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: “Trainingsgelände Schule”

Filmed:
1,409,864 views

Der junge Dichter, Pädagoge und Aktivist Malcom London trägt sein ergreifendes Gedicht über das Leben an der Front der Schule vor. Er erzählt vom "Strom der Jugend" in die Schule, wo "doch keiner lernt zu schwimmen" und sagt "Männlichtkeit zeigen die Jungs, die ohne Väter aufgewachsen sind". Lyrisch, erschreckend und schön.
- 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 openöffnen the doorsTüren to a buildingGebäude
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Um 7:45 morgens öffne ich
die Türen des Gebäudes,
00:19
dedicatedgewidmet to buildingGebäude, yetnoch only breaksgeht kaputt me down.
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das aufbauen soll
und mich doch zerstört.
00:24
I marchMärz down hallwaysFlure cleanedgereinigt up after me everyjeden day
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Ich gehe durch die Gänge,
die der Hausmeister
00:28
by regularregulär janitorsHausmeister,
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hinter mir herputzt,
00:31
but I never have the decencyAnstand to honorEhre theirihr namesNamen.
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aber sein Name schert mich einen Dreck.
00:36
LockersSchließfächer left openöffnen like teenageTeenager boys'Boys mouthsMünder
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Schließfächer, so weit geöffnet,
wie der Mund der Jungs,
00:39
when teenageTeenager girlsMädchen weartragen clothesKleider that coversdeckt ab
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wenn Mädels mit ihrer
Kleidung alles zeigen,
00:41
theirihr insecuritiesUnsicherheiten but exposesmacht everything elsesonst.
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nur um ihre Unsicherheit
zu verbergen.
00:46
MasculinityMännlichkeit mimickednachgeahmt by menMänner who grewwuchs up with no fathersVäter,
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Männlichkeit zeigen die Jungs,
die ohne Väter aufgewachsen sind.
00:50
camouflageCamouflage worngetragen by bulliesSchläger who are dangerouslygefährlich armedbewaffnete
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Die Schläger tragen Tarnmuster
und Waffen, aber sie brauchen
00:54
but need hugsUmarmungen.
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ne' Umarmung.
00:55
TeachersLehrer paidbezahlt lessWeniger than what it costsKosten them to be here.
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Lehrer bekommen weniger bezahlt,
als was es sie kostet, hier zu sein.
00:58
OceansOzeane of adolescentsJugendliche come here to receiveerhalten lessonsUnterricht
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Ein Strom von Jugend kommt,
um hier zu lernen,
01:02
but never learnlernen to swimschwimmen,
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doch keiner lernt zu schwimmen.
01:04
partTeil like the RedRot SeaMeer when the bellGlocke ringsRinge.
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Mehr wie das Rote Meer,
wenn die Glocke läutet.
01:07
This is a trainingAusbildung groundBoden.
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Das ist das Trainingsgelände.
01:09
My highhoch schoolSchule is ChicagoChicago,
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Meine Schule ist Chicago,
01:12
diversevielfältig and segregatedabgesondert on purposeZweck.
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bewusst getrennt und verschieden.
01:15
SocialSoziale linesLinien are barbedStacheldraht wireDraht.
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Soziale Grenzen sind der Stacheldraht.
01:18
LabelsEtiketten like "RegularsStammgäste" and "HonorsEhrungen" resonatemitschwingen.
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Man hört von
"Berufs- und Ehrensoldaten".
01:24
I am an HonorsEhrungen but go home with RegularRegelmäßige studentsStudenten
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Ich gehör zu den Ehrensoldaten,
aber ich geh mit jenen heim,
01:28
who are soldiersSoldaten in territoryGebiet that ownsbesitzt them.
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die Berufssoldaten auf dem
Gelände sind, das sie versklavt.
01:31
This is a trainingAusbildung groundBoden to sortSortieren out the RegularsStammgäste
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Das ist das Trainingsgelände,
auf dem die Spreu vom Weizen getrennt wird,
01:35
from the HonorsEhrungen, a reoccurringwiederkehrende cycleZyklus
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ein unaufhörlicher Zyklus,
01:37
builtgebaut to recyclerecyceln the trashMüll of this systemSystem.
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um sich vom Abschaum zu entledigen.
01:41
TrainedAusgebildet at a youngjung ageAlter to capitalizekapitalisieren,
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Von früh an trainiert,
um sich zu vermarkten,
01:44
lettersBriefe taughtgelehrt now that capitalismKapitalismus raiseswirft you
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Buchstaben gelehrt,
um den Markt zu fördern,
01:47
but you have to stepSchritt on someonejemand elsesonst to get there.
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aber dafür musst du
die anderen hinter dir lassen.
01:50
This is a trainingAusbildung groundBoden where one groupGruppe
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Das ist das Trainingsgelände,
in der eine Gruppe
01:53
is taughtgelehrt to leadführen and the other is madegemacht to followFolgen.
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gelehrt wird zu führen und
die andere gelehrt wird zu folgen.
01:56
No wonderWunder so manyviele of my people spitspucken barsRiegel,
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Kein Wunder, dass es
meinen Kollegen hochkommt,
01:59
because the truthWahrheit is hardhart to swallowschlucken.
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denn die Wahrheit
ist schwer zu verdauen.
02:02
The need for degreesGrad has left so manyviele people frozengefroren.
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Der Druck einen Abschluss zu machen
ließ schon viele erfrieren.
02:06
HomeworkHausaufgaben is stressfulstressig,
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Hausarbeit ist stressig,
02:08
but when you go home everyjeden day and your home is work,
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aber wenn dein Zuhause
die Herausforderung ist,
02:11
you don't want to pickwähle up any assignmentsZuordnungen.
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dann willst du keine
Aufgabe mehr machen.
02:13
ReadingLesen textbooksLehrbücher is stressfulstressig,
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Bücher lesen ist stressig,
02:14
but readingLesen does not matterAngelegenheit when you feel
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aber Lesen ist sinnlos, wenn du weißt,
02:17
your storyGeschichte is alreadybereits writtengeschrieben,
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dass deine Zukunft bereits geschrieben ist,
02:19
eitherentweder deadtot or gettingbekommen bookedgebucht.
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entweder bist du tot oder wurdest verhaftet.
02:21
TakingEinnahme von testsTests is stressfulstressig,
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Prüfungen sind stressig,
02:24
but bubblingsprudeln in a ScantronScantron does not stop
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aber Multiple-Choice-Fragen aufzublasen,
02:26
bulletsKugeln from burstingplatzen.
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heißt nicht, dass Patronen
nicht mehr platzen.
02:28
I hearhören educationBildung systemsSysteme are failingVersagen,
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Ich hör, das Bildungssystem scheitert,
02:33
but I believe they're succeedingerfolgreich at what they're builtgebaut to do --
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aber ich glaube, es folgt seinem Zweck –
02:36
to trainZug you, to keep you on trackSpur,
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dich darauf zu trainieren,
einem Traum hinterher zu laufen,
02:38
to trackSpur down an AmericanAmerikanische dreamTraum that has failedgescheitert
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der schon so viele von uns
02:41
so manyviele of us all.
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auf der Strecke liegen ließ.
02:45
(ApplauseApplaus)
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(Applaus)
Translated by David Schrögendorfer
Reviewed by Tonia David

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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