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stating a preference (“chocolate is better than vanilla”). There is no way to prove a claim
like that using hard evidence. In addition, you should avoid a claim that just states a fact
that is easily proved or disproved (“smoking causes cancer”). If it’s a fact proven by
numerous studies, it’s not debatable. Mckesson’s claim might seem undeniable writing workshop
because it has the force of history and justice behind it, but a reasonable person might
argue that there are different, more direct ways to address the impacts of white
supremacy.
Your claim should answer the question you have been exploring and state your main
reasons for believing what you do, or include a call for an action that ought to be taken
(or both). Be sure that your claim takes a stance on an issue that is important to you.
Avoid including the phrases “I think,” “I believe,” or “in my opinion.” The purpose of an
argument is to say what you think or believe, so these phrases are redundant.

Making a Claim activity
Consider the question you have been using throughout this workshop, and write a claim
or thesis that stakes out your own position on the question. Share your claim with a
partner, and be sure that it meets all of the expectations of a strong claim.

Developing Personal Experience as Evidence
In Step 1, when you were gathering information about your question, it was for the
purpose of identifying personal connections to the topic and learning as much as
possible about it before coming to an informed position in the form of your claim. Now it
is time to begin making your case — by turning the information you gained into evidence
that you can use to support your claim. A good argument includes a wide range and
variety of evidence; this workshop focuses specifically on how you can use personal
experience as evidence in your argument. Throughout “The Bully and the Pulpit,”
DeRay Mckesson talks about his experiences with the bully on his block when he was a
child. For example, look back at the beginning of his essay:
When I was nine years old, my babysitter put water on a grease fire and our house burned
to the ground. My father, sister, and I moved to Grandma’s house then, to a different part
of town-leaving our small but separate bedrooms to now share a bed in her living room-
about fifteen minutes away. And my sister and I started going to a new school. The thing
that I remember most vividly from that year is the walk home from school. I remember
the sweaty palms, the dry mouth, the bravado, the focus, the running. I remember Uncle
Barry sometimes meeting us at the top of the hill.
And I remember the fear.

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