ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Clint Smith - Poet, educator
Clint Smith's work blends art and activism.

Why you should listen

Clint Smith is a writer, teacher and doctoral candidate at Harvard University studying education, incarceration and inequality. Previously, he taught high school English in Prince George’s County, Maryland where, in 2013, he was named the Christine D. Sarbanes Teacher of the Year by the Maryland Humanities Council.

Clint is a 2014 National Poetry Slam champion, an Individual World Poetry Slam Finalist, and author of the poetry collection Counting Descent. He has received fellowships from the National Science Foundation, Cave Canem and the Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Guardian, Boston Review, American Poetry Review, Harvard Educational Review and elsewhere. He was born and raised in New Orleans, LA.

More profile about the speaker
Clint Smith | Speaker | TED.com
TED2015

Clint Smith: How to raise a black son in America

Klint Smit (Clint Smith): Kako odgajati crnog sina u Americi

Filmed:
2,208,793 views

Kao deca, svi dobijamo savete od roditelja i učitelja koji deluju čudno, pa čak i zbunjujuće. Ovo je shvatio jedne noći mladi Klint Smit, koji se igrao vodenim pištoljima na mračnom parkingu sa svojim belim drugarima. U dirljivom govoru, pesnik oživljava scenu preplašene i razbesnele reakcije svog oca.
- Poet, educator
Clint Smith's work blends art and activism. Full bio

