Incredible Young Poets Get Real About Growing Up in the US

All in Unison: Here in America in every single state—

Zariya Allen: They have a set of standards for every subject. A collection of lessons that the teacher’s required to teach by the end of the term.

Rhiannon M.: But the greatest lessons you will ever teach us will not come from your syllabus.

All in Unison: The greatest lessons you will ever teach us, you will not even remember.

Zariya Allen: You never told us what we weren’t allowed to say, we just learned how to hold our tongues.

All In Unison: Now somewhere in America there is a child holding a copy of Catcher in the Rye and there is a child holding a gun.

Belissa E.: But only one of these things have been banned by their state government, and it’s not the one that can rip through flesh.

All in Unison: It’s the one that says “fuck you” on more pages than one.

Zariya Allen: Because we must control what the people say, how they think—

Rhiannon M.: And if they want to become the overseer of their own selves—

All In Unison: Then we’ll show them a real one and somewhere in America—

Zariya Allen: There’s a child sitting at his mother’s computer—

All In Unison: Reading the home page of the KKK’s website.

Zariya Allen: That’s open to the public, but that child will have never read To Kill A Mockingbird—

All In Unison: Because his school has banned it for its use of the N word.

Rhiannon M.: Maya Angelou is prohibited because we’re not allowed to talk about rape in school.

All in Unison: We were taught that just because something happens doesn’t mean you are to talk about it.

Belissa E.: They build us brand new shopping malls—

All In Unison: So that we’ll forget where we’re really standing on the bones of the Hispanics, on the bones of the slaves, on the bones of the Native Americans, on the bones of those who fought just to speak.

Rhiannon M.: Transcontinental Railroad to Japanese internment camps.

All In Unison: There are things missing from our history books.

Zariya Allen: But we were taught that it is better to be silent than to make them uncomfortable.

All In Unison: Somewhere in America—

Belissa E.: Private school girls search for hours through boutiques trying to find the prom dress of their dreams—

Zariya Allen: While kids on the south side spend hours searching through the lost and found—

All in Unison: Because winter’s coming soon, and that’s the only jacket they have.

Rhiannon M.: Kids are late to class for working the midnight shift.

All in Unison: They give awards for best attendance, but not for keeping your family off the streets.

Zariya Allen: These kids will call your music ghetto, they will tell you you don’t talk right.

Belissa E.: Then they’ll get in the back seat of a car with all their friends—

Two in Unision: Singing about how they’re “bout that life, and we can’t stop.”

All in Unison: Somewhere in America—

Belissa E.: Schools are promoting self confidence—

All In Unison: While they whip out their scales and shout out your body fat percentage in class.

Belissa E.: Where the heftier girls are hiding away and the slim fit beauties can’t help but giggle with pride.

Rhiannon M.: The preppy kids go thrift shopping because they think it sounds real fun.

All In Unison: But we go because that’s all we got money for, because Mama works for the city. Mama only gets paid once a month. Somewhere in America—

Rhiannon M.: A girl getting felt up by a grown man on the subway.

Belissa E.: She’s still in her school uniform, and that’s part of the appeal.

Two in Unision: It’s hard to run in knee socks and Mary Janes.

All in Unison: All her male teachers know it, too.

Zariya Allen: Coaches cover up star players raping freshman after the dance.

Belissa E.: Women are killed for rejecting dates.

Rhiannon M.: But God forbid I bring my girlfriend to prom.

Zariya Allen: A girl is black-out drunk at the after party.

Rhiannon M.: Take a picture before her wounds wake her.

All in Unison: How many pixels is your sanity worth?

Belissa E.: What’s a 4.0 to a cold jury?

All in Unison: What’d you learn in class today?

Rhiannon M.: Don’t walk fast.

All in Unison: Don’t speak loud.

Rhiannon M.: Keep your hands to yourself.

All in Unison: Keep your head down.

Belissa E.: Keep your eyes on your own paper. If you don’t know the answer—

All In Unison: Fill in C.

Zariya Allen: Always wear earbuds when you ride the bus alone. If you feel like someone’s following you—

All in Unison: Pretend you’re on the phone.

Zariya Allen: A teacher never fails.

All in Unison: Only you do. Every state in America. The greatest lessons are the ones you don’t remember learning.