‘Caroline Randall Williams’

a row of students standing together on a paved terrace and smiling at the camera with tree-covered mountains in the background

Vanderbilt Debate overcomes COVID-19 challenges to break new ground in civic engagement

Jan. 22, 2021—One year ago, Sahil “Sael” Soni ’21, a chemistry and economics double major, had just returned from a blue-ribbon performance in Vanderbilt Debate’s first-ever international competition. He was looking forward to finishing the 2019-2020 season on a high note, as were his teammates. For the last 30 years, Vanderbilt Debate has been a national leader,...

Rosevelt Noble giving a presentation to students in a commons room

Resources for Engaging With the Spirit of Juneteenth

Jun. 19, 2020—On June 19, 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger declared to the state of Texas—the Confederacy’s western frontier—that “all slaves are free.” June 19, shortened to “Juneteenth,” quickly became an annual day of celebration for Texas’s black community. By the 1920s, it had spread around the country, and in 1979, the tradition came full-circle as...