Discusses her all day a year of love and survival teaching incarcerated kids at Rikers Island this program contains language that some might find offensive. Good evening folks. Welcome to Greenlight Bookstore i am Jessica Bagnulo one of the owners. We are happy to host Liza Peterson. You can give her a round of applause now. [applause] her new book is all day a year of love and survival teaching incarcerated kids at Rikers Island. And she is going to be speaking tonight with Flores Forbes so you are in for an excellent evening. Maybe another round of applause. [applause] before turn things over just a couple of housekeeping thing. If you have a cell phone or something that might make noise now is the time to turn it off work silence it. There we have copies of Liza Petersons book and Flores Forbess book for sale. This will have flyers for Upcoming Events at the register. Hope you can check those out to more great events in may. When you buy a bucket agreement you would not only get a great book by a great author please support your local independent bookstore and allow us to bring your free event like this so we appreciate that in advance. Thank you. [applause] the interviewer this evening is Flores Forbes who is the associate Vice President for Strategic Policy and Program Implementation at columbia university. A leader in the black Panther Party and served five years in prison before receiving a masters degree in urban planning from nyu. He is the author of two books, will you die with me my life in the black Panther Party and most recently invisible man a contemporary slave narrative in the era of mass incarceration. He will be speaking tonight with Liza Peterson who is a freelance artist working in brooklyn. She works with the youth in different areas. Her onewoman speech played a peculiar patriot and toward an and attenders across the country. The full production is scheduled to premiere in new york in the fall of this year. Her new book, all day a year of love and survival teaching incarcerated kids at Rikers Island recounts the air in her classroom at island academy. The high school for inmates detained at new yorks Rikers Island. Her narrative captures the prisoner hierarchies, under current violence in cousins that a potential rupture among inmates and their keepers. Despite relentless antics of her students and maybe in part because of it, peterson becomes a fierce advocate for the young men she teaches not only to educate them but instill in them what sense of self worth has been long strip from their lives. They write Liza Petersons all day is a must read. For anyone that has ever inquired about young people. She brings amazing warmth, love and laughter to the devastating state of the juvenile justice system. In her abeled and gifted hands young people not soon forget. She has i am so glad the book is in the world. We feel the same way, we are glad she is with us tonight. She will be reading from her book 1st and then Flores Forbes will join her. Youll have a chance for questions asked that they please join me in welcoming to the stage, Liza Peterson. [applause] hi thank you all for coming out. Im happy to be here. Im just going to jump right in. I am not going to get too much of an introduction. That was a lovely introduction. Im going to read two short excerpts from the book. And just to put it in context, this was one year of the 18 years and this is one specific year that i was a fulltime schoolteacher. Which is very different from the other capacities that i worked in. Im going to jump right in and read two short excerpts. Is that cool . Okay. This is my first rodeo golf. Im a little nervous christopher is a lightskinned kid with pink lips on his cheeks like terry lessons. The acne snitches in his Youth Holding space for a period that is not quite ready to grow. If it werent for the missing bottom tooth in the front of his grill, he would have a big smile with perfectly straight milky white teeth. He is built like a gladiator. Tall and muscular with broad shoulders and arms, chiseled for the gods. Jailhouse guns. He walks with a bodybuilders swagger and an arrogance that takes up too much space. This point irks me. He never does work and talks all day much like barely moving his lips he makes a strong cultural noise with his throat that sounds like a mangled swamp frog. It is a stupid aggravating game he likes to play with his voice. A weirdo this kid. Christopher please stop making that noise, it is very annoying i sternly demand. I got you miss a response. Three minutes later i hear him making that ugly sound just to great my nerves and defined me. Nasty girl taught me all the lingo my mama played bingo, she ride mandingo. All the kids are singing ll cool js new song and keep repeating the words mandingo, found that they learned a new word for and getting a kick out of sync in front of me thinking i have no idea what it means. About the third time i hear it i have to let them know, i know what it means. And asked them to stop saying the word in front of me out of respect. Telling them not to do something is of course, registering in their rug rat brains to do it. Kristin christopher keeps saying it over and over again in that weird voice. Pleading with the guys to tell what it means. They get a kick out of seeing a word he doesnt know the meaning of and making me mad for saying it. Miss, what does that word mean . Why you