2019 Forensics Showcase!

On April 10, 2019, the Berry College Forensics Union presented their showcase of State and National award-winning performances, including prose, poetry, and public address speeches. The night wrapped up another fantastic week for the BCFU. On the heels of the AFA National Tournament and Symposium Day, Sara Arms, Nadia Clinkscales, Madison Capeling, Kathleen Minor, Ben Allee, and Avery James presented their last performances of the season, some their last performances in Forensics. With 80 in attendance, the night was one charged with excitement, laughter, and tears.

Sara Arms opened the session with a beautiful piece on a woman's struggle with infertility as she navigates relationships and young adulthood, a time so often defined by the creation of life. The performance was her last on the Forensics team and we were holding back more than a few tears.

Nadia Clinkscales made us laugh and cry with her dramatic interpretation, following one young woman’s grief and anger when her older brother is disowned by their family and forced to leave their home due to his sexual orientation.

Madison Capeling enthralled us with her poetry program examining the destructive nature of rape culture and the often misunderstood fact that rape doesn't have to be committed on concrete. Sometimes it happens in the bedroom with a person close to us.

Kathleen Minor gave her last Forensics speech with her Rhetorical Criticism on Childish Gambino's This Is America video, and the implications of his using minstrel tradition to subvert white audiences nearly 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.

Ben Allee wowed the audience with his impromptu skills. An audience member chose a quote from a box and Ben had 2 minutes to write a speech from it, then five minutes to perform. There was a collective gasp when he finished right on the dot.

Avery James closed the session and her Forensics career with a bang with her Program Oral Interpretation, addressing the social, emotional, and economic consequences of protesting as a person of color. We laughed a lot, but we also cried.