TED2015
Clint Smith: How to raise a black son in America
Clint Smith: Hvordan man opdrager en sort søn i Amerika
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Som får vi alle råd fra vores forældre og lærerer som vi syntes er mærkelige, endog forvirrende. Dette udkrystaliserede sig for den unge Clint Smith, som legede med en vandpistol i en mørk parkeringsplads med sine hvide venner. I en dybtfølt tale, poeten udmaler scenen for hans fars vrede og angstfyldte reaktion.
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
Growing up, I didn't always understand
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I min barndom kunne jeg ikke
altid forstå
altid forstå
00:15
why my parents made me
follow the rules that they did.
follow the rules that they did.
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hvorfor mine forældre fik mig til at
følge deres regler.
følge deres regler.
00:17
Like, why did I really
have to mow the lawn?
have to mow the lawn?
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Som, hvorfor skulle jeg egentlig
slå græsplænen?
slå græsplænen?
00:20
Why was homework really that important?
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Hvorfor var lektier egentlig så vigtige?
00:23
Why couldn't I put jelly beans
in my oatmeal?
in my oatmeal?
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Hvorfor kunne jeg ikke putte vingummier
i min havregrød?
i min havregrød?
00:27
My childhood was abound
with questions like this.
with questions like this.
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Min barndom var fuld af disse spørgsmål.
00:30
Normal things about being a kid
and realizing that sometimes,
and realizing that sometimes,
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Normale ting om barndom og senere
finde ud af, at nogen gange
finde ud af, at nogen gange
00:34
it was best to listen to my parents
even when I didn't exactly understand why.
even when I didn't exactly understand why.
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var det bedst at lytte til mine forældre,
selv når jeg ikke rigtig forstod hvorfor.
selv når jeg ikke rigtig forstod hvorfor.
00:38
And it's not that they didn't want
me to think critically.
me to think critically.
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Og det er ikke fordi de ikke ville at
jeg skulle tænke kritisk.
jeg skulle tænke kritisk.
00:41
Their parenting always sought
to reconcile the tension
to reconcile the tension
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Deres opdragelse bestod altid i at forene
spændingen
spændingen
00:44
between having my siblings and I
understand the realities of the world,
understand the realities of the world,
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imellem at få mine søskende og mig at
forstå realiteten i verden,
forstå realiteten i verden,
00:47
while ensuring that we never accepted
the status quo as inevitable.
the status quo as inevitable.
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samtidig med at sikre at vi aldrig godtog
status quo som uundgåeligt.
status quo som uundgåeligt.
00:51
I came to realize that this,
in and of itself,
in and of itself,
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Med tiden forstod jeg, at dette,
i og med sig selv,
i og med sig selv,
00:54
was a very purposeful form of education.
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var en meget målbevidst
form for opdragelse.
form for opdragelse.
00:58
One of my favorite educators,
Brazilian author and scholar Paulo Freire,
Brazilian author and scholar Paulo Freire,
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En af mine yndlingslærere, den
brasilianske lærde forfatter Paulo Freire,
brasilianske lærde forfatter Paulo Freire,
01:02
speaks quite explicitly
about the need for education
about the need for education
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taler meget eksplicit om
behovet for uddannelse
behovet for uddannelse
01:05
to be used as a tool for critical
awakening and shared humanity.
awakening and shared humanity.
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til at blive brugt til at skærpe kritisk
tænkning og delt menneskelighed.
tænkning og delt menneskelighed.
01:09
In his most famous book,
"Pedagogy of the Oppressed,"
"Pedagogy of the Oppressed,"
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I hans mest berømte bog,
"Pædagogik for de Undertrykte,"
"Pædagogik for de Undertrykte,"
01:12
he states, "No one can be
authentically human
authentically human
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siger han, "Ingen kan være
autentisk menneskelig
autentisk menneskelig
01:17
while he prevents others from being so."
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mens han forhindrer andre at være det."
01:20
I've been thinking a lot about this
lately, this idea of humanity,
lately, this idea of humanity,
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Jeg har tænkt meget på dette,
idéen om menneskelighed,
idéen om menneskelighed,
01:23
and specifically, who in this world
is afforded the privilege
is afforded the privilege
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og især, hvem i denne verden
får privilegiet
får privilegiet
01:27
of being perceived as fully human.
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at blive betragtet som helt menneskelig.
01:30
Over the course of
the past several months,
the past several months,
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Gennem de sidste mange måneder,
01:32
the world has watched
as unarmed black men, and women,
as unarmed black men, and women,
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har verden måttet se ubevæbnede
sorte mænd og kvinder
sorte mænd og kvinder
01:35
have had their lives taken
at the hands of police and vigilante.
at the hands of police and vigilante.
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blive dræbt af politiet og selvtægtsmænd.
01:39
These events and all that
has transpired after them
has transpired after them
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Disse hændelser og alt hvad der
er sket efter dem
er sket efter dem
01:42
have brought me back to my own childhood
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har taget mig tilbage til min egen barndom
01:44
and the decisions that my parents made
about raising a black boy in America
about raising a black boy in America
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og beslutningerne som mine forældre tog
om at opdrage en sort dreng i Amerika
om at opdrage en sort dreng i Amerika
01:49
that growing up, I didn't always
understand in the way that I do now.
understand in the way that I do now.
