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: “ Gjimnazi, nje terren ushtrimor"

Filmed:
1,409,864 views

Poet i ri, edukues dhe aktivist Malcom London reciton poezine e tij rreth jetes ne rreshtat e pare te gjimnazit. Ai flet per ate "det adoleshentesh" te cilet vine ne shkolle, por qe kurre "nuk mesojne te notojne" ose, per “maskulinitet i imituar nga djem te rritur pa baballare". E bukur, lirike, dritheruese.
- 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.

00:13
At 7:45 a.m., I open the doors to a building
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Ne oren 7:45 te mengjesit une hap dyert e nje ndertese
00:19
dedicated to building, yet only breaks me down.
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qe i dedikohet ndertesave dhe qe me lodh.
00:24
I march down hallways cleaned up after me every day
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Eci neper koridore te cilat pastrohen c'do dite
00:28
by regular janitors,
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nga pastruesit,
00:31
but I never have the decency to honor their names.
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te cileve une nuk kam patur miresjelljen t'ja kujtoj emrat.
00:36
Lockers left open like teenage boys' mouths
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Sirtaret te lena hapur si gojet e djemve adoleshent
00:39
when teenage girls wear clothes that covers
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kur shohin ndonje adoleshte qe mbulon pasigurite e tyre
00:41
their insecurities but exposes everything else.
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por ekspozojne gjithcka tjeter.
00:46
Masculinity mimicked by men who grew up with no fathers,
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Maskulinitet ky i imituar nga djem qe jane rritur pa baballare,
00:50
camouflage worn by bullies who are dangerously armed
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kamuflazh i "te forteve" qe jane te armatosur gjer ne dhembe
00:54
but need hugs.
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por qe ne thellesi te tyre kane nevoje per perqafime.
00:55
Teachers paid less than what it costs them to be here.
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Mesues, te cilet paguhen me pak nga ci kushton te qenurit ketu.
00:58
Oceans of adolescents come here to receive lessons
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Nje det adoleshentesh vjen ketu per te marre mesime
01:02
but never learn to swim,
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por qe kurre nuk u mesohet te notojne,
01:04
part like the Red Sea when the bell rings.
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pothuajse si Deti i Kuq ne renien e ziles.
01:07
This is a training ground.
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Ky eshte nje terren trajnues (ushtrimor).
01:09
My high school is Chicago,
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Gjimnazi im eshte Chicago,
01:12
diverse and segregated on purpose.
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I larmishem dhe i segreguar qellimisht.
01:15
Social lines are barbed wire.
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Ndarjet sociale jane telat me gjema.
01:18
Labels like "Regulars" and "Honors" resonate.
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Etiketime si "Zakonshem" dhe "Nder" rezonojne.
01:24
I am an Honors but go home with Regular students
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Une jam nxenes nderi, por shkoj ne shtepi se bashku me nxenesit e zakonshem
01:28
who are soldiers in territory that owns them.
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te cilet jane ushtar ne territorin qe i ka te tyret.
01:31
This is a training ground to sort out the Regulars
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Ky eshte nje terren ushtrimor per te ndare te zakonshmit
01:35
from the Honors, a reoccurring cycle
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nga ato te nderit, nje cikel i vazhdueshem
01:37
built to recycle the trash of this system.
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krijuar per te recikluar mbetjet e sistemit.
01:41
Trained at a young age to capitalize,
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Te mesuar qe ne vegjeli te perdorim germat e medha te shtypit
01:44
letters taught now that capitalism raises you
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na ka mesuar qe kapitalizmi te larteson,
01:47
but you have to step on someone else to get there.
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por qe te arrish atje lart, duhet te shkelesh ne njerez te tjere me pare.
01:50
This is a training ground where one group
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Ky eshte nje terren ushtrimor ku nje grup
01:53
is taught to lead and the other is made to follow.
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mesohet te udheheqe dhe nje tjeter te ndjeke.
01:56
No wonder so many of my people spit bars,
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Nuk eshte cudi qe kaq shum prej njerezve te mi kendojne rrep,
01:59
because the truth is hard to swallow.
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sepse e verteta eshte e veshtire per tu pranuar.
02:02
The need for degrees has left so many people frozen.
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Nevoja e diplomave ka ngrire kaq njerez.
02:06
Homework is stressful,
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Te besh detyrat e shtepise eshte stresante,
02:08
but when you go home every day and your home is work,
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por kur shkon ne shtepi cdo dite dhe shtepia jote eshte pune,
02:11
you don't want to pick up any assignments.
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nuk te behet te besh detyra.
02:13
Reading textbooks is stressful,
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Te lexuarit e librave shkollor eshte stresante,
02:14
but reading does not matter when you feel
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sepse te lexuarit nuk ka rendesi kur ti e ndjen qe historia jote
02:17
your story is already written,
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eshte e shkruar tashme,
02:19
either dead or getting booked.
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ose i vdekur ose prapa hekurash.
02:21
Taking tests is stressful,
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Te besh provime eshte stresante,
02:24
but bubbling in a Scantron does not stop
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por te kopjuarit gjate nje provimi nuk e ndal
02:26
bullets from bursting.
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bresherine e plumbave.
02:28
I hear education systems are failing,
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Degjoj lart e poshte qe sistemet e edukimit po deshtojne,
02:33
but I believe they're succeeding at what they're built to do --
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por une mendoj se ato po ja dalin qellimit per te cilin jane krijuar--
02:36
to train you, to keep you on track,
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per te stervitur ty, per te te mbajtur ne vijen e drejte,
02:38
to track down an American dream that has failed
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qe te con pergjate endrres se deshtuar Amerikane
02:41
so many of us all.
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qe ka lene ne balte sa e sa prej nesh.
02:45
(Applause)
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(Duartrokitje)
Translated by Iris Xholi
Reviewed by Helena Bedalli

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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