LEXINGTON, Va, Nov. 19, 2025—

Virginia Military Institute’s Civil Discourse Initiative and its local college partners; Washington and Lee University, Southern Virginia University, and Mountain Gateway Community College, invites the greater Lexington, Buena Vista, and Rockbridge County community, as well as area high schools, to participate in a public square debate on the resolution: “The American Dream is Alive and Well.”

This free, public event to be held Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. in VMI’s Marshall Hall, offers a thought-provoking evening of respectful dialogue and civic engagement.

As a commemorative partner in VA250, VMI honors the nation’s founding principles of free speech, public civil debate, and civic participation.

Established by the General Assembly in 2020, VA250 commemorates the 250^th anniversary of the American Revolution, the Revolutionary War, and the Independence of the United States in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is a multi-year movement of celebration, education, and community rooted in Virginia’s revolutionary spirit.

Public square debates are a collaborative effort between the VA250 commission, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the Virginia Department of Education, the College Debates and Discourse Alliance, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, and Braver Angels. The Commission’s Education Steering Committee is planning programs for K-12 and college students over the coming year to make history come alive, spark a civics renaissance, and celebrate democracy.>

Since 2021, VMI has hosted college-wide and classroom debates using the Braver Angels format, a non-competitive, non-performative community conversation. The debates are led by a trained chairperson, following a light parliamentary style. The debate rules ensure conversations stay constructive and allow many viewpoints to be heard and examined. Unlike traditional Braver Angels debates, public square events bring together four key groups: high school students; two-year college students; four-year college students; and local community members in one forum. Each two-hour debate explores enduring themes of creating a more perfect union where everyone can exercise their inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Select students who participate will be invited to a culminating statewide debate at the State Capitol next October.

VMI’s Civil Discourse Initiative is a partnership between the Center for Leadership and Ethics (CLE) and the cadet Building BRIDGES program, funded by the Jackson-Hope grant.

Advance registration is required. For more details, contact Lt. Col. Kim Connolly, assistant director for Programs and Conferences at the CLE, by email at connollykv@vmi.edu.

To learn more about other Rockbridge-VA250 events, visit their website.

- VMI -