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

00:12
GrowingRaste up, I didn't always understandРазумем
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Tokom odrastanja nisam uvek shvatao
00:15
why my parentsродитељи madeмаде me
followпратити the rulesправила that they did.
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zašto su me roditelji terali
da poštujem njihova pravila.
00:17
Like, why did I really
have to mowМов the lawntravnjak?
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Recimo, zašto sam baš morao
da kosim travnjak?
00:20
Why was homeworkдомаћи задатак really that importantважно?
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Zašto je domaći zadatak bio toliko važan?
00:23
Why couldn'tније могао I put jellyжеле beanspasulj
in my oatmealovsene pahuljice?
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Zašto nisam mogao da stavim
gumene bombone u svoju ovsenu kašu?
00:27
My childhoodдетињство was aboundobilje
with questionsпитања like this.
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Detinjstvo mi je obilovalo
takvim pitanjima.
00:30
NormalNormalno things about beingбиће a kidклинац
and realizingреализинг that sometimesпонекад,
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To je normalno kada ste dete
i shvatio sam da je ponekad najbolje
00:34
it was bestнајбоље to listen to my parentsродитељи
even when I didn't exactlyбаш тако understandРазумем why.
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da slušam roditelje, čak i kad
ne razumem baš zašto.
00:38
And it's not that they didn't want
me to think criticallyкритички.
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Ali nije da nisu želeli
da razmišljam kritički.
00:41
TheirNjihova parentingroditeljstvo always soughtтражи
to reconcileпомирити the tensionнапетост
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Njihovo roditeljstvo je uvek težilo
smanjenju tenzije
00:44
betweenизмеђу havingимати my siblingsbrat i sestra and I
understandРазумем the realitiesреалности of the worldсвет,
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u shvatanju realnosti sveta
između mene i moje braće,
00:47
while ensuringosiguravanje that we never acceptedприхваћено
the statusстатус quokvo as inevitableнеизбежан.
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trudeći se da nikada ne prihvatimo
status kvo kao neizbežan.
00:51
I cameДошао to realizeсхватите that this,
in and of itselfсам,
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Shvatio sam da je ovo, samo po sebi,
00:54
was a very purposefulnamerno formобразац of educationобразовање.
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bio veoma svrishodan oblik obrazovanja.
00:58
One of my favoriteомиљени educatorsedukatori,
BrazilianBrazilski authorаутор and scholarstipendista PauloPaulo FreireFreire,
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Jedan od mojih omiljenih edukatora,
brazilski autor i akademik, Paulo Freire,
01:02
speaksговори quiteприлично explicitlyексплицитно
about the need for educationобразовање
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govori prilično direktno
o potrebi za obrazovanjem
01:05
to be used as a toolоруђе for criticalкритичан
awakeningbuđenje and sharedдељени humanityчовечанство.
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kao alatom za kritičko osvešćenje
i humanost.
01:09
In his mostнајвише famousпознат bookкњига,
"PedagogyPedagogija of the OppressedUgnjetavan,"
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U svojoj najpoznatijoj knjizi
"Pedagogija potlačenih"
01:12
he statesдржаве, "No one can be
authenticallyautentično humanљудско
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ističe: "Niko ne može
da bude autentično biće
01:17
while he preventssprečava othersдруги from beingбиће so."
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dok sprečava druge da to budu."
01:20
I've been thinkingразмишљање a lot about this
latelyу последње време, this ideaидеја of humanityчовечанство,
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U poslednje vreme sam dosta razmišljao
o ideji humanosti,
01:23
and specificallyпосебно, who in this worldсвет
is affordedдају the privilegeпривилегија
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naročito o tome, kome se na ovom svetu
pruža privilegija
01:27
of beingбиће perceivedsmatra as fullyпотпуно humanљудско.
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da se smatra potpuno humanim.
01:30
Over the courseкурс of
the pastпрошлост severalнеколико monthsмесеци,
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Tokom poslednjih nekoliko meseci,
01:32
the worldсвет has watchedгледао
as unarmednenaoružani blackцрн menмушкарци, and womenЖене,
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svet je posmatrao kako životi nenaoružanih
crnih muškaraca i žena,
01:35
have had theirњихова livesживи takenузети
at the handsруке of policeполиција and vigilanteOsvetnik.
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bivaju stavljani u ruke policije
i odbora za građansku samozaštitu.
01:39
These eventsдогађаји and all that
has transpiredse desilo after them
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Ovi događaji i sve
što se posle toga odvijalo,
01:42
have broughtдоведен me back to my ownвластити childhoodдетињство
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vratili su me u moje detinjstvo
01:44
and the decisionsОдлуке that my parentsродитељи madeмаде
about raisingподизање a blackцрн boyдечко in AmericaAmerika
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i odluke mojih roditelja
vezane za odgajanje crnog dečaka u Americi
01:49
that growingрастуће up, I didn't always
understandРазумем in the way that I do now.
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nisam uvek razumeo onako
kako sada razumem.
01:53
I think of how hardтешко it mustмора have been,
how profoundlyдубоко unfairNije fer it mustмора have feltосетио
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Razmišljam koliko im je bio težak
i duboko nepravičan osećaj
01:58
for them to feel like they had
to stripтрака away partsделови of my childhoodдетињство
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što su su morali
da skrate delove mog detinjstva,
02:02
just so that I could come home at night.
