can be better,” Sav“ addressing the Black age says. “That’s the part where you get not only People should get the Lives Movement to highlight racial inintellectual growth but respect they deserve, justice that exists in personal growth.” Ogunlade signs up not the respect society her community. After gradufor every practice de- thinks they deserve.” ating from high bate she can, working to school, Ogunlade hone her skills. — WUMI OGUNLADE, senior plans to continue

“I definitely want advocating for social to be a great debater, but change; her dream is you have to start from somewhere,” Ogun- to return to Nigeria after college to educate lade says. “ I definitely won’t stop, because even more people about women’s equality debate is something that helped me a lot in and the importance of speaking and particmy public speaking, in my confidence — ipating in government. everything.” “I know that in the future I want to start my own non-profit [in Nigeria],” Making a change Ogunlade says. “The government needs to

After moving to Palo Alto, Ogunlade do a lot more in Nigeria — they don’t inalso became an active member of multiple volve themselves at all with the people.” community activist groups. Whether it’s through debate or her

Gaining confidence through speech activism, Ogunlade strives to be the best and debate, she felt the urge to speak up she can be, no matter the obstacles that are about social issues she’d witnessed while thrown her way.. growing up in Nigeria. Though her journey to find her voice

“If my mom gives people money, in- took years, she now uses it to fight for the stead of saying ‘Thank you, madam,’ they many injustices she notices in her commugo to my dad and say ‘Thank you, sir’ in- nities. stead,” Ogunlade says. “They believe that “People should get the respect they whatever money she got is from the men. deserve, not the respect that society thinks They just don’t see women high up.” they deserve,” Ogunlade says. “All people

These injustices motivated Ogunlade are equal.” v