ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Malcolm London - Poet, performer, activist
Young spoken-word poet Malcolm London has been called the "Gil Scott-Heron of this generation" (by Cornel West). His feisty, passionate performances take on the issues of the day, including the Chicago education system in which he grew up.

Why you should listen

This poet wields a dynamic spirit for speaking engagements utilizing his feisty and passionate performances as words of encourage for next generations to tell their stories. In 2011, Malcolm London won the Louder than a Bomb youth poetry slam in his native Chicago, scooping the top award as both individual performer and with a team. The poet, performer and activist has performed on stages throughout his home city as well as across the United States. A member of the Young Adult Council of the prestigious Steppenwolf Theater, London brings vim and vigor to his energetic performances tackling tough contemporary issues head-on. He wrote & directed a spoken word0infused play responding to the Zimmerman verdict called Two Years Later, and 

London attends University of Illinois at Chicago & is a member & co-chair of BYP100 Chicago Chapter, a national organization of black activists & organizers. Deeply interested in working on ways to improve the national education system, London regularly visits high schools, youth jails, colleges and communities to work with students on writing workshops and performances. London is currently devoted to being a youth advocate & coordinator of The Know Your Rights Project out of Northwestern Law School, a project dedicated to educating young people on their rights within the juvenile justice system, & continuing his work as teaching artist on staff at Young Chicago Authors, a program working to transform the lives of young people by cultivating their voices through writing, publication and performance education. His work has been featured on national outlets including CBS, NPR, The Huffington Post, The Root, and the Chicago Tribune.

More profile about the speaker
Malcolm London | Speaker | TED.com
TED Talks Education

Malcolm London: "High School Training Ground"

Malcolm London: Gymnasium træningsbane

Filmed:
1,409,864 views

Unge digter, pædagog og aktivist Malcolm London udfører sit svimlende digt om livet på frontlinjerne af gymnasiet. Han fortæller om "oceanerne af ungdommen" der kommer i skole "men aldrig lærer at svømme," af "maskulinitet efterlignet af mænd, der voksede op uden fædre." Smuk, lyrisk, nedkøling.
- Poet, performer, activist
Young spoken-word poet Malcolm London has been called the "Gil Scott-Heron of this generation" (by Cornel West). His feisty, passionate performances take on the issues of the day, including the Chicago education system in which he grew up. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

