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: 'Terreny de formació a l'institut'

Filmed:
1,409,864 views

El jove poeta, educador i activista Malcom London recita el seu emotiu poema sobre la vida a primera línia de batalla a l'institut. Parla dels "mars d'adolescents" que van a classe "però mai no aprenen a nedar", de la "masculinitat imitada per homes que van créixer sense pare". Preciós, líric, esborronador.
- 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 openobert the doorsportes to a buildingedifici
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A les 7:45 am, vaig obrir les portes d'un edifici
00:19
dedicateddedicat to buildingedifici, yetencara only breakstrencaments me down.
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dedicat a edificar, però que només m'ensorra.
00:24
I marchmarxa down hallwayspassadissos cleanednetejat up after me everycada day
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Desfilo per passadissos netejats per conserges
00:28
by regularregular janitorsjanitors,
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després que jo hi passi,
00:31
but I never have the decencydecència to honorhonor theirels seus namesnoms.
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però a qui mai no tinc la decència d'honrar.
00:36
LockersGuixetes left openobert like teenageadolescent boys'nens mouthsboques
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Armariets oberts com boques de nois adolescents
00:39
when teenageadolescent girlsnoies weardesgast clothesroba that coverscobertes
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quan les noies porten roba que els cobreix
00:41
theirels seus insecuritiesinseguretats but exposesexposa everything elsealtra cosa.
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la inseguretat, però que exposa tota la resta.
00:46
MasculinityMasculinitat mimickedimitat by menhomes who grewva créixer up with no fatherspares,
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Masculinitat imitada per homes
que van créixer sense pare,
00:50
camouflagecamuflatge wornusats by bulliesagressors who are dangerouslyperillosament armedarmat
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camuflatge dels abusadors armats perillosament,
00:54
but need hugsabraçades.
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però que necessiten abraçades.
00:55
TeachersProfessors paidpagat lessmenys than what it costscostos them to be here.
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Professors pagats menys del que els costa ser-hi.
00:58
OceansOceans of adolescentsadolescència come here to receiverebre lessonslliçons
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Mars d'adolescents vénen a rebre classes,
01:02
but never learnaprendre to swimnedar,
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però mai no aprenen a nedar,
01:04
partpart like the RedVermell SeaMar when the belltimbre ringsanells.
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se separen com la mar Roja quan sona la campana.
01:07
This is a trainingentrenament groundterra.
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Aquest el terreny de formació.
01:09
My highalt schoolescola is ChicagoChicago,
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La meva escola és Chicago,
01:12
diversedivers and segregatedsegregat on purposepropòsit.
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diversa i segregada a propòsit.
01:15
SocialSocial lineslínies are barbedpues wirefilferro.
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Les divisions socials fetes amb filferro espinós.
01:18
LabelsEtiquetes like "RegularsHabituals" and "HonorsDistincions" resonateressò.
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Etiquetes com "estàndard" i "matrícula" ressonen.
01:24
I am an HonorsDistincions but go home with RegularRegular studentsestudiants
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Jo trec matrícules, però vaig
amb estudiants estàndard,
01:28
who are soldierssoldats in territoryterritori that ownsés propietari them.
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soldats en un territori que els posseeix.
01:31
This is a trainingentrenament groundterra to sortordenar out the RegularsHabituals
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És un terreny de formació
per separar els estàndard
01:35
from the HonorsDistincions, a reoccurringrecurrent cyclecicle
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dels de matrícula, un cercle viciós
01:37
builtconstruït to recyclereciclar the trashescombraries of this systemsistema.
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per reciclar les deixalles del sistema.
01:41
TrainedEntrenat at a youngjove ageedat to capitalizeposa en majúscules,
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Formats des de joves per capitalitzar,
01:44
letterscartes taughtensenyat now that capitalismcapitalisme raisesaixeca you
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les lletres t'ensenyen que el capitalisme t'educa,
01:47
but you have to steppas on someonealgú elsealtra cosa to get there.
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però que has de trepitjar algú per arribar-hi.
01:50
This is a trainingentrenament groundterra where one groupgrup
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És un terreny de formació on s'ensenya
01:53
is taughtensenyat to leaddirigir and the other is madefet to followseguir.
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un grup a dirigir i a l'altre se'l fa seguir.
01:56
No wondermeravella so manymolts of my people spitescopir barsbars,
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No em sorprèn que tanta gent rapegi
01:59
because the truthveritat is harddur to swallowempassar.
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perquè la veritat costa d'empassar.
02:02
The need for degreesgraus has left so manymolts people frozencongelat.
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La necessitat d'una graduació
en deixa molts glaçats.
02:06
HomeworkDeures is stressfulestressant,
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Els deures estressen
02:08
but when you go home everycada day and your home is work,
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i quan vas a casa cada dia i casa teva és feina,
02:11
you don't want to pickcollir up any assignmentsassignacions.
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no vols posar-te a treballar.
02:13
ReadingLectura textbooksllibres de text is stressfulestressant,
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Els llibres de text estressen
02:14
but readinglectura does not mattermatèria when you feel
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i llegir no importa quan sents
02:17
your storyhistòria is alreadyja writtenescrit,
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que la teva historia ja està escrita,
02:19
eithertampoc deadmort or gettingaconseguint bookedfa poc.
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la mort o estar en merders.
02:21
TakingPrenent testsproves is stressfulestressant,
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Els exàmens estressen
02:24
but bubblingbombolles in a ScantronScantron does not stop
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i encerclar l'opció correcta no evita
02:26
bulletsbales from burstingruptura.
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que es disparin bales.
02:28
I hearescoltar educationeducació systemssistemes are failingfallant,
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Diuen que els sistemes educatius fallen,
02:33
but I believe they're succeedingtriomfant at what they're builtconstruït to do --
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però crec que aconsegueixen el seu objectiu:
02:36
to traintren you, to keep you on trackseguiment,
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formart-te, mantenir-te en el bon camí,
02:38
to trackseguiment down an AmericanNord-americà dreamsomiar that has failedfracassat
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el camí cap al somni americà
que a tants de nosaltres
02:41
so manymolts of us all.
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ha decebut.
02:45
(ApplauseAplaudiments)
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(Aplaudiments)
Translated by Òscar Aznar Alemany
Reviewed by Judit Piñol

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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