Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America

Sobechi Onyekachi is an African American high school student who is a star on his school’s debate team. His mother moved from Nigeria to England, then to the United States to meet his father. As he competes in the regional competition, he thinks back to the work his mom has done to help him become the debater he is—constantly critiquing his posture, the way his words sound, forcing him to speak with his eyes closed, and more.

After his final speech, which wins his team the competition, he is named best speaker. His coach meets his parents in the parking lot to tell them how well their son did. Through it all, Sobechi whispers to himself, repeating his argument and searching for ways to make it better.

When Sobechi’s family gets home, a new family is moving in next door and Sobechi’s mother makes him go over to help them move in. Sobechi helps the young girl, Dez, move her band equipment. She is dressed all in black, with chains, and Sobechi is shocked that she refers to her uncle as “Al,” using his first name. Sobechi notes how beautiful she is, tall and athletic, and thinks about her all night.

The next morning, Sobechi goes next door to deliver food to Dez and her family and is surprised to see that she has just woken up. She invites him to stay and see her play music with her friend, Dominique.

Sobechi is at first shocked by the metal music that they play, and then mesmerized by it. Dez walks him through metal music and its genres, but he is particularly impressed by System of a Down. That night, he goes to sleep listening to System, feeling alive and more emotional than he ever has before.

Because System’s band members draw their inspiration from the Armenian Genocide, he decides the next morning to ask his mother about the Nigeria Civil War—the Biafran War. However, she shuts him down, upsetting Sobechi that he cannot learn about his own history.

When Sobechi returns to school for Nationals, he realizes that his voice has been damaged by so much singing with Dez, making him much less successful at debate. That night, when his mother finds metal music on his iPod, calling it “DEVIL-WORSHIPPER MUSIC,” he is forbidden from listening to it or seeing Dez anymore.

As time goes on, Sobechi’s voice returns and Coach is relieved to have him back as the team’s star. One day after practice, as he walks through the hall, he hears Dez playing in the auditorium. The two talk about the fact that she never sees him anymore, and he admits that it’s his mother’s fault. She asks him to hang out and do other things, but he declines, admitting to himself that being around Dez will only make him want to sing because he “loves” it so much.

Sobechi’s team wins Nationals, and he is the strongest in the competition. That night, he again thinks about System of a Down. This time, when he asks his mother about Biafra, she hesitates, but begins telling him of the horrors she experienced in Nigeria.

A few months later, Sobechi comes home from school and sees Dez on her porch. He goes over to talk to her, and she is initially hostile, warning him about his mother. He tells her that she is being “Americanized” and invites Dez and her uncle over for dinner. He tells her that he is working on a song and imagines them singing it on stage together. He admits to himself that what he feels for her is love.