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samo da bih se mogao vratiti uveče kući.
02:05
For exampleпример, I think of how one night,
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Na primer, sećam se kad sam jedne noći
02:07
when I was around 12 yearsгодине oldстари, on an
overnightпреко ноћи fieldпоље tripпутовање to anotherдруги cityград,
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kada sam imao oko 12 godina,
na jednoj jednodnevnoj ekskurziji
02:11
my friendsпријатељи and I boughtкупио SuperSuper SoakersSoakers
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moji drugari i ja smo poneli
pištolje na vodu
02:13
and turnedокренуо се the hotelХотел parkingпаркинг lot
into our ownвластити water-filledvodom napunjen battleбитка zoneзоне.
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i pretvorili parking hotela u naše lično
vodeno bojno polje.
02:18
We hidсакрио се behindиза carsаутомобили,
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Krili smo se iza automobila,
02:19
runningтрчање throughкроз the darknessтама that
layЛези betweenизмеђу the streetlightsUliиna svetla,
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trčeći kroz mrak koji se pruža
između uličnih svetala,
02:22
boundlessbezgranično laughterсмех ubiquitousсвеприсутан
acrossпреко the pavementpločniku.
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uz bezgranični, sveprisutni smeh
širom trotoara.
02:26
But withinу склопу 10 minutesминута,
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Ali za 10 minuta
02:28
my fatherотац cameДошао outsideспоља,
grabbedзграбио me by my forearmподлактица
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moj otac je izašao,
uhvatio me za podlakticu
02:31
and led me into our roomсоба
with an unfamiliarNepoznata gripдршка.
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i odveo me u sobu
sa neprepoznatljivim stiskom.
02:34
Before I could say anything,
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Pre nego što sam
išta uspeo da kažem,
02:36
tell him how foolishglupo he had
madeмаде me look in frontфронт of my friendsпријатељи,
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i da kažem koliko me je obrukao
pred drugarima,
02:39
he deridedUhvatite me for beingбиће so naiveнаивни.
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prekoreo me je što sam bio
toliko naivan.
02:42
LookedPogledao me in the eyeоко,
fearбојати се consumingtroše his faceлице,
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Pogledao me je u oči,
sa licem punim straha,
02:47
and said, "SonSin, I'm sorry,
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i rekao: "Sine, izvini,
02:49
but you can't actчинити the sameисти
as your whiteбео friendsпријатељи.
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ali ne možeš da se ponašaš
isto kao tvoji beli drugari.
02:52
You can't pretendпретварати се to shootпуцај gunsоружје.
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Ne možeš da se praviš da pucaš.
02:55
You can't runтрцати around in the darkтамно.
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Ne možeš trčkaraš okolo po mraku.
02:57
You can't hideсакрити behindиза anything
other than your ownвластити teethзуби."
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Ne možeš da se kriješ iza bilo čega
sem sopstvenih zuba."
03:00
I know now how scaredуплашен he mustмора have been,
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Znam koliko je bio uplašen,
03:03
how easilyлако I could have fallenпао
into the emptyпразно of the night,
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kako lako sam mogao
da padnem u prazninu noći,
03:07
that some man would mistakeгрешка this waterвода
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neko bi mogao pogrešno da shvati
ovu vodu
03:09
for a good reasonразлог to washпрање
all of this away.
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kao dobar razlog da ovako nešto spreči.
03:13
These are the sortsсортс of messagesпоруке I've been
inundatedпреплављен with my entireцео life:
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Ovo su bile neke poruke kojima sam
bio preplavljen čitavog života.
03:16
Always keep your handsруке where they
can see them, don't moveпотез too quicklyбрзо,
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Uvek drži ruke tako da ih vide,
ne pomeraj se previše brzo,
03:20
take off your hoodHud when the sunсунце goesиде down.
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skini kapuljaču kada sunce zađe.
03:22
My parentsродитељи raisedОдгојен me and my siblingsbrat i sestra
in an armorоклоп of adviceсавет,
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Roditelji su odgajali mene
i moju braću naoružavši nas savetima,
03:25
an oceanокеан of alarmалармни bellszvona so someoneнеко
wouldn'tне би stealукради the breathдах from our lungspluća,
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morem znakova za uzbunu da ne bi neko
isterao vazduh iz naših pluća,
03:28
so that they wouldn'tне би make
a memoryмеморија of this skinкожа.
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pa da nam koža ostane samo za uspomenu.
03:31
So that we could be kidsклинци,
not casketsanduk or concreteбетон.
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Mogli smo da budemo deca,
ali ne i kovčeg ili beton.
03:33
And it's not because they thought it
would make us better than anyoneбило ко elseдруго
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Time nisu mislili da ćemo postati
bolji od drugih,
03:37
it's simplyједноставно because they wanted
to keep us aliveжив.
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to su činili da bi nam sačuvali živote.
03:39
All of my blackцрн friendsпријатељи were raisedОдгојен
with the sameисти messageпорука,
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Svi moji crni prijatelji su bili
odgajani uz istu poruku,
uz govor koji nam je održan
kada smo bili dovoljno odrasli
03:42
the talk, givenдато to us
when we becameпостао oldстари enoughдовољно
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03:44
to be mistakenпогрешно for a nailноктију readyспреман
to be hammeredpijane to the groundземља,
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da nas smatraju ekserom spremnim
sahranjivanje sa zemljom,
03:47
