Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America

Clara is a young girl whose family recently moved to the United States from Trinidad. She is at a club with her cousins, dancing with a guy she has just met. When she jumps into the air during her dance, he sexually assaults her, grabbing her crotch. For Clara, time slows as she is mid-jump and she realizes that the boy has grabbed her.

While in the air, Clara thinks about her home life. Given their recent arrival in the United States, Clara’s family lives with her aunt and uncle. She thinks about family and their secrets, and how nothing ever truly stays a secret.

She contemplates what to do about the boy assaulting her, thinking that, if she makes a scene, it will turn into gossip and will likely be turned on her, as if her dancing or asking the boy to dance was the cause of her assault. She thinks of how stopping him might cause him to get angry or even violent.

She thinks back to her friend in Trinidad, Myesha, who had bragged about wanting to kiss Devon after school. When they go underneath the stairs, she emerges with torn clothing and bruises. Eventually, word gets out that it was Devon, but Myesha receives the brunt of the gossip and hate, with people calling her “fast” and saying she invited it on herself.