Young Chicago Authors: Giving Public School Students a Voice: The Daily Show

Dulce Sloan learns about the organization Young Chicago Authors, which provides creative opportunities to Chicago teens through poetry.

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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)