Marlon Peterson: Am I not human? A call for criminal justice reform
Marlon Peterson: Non sono anch'io un essere umano? Un appello per la riforma della giustizia penale
Marlon Peterson is a writer, youth development expert and human justice advocate. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
I will tell everyone
dirò a tutti
di nome Marlon Peterson."
way to open a talk
iniziare un discorso così,
il perché di questa scelta.
going through your head about that.
such a thing about himself?
se lui si vede come spazzatura?
when he sees himself as garbage?
than we do from answers.
più che nelle risposte.
some sort of new information,
nuove informazioni
che ci mette a disagio.
that makes us feel uncomfortable.
dell'unico strumento acustico
to the only acoustic instrument
of one of the ghettos in Trinidad,
di uno dei ghetti di Trinidad,
of the American military ...
gli USA avevano basi a Trinidad,
military bases set up in Trinidad,
di fusti vuoti di petrolio ...
with empty oil drums --
repurposed the old drums left behind
convertì i vecchi fusti abbandonati
to Bob Marley to 50 Cent,
a Bob Marley e 50 Cent,
la musica dalla spazzatura.
music out of garbage.
a una rapina a mano armata
in a violent robbery attempt
in a coffee shop,
seduta al bar,
furono colpite da proiettili.
of Trinidad and Tobago.
and millions of Americans easily malign.
10 anni 2 mesi e 7 giorni.
and seven days of a prison sentence.
in a correctional institution.
in un istituto correttivo.
delle lettere mi salvarono,
that a series of letters redeemed me,
il buio e il senso di colpa
the darkness and the guilt
della mia gioventù.
moment of my young life.
when I read those words.
e una delle 150 lettere che scrissi
a mentoring correspondence program
per corrispondenza
at a middle school in Brooklyn,
in una scuola di Brooklyn,
"Programma Giovani Studenti"
shared their stories with me,
condividevano con me le loro storie,
i personaggi dei loro cartoni preferiti
of their favorite cartoon character
sui miei consigli e sulle mie lettere,
on my letters or my words of advice,
qualcosa di buono su questo pianeta.
I could contribute to this planet.
and what they shared with me,
e i loro racconti,
di ammettere a me stesso
to admit to myself
- non delle scuse -
quel fatidico giorno di ottobre del 1999;
for that fateful day in October of 1999;
with living in a community
sono più accessibili delle scarpe,
to get than sneakers;
raped at gunpoint at the age of 14;
con una pistola puntata addosso,
mattered so much to me,
with those folks
sulla mia vita,
con amici
with some friends of mine
con quei ragazzi
with the young people as well,
il senso di valere qualcosa.
of relevancy in return.
and youth program innovators
nei programmi giovanili
(Risate)
un investimento a buon rendere.
return of investment.
taught me was that when we sow,
è che quando seminiamo bene,
of people no matter where they're at,
a prescindere da dove si trovi,
del sistema penale,
of criminal justice reform,
per crimini di droga non violenti
of nonviolent drug offenses
è un atto di giustizia.
that amplify the relevancy of people
che amplificano il valore delle persone
o in un qualche ghetto,
alla comunità che vogliamo.
the communities that we want.
in law enforcement as a resource,
in misure di polizia,
a sense of relevancy
compiono così tanti atti violenti
do so many harmful things
display of a lot of underlying traumas.
una manifestazione di traumi più profondi.
value of relevancy,
del valore umano
di guarigiorne e responsabilità personale.
personal responsibility and healing.
che mi interessa,
to do the hard work,
chiedo di fare il lavoro sporco,
di donare calore non meritato
undeserved kindness
while walking home.
dal proiettile di un'auto in corsa.
while eating breakfast,
mentre faceva colazione,
the redemptive value of relevancy
il potenziale redentivo
of seeing the value in me.
per vedere il mio valore.
our own capacity
oltre le nostre capacità
della nostra umanità,
scegliere di ignorare facilmente.
easily choose not to see,
to be recognized,
che aspettano di essere riconoscuti
che aspettano di essere suonate.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Marlon Peterson - Human justice advocateMarlon Peterson is a writer, youth development expert and human justice advocate.
Why you should listen
Marlon Peterson is the host of the podcast, Decarcerated, which highlights the journeys of resilience, redemption and success of formerly incarcerated people.
Since his release from prison in 2009, after serving 10 years, Peterson has spearheaded the creation of two youth development programs in New York City, How Our Lives Link Altogether (H.O.L.L.A!) and Youth Organizing to Save Our Streets (YO SOS). With a focus on gun violence prevention and youth advocacy, both programs have provided programming for hundreds of young people.
In 2015 Peterson left his full-time work in the nonprofit sector to create The Precedential Group, a social justice consultancy that works to address the trauma revolving around the intersections of race, gender, violence, police violence and community violence. His work through the Precedential Group has allowed him to provide support for organizations throughout the United States and Trinidad & Tobago, W.I.
As a writer, advocate, program developer and public speaker Peterson has been recognized as a Soros Justice Fellow, Aspen Ideas Festival Scholar, Ebony Magazine Power 100 Honoree and TED Resident. His writings have appeared and been cited in The Nation, Gawker, The Atlantic, Huff Post, Black Press USA, Ebony and the Trinidad & Tobago Guardian. He has contributed to Kiese Laymon's aaward-winning novel, How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America and Love Lives Here, Too by former New York Times columnist, Sheila Rule.
Peterson is Brooklyn born and bred with a Trinidadian heart. He is a graduate of New York University and is currently working on his first Pulitzer, a memoir.
Marlon Peterson | Speaker | TED.com