SLOAN: The Chicago public school system is having a tough time.
But there are some people out there
who say the students are to blame.
In Chicago, there's no incentive for kids to go to school.
They would rather make money selling drugs and guns.
Okay, angry news lady.
But, you know what, let's hear from a recent graduate.
-I am donating $1 million to CPS. -(cheering and applause)
That's Chance the Rapper.
You know, the dude with the Kit Kat commercials
and the Super Mario overalls.
So why is this guy giving his hard-earned candy money
to a public school system?
Well, according to writer and sociologist Eve Ewing,
the problem is that many people
have abandoned that system altogether.
Even though Chicago, as a city, is about a third white,
white residents in the city are, by and large,
opting out of the public school system.
Well, you know, strong black women. We can figure this out.
Well, that's part of the problem though, right,
is that, like, when people like Chance step up and say,
"I'm gonna give all this money to try to fix the schools,"
that's awesome. But, at the same time,
he shouldn't have to do that as a private citizen, right?
Public schools are supposed to be for everybody.
They're supposed to be supported by a public.
Yeah... America don't work that way.
I know. It's a bummer.
That's one way to put it. And Chance and Eve would know.
They both went to Chicago public schools.
But they share something else in common.
As students, they had some outside help
from Young Chicago Authors,
a nonprofit after school writing program.
So I sat down with poet and artistic director Kevin Coval
to find out more about YCA.
We believe that young people are the best documenters
and the best experts of their own experience
and that, as a civic society,
we should probably be paying attention, uh, more closely
to what young people are saying.
Ooh, that sounds exhausting.
Yeah, but they're great though. But they're-they're...
I mean, they're so smart and they're so talented.
-They better be. -So it's... Yeah, no, it really is.
And young people are actually very hip, very savvy.
They constantly make these brilliant, acute,
uh, political insights into-into the way our society should be.
And, you know, in some ways, it becomes the adult bureaucracies
that we create that become the problem.
Yeah, you're definitely a poet.
-You just said a lot of words to me. -(stammers)
-They sounded so good. -Okay, that's good.
-I don't know what all of it meant, -All right. I'm not sure.
-but I am so impressed. -I might not even... Okay.
SLOAN: Okay, a place where kids learn
how to find their own voice is cool.
And YCA's annual youth poetry competition,
Louder Than a Bomb, is the largest in the world.
I just had one problem.
We run the longest-running
youth open mic in the world.
SLOAN: Open mics? Open mics?
Those things where people get on stage
and speak a bunch of bull (bleep)?
Hey, white man, come out of your shell.
Hey, white man, don't kiss your cousin... and tell.
Check my privilege.
(scattered applause)
And then, it's been three hours, and I've heard the same poem.
-So... -Open mic's super dope, though.
I guarantee if you are here, you will have a good time.
SLOAN: Kevin really had me with his
big words and beautiful eyes, but these open mics?
Man, I don't know.
I guess it was time for me
to meet one of these little YCA kids,
so I headed down to Chicago's South Side
where I met 17-year-old Trey.
Trey claims YCA has helped him develop as a poet.
I'll be the judge of that.
Have you written any, uh, like, love poems
for, like, you know, somebody you like?
I have.
I wrote my first love poem as a sophomore.
Ooh!
-Did you give it to her? -I read it to her.
(gasps) Did you do it where, like, Romeo and Juliet,
"stand on this balcony and I'll read to you" situation?
Um, if the balcony was a stage.
(gasps) You performed it and read it to her?!
-Performed it. -Guys, the balls on this young man.
There's dudes that won't even text me back,
and a 17-year-old is out here getting you in these streets!
Step your game up, gentlemen.
On top of everything else, YCA taught this kid
how to play the game of love?
Damn!
I think YCA's really helped me,
uh, kind of realize who I am, not just as an artist,
uh, but as a person in general.
It just gives you a chance to, um, speak your truth.
Okay, so, I mean...
are you going to this open mic tonight?
-Yes, I... Matter of fact, I'll be performing. -Ugh!
And you know what would make my day?
-What? -I would love if you came.
Ugh! This baby-faced poet's really gonna have me going
to the one thing I can't stand?
All right, I'll make you a deal.
I will come to the open mic, but you got to win.
Uh, there's not really a winner.
Listen, there's always winners, Trey.
'Cause you've been to open mic. You've seen losers before.
Thank... thank you.
-Okay, look, I got to go. I'm gonna go. -Okay.
-There are no winners. -Go to class. Get your ass to class.
-I'll see you. -Yeah, I got you. I got you.
-Okay. -You win it.
-There are no winners! -Winning!
(imitates horn blowing)
That night I showed up looking amazing, as usual.
But I got to say, when Trey went up on stage, I was
nervous as hell.
The following is a letter to poetry
to earn my spot at the table.
Dear Poetry,
-baby girl, you are fine. -(laughter)
But I've been thinking.
If we plan it right, and put space
in between our stanzas, we could be stars.
But what do you know
about a man who has been macking with verses,
back from a curse he chatted with first,
relaxed up in church, the magic of church to trap muse?
The gospel of rap, the hostile cast, the back pew.
The crew was never developed the fellas to ask you, like,
what is your castle like?
Who are you attracted to?
-Ooh! -Yeah. -SLOAN: I didn't need to be nervous.
Trey and the other performers killed it.
And instead of treating these kids like
a bunch of hoodlums who don't care about school,
maybe we should be helping them develop their voice,
just like YCA does.
Oh, and I guess I was wrong about open mics, too.
There's at least one of them that doesn't suck.
-Thank you. -(applause and cheering)
SLOAN: My baby!
My baby. My baby. (whooping)