91B0FBB4-04A9-D5D7-16F0F3976AA697ED
C9A22247-E776-B892-2D807E7555171534
A Hamilton alumna who helped bring the Debate Society back to Hamilton in the late '90s has found a unique way to acknowledge its influence in her life. Sara Weinstein '02 and The Weinstein Company are underwriting an exclusive advance showing of The Great Debaters, a new film starring Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker, for friends of Hamilton. The screening will take place on Monday, Dec. 10, at 6 p.m. at Tribeca Cinemas, 54 Varick St., New York, and will be followed by an after-party. All proceeds will benefit the oral communication program at Hamilton. 

Presented by The Weinstein Company, The Great Debaters is inspired by a true story chronicling the journey of Professor Melvin Tolson (Denzel Washington), a brilliant but volatile debate team coach who uses the power of words to shape a group of underdog students from a small African-American college in the Deep South into an elite debate team. In its pursuit of excellence, Tolson's team receives a groundbreaking invitation to debate Harvard University's championship team. 

Weinstein explained how the movie resonates with her experience at Hamilton. 
"Although our story is not as dramatic, for me this movie is exactly about what I learned at Hamilton, both in debate and in the classroom," she said. "In The Great Debaters, Denzel Washington's character constantly tells his students to believe in the power of words. If I learned nothing else at Hamilton," Weinstein continued, "it's that words matter and the ability to deliver them clearly, effectively, and persuasively is critical." 

As first-year students in the fall of 1998, Weinstein and her friend and classmate Joe Livingston founded the Hamilton Debate Society. Both had been members of their high school debate teams and were anxious to formally revive the tradition of debate at Hamilton. "As I learned from an earlier generation of Hamilton alums who were required to give public speeches in the Chapel, public speaking has always been central to Hamilton's curriculum," she said. "We were amazed by the support the school gave us in restarting the team from scratch," Weinstein commented. "Only at Hamilton could two students, less than a month into their freshman year, be given the encouragement and resources to do something like that." 

Weinstein said that like the debate team in the film, Hamilton's team was somewhat of an underdog in the debating world when it first started competing. "Our competitors often had full-time coaches, traveling budgets, intense practice schedules and the reputation of victory," she recalled. "In the early days, we were relentless in entering every tournament, confident that the big schools would soon see us as a force if we consistently made respectable showings," Weinstein said. "By my senior year, we regularly took home top prizes and even hosted our own tournament." 

Weinstein says her Hamilton Debate Society experience is essential to her job as director of the Office of Strategic Partnerships and Special Events with the New York City Department of Social Services. "There are plenty of smart people in the world, but unless you have the ability to articulate your thoughts and communicate them to others, your intelligence is useless," she said. "Working in government I also find it especially important to be able to quickly and critically examine proposals and ideas. Debate forced me to think quickly and not to be afraid to be critical," Weinstein explained, "whether it's an opponent standing five feet away or a co-worker in a meeting." 

Since graduation Weinstein has followed the accomplishments of the debate team at Hamilton and was inspired to offer her support. "I read in a recent Alumni Review that Hamilton hosted a debate invitational," she recalled. "Seeing what a success it was, I thought this would be the perfect time to showcase this great movie in order to help Hamilton in its efforts to teach students the power of words." 

The Great Debaters will be released by MGM on Dec. 25. The Hamilton screening is $250 per person and seats are limited. Please direct questions to the Office of Alumni Relations, toll-free: 866-729-0314 or e-mail: regional@hamilton.edu. Please make reservations by December 4.

Help us provide an accessible education, offer innovative resources and programs, and foster intellectual exploration.

Site Search