WEBVTT

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SLOAN: The Chicago public school
system is having a tough time.

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But there are some people
out there

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who say the students
are to blame.

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In Chicago, there's no incentive
for kids to go to school.

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They would rather make money
selling drugs and guns.

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Okay, angry news lady.

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But, you know what, let's hear
from a recent graduate.

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-I am donating $1 million
to CPS. -(cheering and applause)

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That's Chance the Rapper.

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You know, the dude
with the Kit Kat commercials

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and the Super Mario overalls.

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So why is this guy giving
his hard-earned candy money

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to a public school system?

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Well, according to writer
and sociologist Eve Ewing,

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the problem is that many people

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have abandoned that system
altogether.

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Even though Chicago, as a city,
is about a third white,

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white residents in the city
are, by and large,

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opting out
of the public school system.

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Well, you know, strong black
women. We can figure this out.

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Well, that's part of the problem
though, right,

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is that, like, when people
like Chance step up and say,

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"I'm gonna give all this money
to try to fix the schools,"

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that's awesome.
But, at the same time,

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he shouldn't have to do that
as a private citizen, right?

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Public schools are supposed
to be for everybody.

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They're supposed to be supported
by a public.

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Yeah...
America don't work that way.

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I know. It's a bummer.

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That's one way to put it.
And Chance and Eve would know.

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They both went
to Chicago public schools.

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But they share
something else in common.

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As students,
they had some outside help

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from Young Chicago Authors,

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a nonprofit
after school writing program.

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So I sat down with poet and
artistic director Kevin Coval

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to find out more about YCA.

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We believe that young people
are the best documenters

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and the best experts
of their own experience

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and that, as a civic society,

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we should probably be paying
attention, uh, more closely

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to what young people are saying.

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Ooh, that sounds exhausting.

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Yeah, but they're great though.
But they're-they're...

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I mean, they're so smart
and they're so talented.

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-They better be. -So it's...
Yeah, no, it really is.

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And young people are
actually very hip, very savvy.

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They constantly make
these brilliant, acute,

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uh, political insights into-into
the way our society should be.

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And, you know, in some ways, it
becomes the adult bureaucracies

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that we create
that become the problem.

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Yeah, you're definitely a poet.

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-You just said a lot of words
to me. -(stammers)

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-They sounded so good.
-Okay, that's good.

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-I don't know what all of it
meant, -All right. I'm not sure.

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-but I am so impressed.
-I might not even... Okay.

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SLOAN:
Okay, a place where kids learn

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how to find their own voice
is cool.

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And YCA's annual youth
poetry competition,

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Louder Than a Bomb,
is the largest in the world.

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I just had one problem.

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We run the longest-running

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youth open mic in the world.

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SLOAN:
Open mics? Open mics?

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Those things
where people get on stage

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and speak a bunch
of bull (bleep)?

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Hey, white man,
come out of your shell.

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Hey, white man, don't kiss
your cousin... and tell.

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Check my privilege.

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(scattered applause)

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And then, it's been three hours,
and I've heard the same poem.

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-So...
-Open mic's super dope, though.

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I guarantee if you are here,
you will have a good time.

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SLOAN:
Kevin really had me with his

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big words and beautiful eyes,
but these open mics?

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Man, I don't know.

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I guess it was time for me

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to meet one
of these little YCA kids,

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so I headed down
to Chicago's South Side

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where I met 17-year-old Trey.

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Trey claims YCA has helped him
develop as a poet.

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I'll be the judge of that.

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Have you written any,
uh, like, love poems

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for, like, you know,
somebody you like?

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I have.

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I wrote my first love poem
as a sophomore.

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Ooh!

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-Did you give it to her?
-I read it to her.

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(gasps) Did you do it where,
like, Romeo and Juliet,

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"stand on this balcony and
I'll read to you" situation?

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Um, if the balcony was a stage.

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(gasps) You performed it
and read it to her?!

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-Performed it. -Guys,
the balls on this young man.

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There's dudes
that won't even text me back,

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and a 17-year-old is out here
getting you in these streets!

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Step your game up, gentlemen.

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On top of everything else,
YCA taught this kid

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how to play the game of love?

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Damn!

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I think YCA's really helped me,

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uh, kind of realize who I am,
not just as an artist,

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uh, but as a person in general.

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It just gives you a chance
to, um, speak your truth.

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Okay, so, I mean...

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are you going
to this open mic tonight?

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-Yes, I... Matter of fact,
I'll be performing. -Ugh!

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And you know
what would make my day?

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-What?
-I would love if you came.

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Ugh! This baby-faced poet's
really gonna have me going

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to the one thing I can't stand?

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All right, I'll make you a deal.

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I will come to the open mic,
but you got to win.

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Uh, there's not really
a winner.

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Listen, there's always
winners, Trey.

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'Cause you've been to open mic.
You've seen losers before.

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Thank... thank you.

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-Okay, look, I got to go.
I'm gonna go. -Okay.

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-There are no winners. -Go to
class. Get your ass to class.

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-I'll see you.
-Yeah, I got you. I got you.

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-Okay.
-You win it.

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-There are no winners!
-Winning!

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(imitates horn blowing)

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That night I showed up
looking amazing, as usual.

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But I got to say, when
Trey went up on stage, I was

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nervous as hell.

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The following is a letter
to poetry

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to earn my spot at the table.

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Dear Poetry,

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-baby girl, you are fine.
-(laughter)

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But I've been thinking.

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If we plan it right,
and put space

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in between our stanzas,
we could be stars.

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But what do you know

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about a man who has been
macking with verses,

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back from a curse
he chatted with first,

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relaxed up in church, the magic
of church to trap muse?

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The gospel of rap,
the hostile cast, the back pew.

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The crew was never developed
the fellas to ask you, like,

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what is your castle like?

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Who are you attracted to?

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-Ooh! -Yeah. -SLOAN:
I didn't need to be nervous.

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Trey and the other performers
killed it.

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And instead
of treating these kids like

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a bunch of hoodlums
who don't care about school,

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maybe we should be helping them
develop their voice,

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just like YCA does.

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Oh, and I guess I was wrong
about open mics, too.

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There's at least one of them
that doesn't suck.

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-Thank you.
-(applause and cheering)

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SLOAN:
My baby!

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My baby. My baby.
(whooping)