AILSA CHANG, HOST:
I was a pretty shy kid growing up, which really concerned my parents because they felt the last thing the world needed was another quiet girl. And one of the ways they decided to address my reluctance to talk was to make me sign up for the high school speech and debate team. Well, as resentful as I was at first, it ended up being a transformative experience. It boosted my confidence, made me want to connect more with others. And it helped me learn the art of effective communication. And now look. I literally talk for a living.
Well, I am indebted to high school speech and debate, and that is why I was so excited to learn about a new documentary called "Speak." It profiles five teenagers from very different parts of the country who each compete in their high school speech and debate programs, specifically in the event called original oratory, where they memorize a speech that they've written about a topic of their choosing. The movie follows some of them all the way to nationals and chronicles their obstacles, their fears, their support systems and how they manage to find their voices.
(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, "SPEAK")
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: If we don't do well here, we don't get to advocate anymore.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: I mean, we're also concerned about, like, consistency of time.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: I need you to get up there like you care. We care. We're brave enough to care.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: I'm here to win.
CHANG: Jennifer Tiexiera co-directed the film, and she joins us now, along with one of the student competitors, Mfaz Mohamed Ali. Welcome to both of you.
MFAZ MOHAMED ALI: Hi. Hello.
JENNIFER TIEXIERA: Thanks for having us.
ALI: Thank you.
CHANG: Hello. All right. So, Jen, I want to start with you because I know that you all started this project back in 2019, right? What does it mean to have this film debut now in 2026? Like, was there something about this particular political or social moment that felt right for a film about high school speech and debate?
TIEXIERA: Sure. I mean, it's been such an evolution. I think when I first learned about this world, it was brought to me by my partner, Guy Mossman, and he had sent me a speech by the reigning original oratory champion, Esther Oyetunji.
CHANG: Who's also profiled.
TIEXIERA: Yes, and she's incredible. She had won as a sophomore, and I saw her speech and was just floored. It was so eloquent. And I realized that these kids were - not only were they brilliant speakers, but the way they listened to one another and respected one another in a time of so much divisiveness, they were just - we had so much to learn for them (ph).
And now the messaging of the film has really evolved. Educators are using this word oral literacy. And it's something that I think we've taken for granted, this idea that you think on your feet, and you make your case in your own words, and you defend your case. And now with this technology moving so quickly and AI telling youth what to think instead of teaching them how to think, it's just more important than ever that we have these programs.
CHANG: Well, Mfaz, you're profiled the year that you write an oratory about how to apply the lessons of "Sesame Street" to understanding the wider world, like how to practice empathy, specifically when we watch what's happening in Gaza. Let's take a listen.
(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, "SPEAK")
ALI: "Sesame Street's" world of love and acceptance poses a stark contrast to our world today, whether we are victims, consumers or executors of this degradation.
It started with just my cookie story, which is in the film where I was, you know, shamed for bringing something from my home, something that my mother made. And that was a moment that made me want to do this speech. I was thinking of the cookie moment, and I said, how can I make this into something universal? So cultural shaming is the term that I researched and found. Lunchbox shame came from that as well. And I know it happened - it was a small moment that happened within my own culture, but it reflects so many immigrant kids' experiences, and I wanted something that was both unique and universal.
CHANG: Yeah. I mean, something that I thought a lot about while watching this movie was how the pressure to win, the pressure of competition might sometimes interfere with what I wanted to communicate, what came from the heart. How did those two things interact for you, Mfaz, when you competed in high school speech and debate? How much of it for you was about winning and doing well, and how much of it was just saying what you want to say?
ALI: Yeah. Obviously, everyone thinks about, you know, going forward in the competition. You want to advance so you can share your message with more people. And I think Noor's mom says something about it in the film. She said...
CHANG: Noor's mom's a speech and debate coach who also happens to be the parent of a competitor in this documentary.
ALI: Yes. She said, you just want to go in and share your message with people, you got to advocate to 30 more people, you got to share that with 50 more people, and as you advance in the competition, you get to share it with more people. So that's, like - that's what was important to me. It wasn't about the trophy. It was about, I want to do well so I can make it to a bigger stage, so I can share this with more people.
With mentioning Palestine, to me, I know a lot of people would say that, you know, this might make it difficult for you to win. It might make it, you know, a controversial topic. It might not help you advance. But to me, what mattered was being able to look back in 20 years, 30 years and saying that I spoke about something. And these speeches are saved in the archives. So we can go back and see speeches from the 1950s and 2000s. So that's what was important to me looking back.
CHANG: Jen, what do you want people to draw from this film, even people who had absolutely no involvement in speech and debate growing up? Like, is there something universal about this ecosystem you documented?
TIEXIERA: Absolutely. Again, I go back to what I said in the beginning. It's just I think all of us would love to see speech and debate in every single school in America and in the world, to be honest. You know, I think that the film's been a great platform for that. We've been able to set up pilot programs with the help of some foundations in places that don't have speech and debate programs. These are our future leaders, and they - the fact that they're going to be able to listen to one another, respect one another, celebrate one another, have empathy is so exciting. I learned so much from these kids, and I'm excited for the world to see them as well.
CHANG: I mean, that's how I felt when I was watching this documentary. I was like, these young people give me so much hope for the future. Did you have that similar experience, Jen, like...
TIEXIERA: The entire time.
ALI: Mfaz, how does - how much pressure is that, like, this expectation of us older people weighing heavily on your shoulders (laughter)? How are you dealing with that?
(LAUGHTER)
ALI: It's true. I mean...
CHANG: Don't let us down, Mfaz (laughter).
ALI: I know. They're like, you guys are going to save the world. And we're like, I mean, I wish we could, but I think...
(LAUGHTER)
ALI: ...We want adults to kind of look at how we're kids that are able to, you know, speak to each other and listen to each other, and we're able to respond to each other with respect 'cause we see a lot of adults on national television not being able to respond to each other respectfully and not being able to listen to each other. So it's skills that you can be young and still learn.
CHANG: What is the most valuable thing you think you learn from high school speech and debate?
ALI: Oh, I mean, I don't know if I can pinpoint it to one thing. I learned so many things about speaking and listening and friendship and being there for your teammates. But I think the biggest skill is, honestly, being a good listener. Half the round is us sitting there and listening to each other and learning how to, you know, disagree with people and, yeah, willing to speak up and hear people that we disagree with.
CHANG: Ah, I totally agree with you. Mfaz Mohamed Ali was one of the five high school students profiled in the documentary "Speak," which was co-directed by Jennifer Tiexiera. The film is streaming now.
Thank you both so much for taking the time to speak with me. This was wonderful.
TIEXIERA: Oh, thank you, Ailsa.
ALI: Oh, thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF DAN ROMER & OSEI ESSED'S "LET'S DO THIS DAMN THING") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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