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at mens jeg voksede op, forstod jeg ikke
altid tingene som jeg gør nu.
altid tingene som jeg gør nu.
01:53
I think of how hard it must have been,
how profoundly unfair it must have felt
how profoundly unfair it must have felt
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Jeg tænker på hvor hårdt det må have været
og hvor uretfærdigt det har virket
og hvor uretfærdigt det har virket
01:58
for them to feel like they had
to strip away parts of my childhood
to strip away parts of my childhood
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at de følte de måtte
fjerne dele af min barndom
fjerne dele af min barndom
02:02
just so that I could come home at night.
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blot så jeg kunne komme hjem hver aften.
02:05
For example, I think of how one night,
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For eksempel tænker jeg på en aften,
02:07
when I was around 12 years old, on an
overnight field trip to another city,
overnight field trip to another city,
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da jeg som tolv-årig tog på en
overnattende ekskursion til en anden by,
overnattende ekskursion til en anden by,
02:11
my friends and I bought Super Soakers
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hvor mine venner og jeg
købte Super Soakers
købte Super Soakers
02:13
and turned the hotel parking lot
into our own water-filled battle zone.
into our own water-filled battle zone.
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og forvandlede hotellets parkeringsplads
til vor egen oversvømmede krigszone.
til vor egen oversvømmede krigszone.
02:18
We hid behind cars,
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Vi gemte os bag biler,
02:19
running through the darkness that
lay between the streetlights,
lay between the streetlights,
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løb gennem mørket mellem gadelygterne,
02:22
boundless laughter ubiquitous
across the pavement.
across the pavement.
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og den endeløse latter lød alle vegne
på det fortov.
på det fortov.
02:26
But within 10 minutes,
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Men efter 10 minutter
02:28
my father came outside,
grabbed me by my forearm
grabbed me by my forearm
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kom min far ud, tog i min arm,
02:31
and led me into our room
with an unfamiliar grip.
with an unfamiliar grip.
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og trak mig ind i vores værelse
med et hårdt greb.
med et hårdt greb.
02:34
Before I could say anything,
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Før jeg kunne sige noget,
02:36
tell him how foolish he had
made me look in front of my friends,
made me look in front of my friends,
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sige at han fik mig til at se dum ud
i mine venners øjne,
i mine venners øjne,
02:39
he derided me for being so naive.
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skældte han mig ud for at være så naiv.
02:42
Looked me in the eye,
fear consuming his face,
fear consuming his face,
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Han så mig i øjnene, med et udtryk af
frygt i ansigtet,
frygt i ansigtet,
02:47
and said, "Son, I'm sorry,
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og sagde, "Søn, jeg er ked af det,
02:49
but you can't act the same
as your white friends.
as your white friends.
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men du kan ikke opføre dig ligesom
dine hvide venner.
dine hvide venner.
02:52
You can't pretend to shoot guns.
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Du kan ikke lege at du skyder med pistol.
02:55
You can't run around in the dark.
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Du kan ikke løbe rundt i mørket.
02:57
You can't hide behind anything
other than your own teeth."
other than your own teeth."
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Du kan ikke gemme dig andre steder end
bag dine egne tænder."
bag dine egne tænder."
03:00
I know now how scared he must have been,
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Jeg ved nu hvor bange han må have været,
03:03
how easily I could have fallen
into the empty of the night,
into the empty of the night,
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hvor nemt jeg kunne have
været fortabt i natten,
været fortabt i natten,
03:07
that some man would mistake this water
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at nogen ville synes at griseriet
i parkeringspladsen
i parkeringspladsen
03:09
for a good reason to wash
all of this away.
all of this away.
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var en god grund til at vaske alt
dette væk.
dette væk.
03:13
These are the sorts of messages I've been
inundated with my entire life:
inundated with my entire life:
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Disse er budskaberne som jeg har fået
i overflod hele mit liv:
i overflod hele mit liv:
03:16
Always keep your hands where they
can see them, don't move too quickly,
can see them, don't move too quickly,
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Altid hav dine hænder hvor man kan se dem,
ingen drastiske bevægelser,
ingen drastiske bevægelser,
03:20
take off your hood when the sun goes down.
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tag hætten af når solen går ned.
03:22
My parents raised me and my siblings
in an armor of advice,
in an armor of advice,
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Mine forældre opdrog mine søskende og mig
med en pansermur af råd,
med en pansermur af råd,
03:25
an ocean of alarm bells so someone
wouldn't steal the breath from our lungs,
wouldn't steal the breath from our lungs,
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et hav af alarmklokker, for at forhindre
at nogen ville stjæle vort åndedrag,
at nogen ville stjæle vort åndedrag,
03:28
so that they wouldn't make
a memory of this skin.
a memory of this skin.
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forhindre at nogen ville tage vort liv.
03:31
So that we could be kids,
not casket or concrete.
not casket or concrete.
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Mine forældre ville sikre sig at
vi kunne være børn.
vi kunne være børn.
