Continuing a long standing tradition, the Brooks Quimby Debate Council welcomed a team from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia for a public debate as a part of Bates College's celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Drawing on the role of religion in the 20th century Civil Rights movement, the debate was centered on the resolution, "This house believes that religion is a necessary element of a just social change." Two Morehouse debaters, Matt Johnson and A.J. Smith opposed Brooks Quimby debaters Colin Etnire '12 and Ariela Silberstein, who argued in favor of the resolution.

Turnout at the 2010 MLK Day debate was over 150, and many members of the audience supplemented the insights of the four debaters through a incisive floor speeches and question.

The annual MLK Day debate has its roots in the relationship between Martin Luther King, Jr. and his mentor, Benjamin Mays, a Bates graduate, Brooks Quimby alumnus and former president of Morehouse College.