Ved 7:45, jeg åbner dørene til en bygning
00:13
At 7:45 a.m., I openåben the doorsdøre to a buildingbygning
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dedicateddedikeret to buildingbygning, yetendnu only breakspauser me down.
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dedikeret til opbygning, men det kun bryder mig ned.
00:24
I marchmarts down hallwaysgangene cleanedgjort rent up after me everyhver day
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Jeg marcherer ned gangene ryddet op efter mig hver dag
00:28
by regularfast janitorsPortnerne,
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af almindelige viceværter,
00:31
but I never have the decencyanstændighed to honorære theirderes namesnavne.
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men jeg har aldrig den anstændighed at ære deres navne.
00:36
LockersGarderobeskabe left openåben like teenageteenage boys'Drengenes mouthsmunden
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Skabe efterladt åbne ligesom teenagedrenges munde
00:39
when teenageteenage girlspiger wearhave på clothestøj that coversdæksler
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hvor teenagepiger bærer tøj, der dækker
00:41
theirderes insecuritiesusikkerhed but exposesudsætter everything elseandet.
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deres usikkerhed, men udsætter alt andet.
00:46
MasculinityMaskulinitet mimickedefterlignede by menherrer who grewvoksede up with no fathersfædre,
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Maskulinitet efterlignet af mænd, der voksede op uden fædre,
00:50
camouflagecamouflage wornslidt by bulliesbøller who are dangerouslyfaretruende armedbevæbnet
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kamuflage båret af bøller, der er faretruende bevæbnet
00:54
but need hugsknus.
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men har brug for kram.
00:55
TeachersLærere paidbetalt lessmindre than what it costsomkostninger them to be here.
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Lærerne betalt mindre end hvad det koster dem at være her.
00:58
OceansOceaner of adolescentsunge come here to receivemodtage lessonslektioner
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Oceaner af unge kommer her for at få lektioner
01:02
but never learnlære to swimsvømme,
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men aldrig lærer at svømme,
01:04
parten del like the RedRød SeaHavet when the bellklokke ringsringe.
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skiller sig som Det Røde Hav, når klokken ringer.
01:07
This is a traininguddannelse groundjord.
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Dette er et træningsområde.
01:09
My highhøj schoolskole is ChicagoChicago,
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Mit gymnasium er Chicago,
01:12
diversealsidig and segregatedsegregeret on purposeformål.
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forskelligartede og adskilt på formålet.
01:15
SocialSociale lineslinjer are barbedpigtråd wiretråd.
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Sociale linjer er pigtråde.
01:18
LabelsEtiketter like "RegularsStamgæster" and "HonorsHædersbevisninger" resonategenlyd.
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Etiketter som "Regulære" og "Ære" giver genlyd.
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I am an HonorsHædersbevisninger but go home with RegularRegelmæssig studentsstuderende
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Jeg er en Ære men tager hjem med Regulære studenter
01:28
who are soldierssoldater in territoryterritorium that ownsejer them.
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der er soldater i det territorium, der ejer dem.
01:31
This is a traininguddannelse groundjord to sortsortere out the RegularsStamgæster
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Dette er et træningsplads for at sortere de Regulære
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from the HonorsHædersbevisninger, a reoccurringgentager sig cyclecyklus
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fra de Ære, en tilbagevendende cyklus
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builtbygget to recyclegenbruge the trashaffald of this systemsystem.
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bygget til at genanvende affaldet af dette system.
01:41
TrainedUddannet at a youngung agealder to capitalizeudnytte,
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Uddannet i en ung alder for at kapitalisere,
01:44
lettersbreve taughtundervist now that capitalismkapitalisme raisesraises you
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bogstaver underviser nu at kapitalismen rejser dig
01:47
but you have to steptrin on someonenogen elseandet to get there.
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men du er nødt til at træde på nogen anden for at komme dertil.
01:50
This is a traininguddannelse groundjord where one groupgruppe
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Dette er en træningsplads, hvor den ene gruppe
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is taughtundervist to leadat føre and the other is madelavet to followfølge efter.
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lærer at lede, og den anden er lavet til at følge.
01:56
No wonderspekulerer so manymange of my people spitspytte barsbarer,
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Det er ikke underligt, at så mange af mine folk spytter eder,
01:59
because the truthsandhed is hardhårdt to swallowsluge.
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fordi sandheden er svært at sluge.
02:02
The need for degreesgrader has left so manymange people frozenFrosset.
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Behovet for grader har efterladt så mange mennesker frosne.
02:06
HomeworkHjemmearbejde is stressfulstressende,
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Lektierne er stressende
02:08
but when you go home everyhver day and your home is work,
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men når du tager hjem hver dag og dit hjem er arbejde,
02:11
you don't want to pickplukke up any assignmentstildelinger.
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ønsker du ikke at finde opgaverne frem.
02:13
ReadingLæsning textbookslærebøger is stressfulstressende,
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At læse lærebøger er stressende,
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but readinglæsning does not matterstof when you feel
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men at læse gør ikke noget når du føler,
02:17
your storyhistorie is alreadyallerede writtenskriftlig,
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at din historie er allerede skrevet,
02:19
eitherenten deaddød or getting bookedreservationer.
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enten død eller får reserveret.
02:21
TakingAt tage teststest is stressfulstressende,
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At tage tests er stressende,
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but bubblingsprudlende in a ScantronScantron does not stop
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men at boble i en Scantron ikke forhindrer
02:26
bulletskugler from burstingsprængfyldt.
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kugler i at briste.
02:28
I hearhøre educationuddannelse systemssystemer are failingsvigtende,
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Jeg hører at uddannelsessystemerne svigter,
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but I believe they're succeedingefterfølgende at what they're builtbygget to do --
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men jeg tror, at de lykkes på hvad der er bygget til at gøre --
02:36
to traintog you, to keep you on trackspore,
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at træne dig, at holde dig på sporet,
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to trackspore down an AmericanAmerikansk dreamdrøm that has failedmislykkedes
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at opspore en amerikansk drøm, der har svigtet
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so manymange of us all.
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så mange af os alle.
02:45
(ApplauseBifald)
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(Bifald)
Translated by Bálint Ármai
Reviewed by Anders Finn Jørgensen

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Malcolm London - Poet, performer, activist
Young spoken-word poet Malcolm London has been called the "Gil Scott-Heron of this generation" (by Cornel West). His feisty, passionate performances take on the issues of the day, including the Chicago education system in which he grew up.

Why you should listen

This poet wields a dynamic spirit for speaking engagements utilizing his feisty and passionate performances as words of encourage for next generations to tell their stories. In 2011, Malcolm London won the Louder than a Bomb youth poetry slam in his native Chicago, scooping the top award as both individual performer and with a team. The poet, performer and activist has performed on stages throughout his home city as well as across the United States. A member of the Young Adult Council of the prestigious Steppenwolf Theater, London brings vim and vigor to his energetic performances tackling tough contemporary issues head-on. He wrote & directed a spoken word0infused play responding to the Zimmerman verdict called Two Years Later, and 

London attends University of Illinois at Chicago & is a member & co-chair of BYP100 Chicago Chapter, a national organization of black activists & organizers. Deeply interested in working on ways to improve the national education system, London regularly visits high schools, youth jails, colleges and communities to work with students on writing workshops and performances. London is currently devoted to being a youth advocate & coordinator of The Know Your Rights Project out of Northwestern Law School, a project dedicated to educating young people on their rights within the juvenile justice system, & continuing his work as teaching artist on staff at Young Chicago Authors, a program working to transform the lives of young people by cultivating their voices through writing, publication and performance education. His work has been featured on national outlets including CBS, NPR, The Huffington Post, The Root, and the Chicago Tribune.

More profile about the speaker
Malcolm London | Speaker | TED.com