03:33
And it's not because they thought it
would make us better than anyone else
would make us better than anyone else
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Og det er ikke fordi at de ville gøre os
bedre end alle andre,
bedre end alle andre,
03:37
it's simply because they wanted
to keep us alive.
to keep us alive.
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de ville blot holde os i live.
03:39
All of my black friends were raised
with the same message,
with the same message,
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Alle mine sorte venner blev opdraget
med det samme budskab
med det samme budskab
03:42
the talk, given to us
when we became old enough
when we became old enough
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talen, vi alle hørte når vi blev gamle nok
03:44
to be mistaken for a nail ready
to be hammered to the ground,
to be hammered to the ground,
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til at blive forvekslet med søm,
klare til at hamre i jorden,
klare til at hamre i jorden,
03:47
when people made our melanin
synonymous with something to be feared.
synonymous with something to be feared.
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når folk gjorde vor hudfarve synonym
med noget at være bange for.
med noget at være bange for.
03:52
But what does it do to a child
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Men hvad gør det ved et barn
03:54
to grow up knowing that you
cannot simply be a child?
cannot simply be a child?
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at vokse op, mens du ved at
du simpelthen ikke kan være et barn?
du simpelthen ikke kan være et barn?
03:58
That the whims of adolescence
are too dangerous for your breath,
are too dangerous for your breath,
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At vide, at pubertetens indfald er
for farlige for dig,
for farlige for dig,
04:01
that you cannot simply be curious,
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at du ikke kan være nysgerrig,
04:02
that you are not afforded the luxury
of making a mistake,
of making a mistake,
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at du ikke har råd til den
luksus det er at lave en fejl,
luksus det er at lave en fejl,
04:05
that someone's implicit bias
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at nogens implicitte partiskhed
04:07
might be the reason you don't
wake up in the morning.
wake up in the morning.
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kan være grunden til at du
ikke vågner næste morgen.
ikke vågner næste morgen.
04:10
But this cannot be what defines us.
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Men det skal ikke definere os.
04:11
Because we have parents
who raised us to understand
who raised us to understand
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For vi har forældre
der opdrog os til at forstå
der opdrog os til at forstå
04:14
that our bodies weren't meant
for the backside of a bullet,
for the backside of a bullet,
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at vore kroppe ikke er skabt til
at være skjolde for kugler
at være skjolde for kugler
04:17
but for flying kites and jumping rope,
and laughing until our stomachs burst.
and laughing until our stomachs burst.
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men for at flyve drager og sjippe,
og le til vi får ondt i maven.
og le til vi får ondt i maven.
04:20
We had teachers who taught us
how to raise our hands in class,
how to raise our hands in class,
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Vi havde lærere der lærte os at holde
hænderne op i klassen,
hænderne op i klassen,
04:23
and not just to signal surrender,
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og ikke kun for at overgive os,
04:25
and that the only thing we should give up
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og at det eneste vi skal opgive
04:27
is the idea that we
aren't worthy of this world.
aren't worthy of this world.
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er idéen om at vi ikke er
denne verden værdige.
denne verden værdige.
04:29
So when we say that black lives matter,
it's not because others don't,
it's not because others don't,
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Når vi siger at sorte liv har betydning,
siger vi ikke andre ikke har,
siger vi ikke andre ikke har,
04:33
it's simply because we must affirm that we
are worthy of existing without fear,
are worthy of existing without fear,
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det er fordi at vi må bekræfte at vi har
ret til eksistere uden frygt,
ret til eksistere uden frygt,
04:36
when so many things tell us we are not.
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når så mange ting siger os
at vi ikke har.
at vi ikke har.
04:38
I want to live in a world where my son
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Jeg vil leve i en verden hvor min søn
04:40
will not be presumed guilty
the moment he is born,
the moment he is born,
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ikke vil opfattes skyldig så
snart han er født,
snart han er født,
04:43
where a toy in his hand isn't mistaken
for anything other than a toy.
for anything other than a toy.
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hvor et legetøj i hans hånd ikke vil
forveksles med andet end et legetøj.
forveksles med andet end et legetøj.
04:47
And I refuse to accept that we can't
build this world into something new,
build this world into something new,
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Og jeg nægter at acceptere at vi ikke
kan ændre denne verden til et sted,
kan ændre denne verden til et sted,
04:50
some place where a child's name
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et sted hvor et barns navn
04:52
doesn't have to be written
on a t-shirt, or a tombstone,
on a t-shirt, or a tombstone,
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ikke vil være skrevet på en t-shirt,
eller en gravsten,
eller en gravsten,
04:54
where the value of someone's life
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hvor værdien af et liv
04:56
isn't determined by anything other
than the fact that they had lungs,
than the fact that they had lungs,
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ikke bestemmes af andet end at
de havde lunger,
de havde lunger,
05:00
a place where every single
one of us can breathe.
one of us can breathe.
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et sted hvor vi allesammen, alle som én,
kan trække vejret.
kan trække vejret.
05:04
Thank you.
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Tak skal I have.
05:05
(Applause)
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(Bifald)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Clint Smith - Poet, educatorClint 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.
Clint Smith | Speaker | TED.com