when people madeмаде our melaninMelanina
synonymousсиноним with something to be fearedбојао.
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kada su ljudi učinili naš melanin
sinonimnim za nešto čega se plašimo.
03:52
But what does it do to a childдете
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Ali šta to znači detetu
03:54
to growрасту up knowingзнајући that you
cannotне може simplyједноставно be a childдете?
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da odrasta znajući da ne možete
jednostavno biti dete?
03:58
That the whimshirova of adolescenceadolescencija
are too dangerousопасно for your breathдах,
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Da su ćudi vaše adolescencije previše
opasne za vaš dah,
04:01
that you cannotне може simplyједноставно be curiousрадознао,
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da ne možete biti samo radoznali,
04:02
that you are not affordedдају the luxuryлуксуз
of makingстварање a mistakeгрешка,
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da nemate luksuz pravljenja greške,
04:05
that someone'sНеко је implicitimplicitna biasсклоност
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da nečija izričita greška
04:07
mightМожда be the reasonразлог you don't
wakeпробудити up in the morningјутро.
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može biti razlog zbog kojeg se
ne budite ujutru.
04:10
But this cannotне може be what definesдефинише us.
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Ali nas ovo ne definiše.
04:11
Because we have parentsродитељи
who raisedОдгојен us to understandРазумем
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Jer imamo roditelje koji su
nas odgajali da shvatamo
04:14
that our bodiesтела weren'tнису meantмислио
for the backsideбацксиде of a bulletбуллет,
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da naša tela nisu za metak,
već za puštanje zmajeva,
04:17
but for flyingлети kiteszmajeve and jumpingскакање ropeконопац,
and laughingсмејати се untilсве док our stomachsstomaci burstбурст.
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preskakanje konopca
i smejanje dok nas ne zaboli stomak.
04:20
We had teachersнаставници who taughtнаучио us
how to raiseподићи our handsруке in classкласа,
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Imali smo učitelje koji su nas naučili
kako da dižemo ruke na času,
04:23
and not just to signalсигнал surrenderPredaja,
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a ne samo da objavljujemo predaju,
04:25
and that the only thing we should give up
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i da jedina svar koje treba
da se odreknemo
04:27
is the ideaидеја that we
aren'tнису worthyдостојан of this worldсвет.
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je ideja da nismo vredni ovog sveta.
04:29
So when we say that blackцрн livesживи matterматерија,
it's not because othersдруги don't,
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Kada kažemo da životi crnaca vrede,
to ne znači da drugi ne vrede.
04:33
it's simplyједноставно because we mustмора affirmpotvrdujem that we
are worthyдостојан of existingпостојећи withoutбез fearбојати се,
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Već zato što moramo da istaknemo
da smo vredni postojanja bez straha
04:36
when so manyмноги things tell us we are not.
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kada nam mnoge stvari
govore da to nismo.
04:38
I want to liveживи in a worldсвет where my sonсин
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Želim da živim u svetu gde moj sin
04:40
will not be presumedPretpostavlja se da je guiltyкрив
the momentтренутак he is bornрођен,
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neće biti smatran krivim od trenutka
kada je rođen,
04:43
where a toyиграчка in his handруку isn't mistakenпогрешно
for anything other than a toyиграчка.
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kada se igračka u njegovoj ruci ne smatra
bilo čim osim igračke.
04:47
And I refuseodbijaju to acceptприхватити that we can't
buildизградити this worldсвет into something newново,
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I odbijam da prihvatim da ne možemo
da izgradimo ovaj svet u nešto novo
04:50
some placeместо where a child'sdete je nameиме
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neko mesto gde dečje ime
04:52
doesn't have to be writtenнаписано
on a t-shirtмајица, or a tombstoneнадгробни споменик,
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ne mora da bude napisano na majici
ili nadgrobnoj ploči,
04:54
where the valueвредност of someone'sНеко је life
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gde vrednost nečijeg života
04:56
isn't determinedодређени by anything other
than the factчињеница that they had lungspluća,
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nije određena ničim drugim sem činjenice
da su imali pluća,
05:00
a placeместо where everyсваки singleједно
one of us can breatheдиши.
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mesto gde svako od nas može da diše.
05:04
Thank you.
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Hvala vam.
05:05
(ApplauseAplauz)
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(Aplauz)
Translated by Tereza Ivanovic
Reviewed by Mile Živković

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Clint Smith - Poet, educator
Clint Smith's work blends art and activism.

Why you should listen

Clint Smith is a writer, teacher and doctoral candidate at Harvard University studying education, incarceration and inequality. Previously, he taught high school English in Prince George’s County, Maryland where, in 2013, he was named the Christine D. Sarbanes Teacher of the Year by the Maryland Humanities Council.

Clint is a 2014 National Poetry Slam champion, an Individual World Poetry Slam Finalist, and author of the poetry collection Counting Descent. He has received fellowships from the National Science Foundation, Cave Canem and the Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Guardian, Boston Review, American Poetry Review, Harvard Educational Review and elsewhere. He was born and raised in New Orleans, LA.

More profile about the speaker
Clint Smith | Speaker | TED.com

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