tripping over that word he asked . I hand him a dictionary and have them look it up. That what is in the dictionary . I thought it was slang he says. Quickly flipping the dictionary to relieve his defense. The guys are cracking up as he spells the word aloud and searches the dictionary. Man dingo he says sounding it out. How do you spell dingo . They are all on the floor laughing. I say in my very ms. Crabtree teacher like voice, i have to be extra critical with this slippery slope of jokes. I continue. That word has a historical meaning and a metaphorical meeting. So once christopher finds the meaning then i will tell you the slang meaning. Ive christopher read aloud the dictionary definition for mandingo. A member of any of a number of people forming an extensive Linguistic Group in west africa inhabiting a large area of the upper river valley. Then i tell him how it is used as slang. To imply a mans large sized reproductive anatomy. I may have well said the way they are snickering and carrying on as if they are 10 years old. Now that you know what it means and how it has been used, please do not use the word around me again. Okay, i got you miss p. He says leaning back in his desk nodding in agreement to get me out of his face. Two seconds later when i turn my back i hear, mandingo and that frog voice that i hate again. He is testing me to see what i will do. He is challenging me to a duel. He is calling mama out for a fair one. He is rubbing the genie in my lamp. I feel her stirring. I draw a line in the sand. Christopher i asked you not to say that. Do not use that word around me it is vulgar and disrespectful. Stop it right now. And stop doing that thing with your voice. It is crazy he shakes his head and in a dismissive chin up not that reads you like which makes me want to slap him. My chest rises and falls slowly with a long measured breath i take to keep my pressure from spiking. I turned my back to write on the board and i hear mandingo. I swing around in slow motion, neo in the matrix with my neck being the last thing to snap into a alignment. Its a kneejerk reflex that flings my mama jeannie and two full octave all up in your face crazy woman purple theory. I am full throttle extremely loud, intense and temporarily unhinged. Im sick and tired of your disrespect. I asked you five times christopher and i am not having this foolishness in my class. You havent done any work since you came to my class. You run your mouth, making annoying noises like kermit the frog and now youre being totally disrespectful. You think youre slick and im stupid but do not get it twisted son. I am not stupid and i do not play games with kids. You got to go. You have got to get out of here im not having any of that. Who, [bleep] get him out of here i am screaming like a wild banshee screaming over him like a giant possessed mother. He cowers in his seat stunned by my beast. He is the incredible shrinking cub. I am spraying him with electric shocks like. [bleep] like image like a magician. From next door they run into assist but when they see me standing over christopher with a wild look in my eye, he pauses to momentarily largely deliver this before swiftly removing christopher out of my class and from the jaws of her. Another approach is me and asked if i need to take a minute, go to the bathroom and calm down. No, i dont need to go to the bathroom i snapped. Im still in my crazy thug mama trance. No filter. I shocked him and the shocked look on his face reels me back into my body as i dial it back quick. Excuse me officer, i am good thank you. Now that he is out of my class i am good. Took it too far in a snap. I am okay now. Honestly and truly. Thank you. I am slightly out of breath but deliver my response honey toned with steam still sleeping from my nostrils. And then, like a scene from sybil, without skipping a beat i continue teaching like nothing happened. I did a 180 degrees change of tone and went into my ms. Crabtree. Now, open your books to page 47. A verb as you remember joes action or a state of being. Im speaking just as calmly as can be. But my vibe is layered with hot ice. I walked the aisles making sure everyone is on task. As i walked past tae kwon do, and knows he is not on the correct page. Sternly i demand through clenched teeth, turn to page 47. Everyone should be on page 47. Lets get this work and gentlemen that is what we are here for. Quickly, tyquon tries to page 47 as he shakes his head with a perplexed look on his face and says in a whisper, miss p, you are extreme. I never seen you got like that. Your eyes got all big and crazy looking. You put on a show. I aint messing with you then tyquon turned to his buddy william. Ms. P says turn to page 47. I am trying to page 47, you heard . s comment draws some chuckles and some remarks like word, miss p is kind of mo, she turned it up. Without turning i addressed him in his slow, low, monotone growl. There are no in my class, thank you. Maybe some fools, but no. Im still carrying the thug mama, dont mess with me today veneer and wielding it as i walked the aisles demanding work. My bad miss p. He says peered over exaggerating his compliance with in obedience. And it was a show and that was my point, to go overboard and get crazy in the eyes. So they know im a little nuts and will flip on them. Mission accomplished. This may have been the first proof i doled out albeit unsuccessful cupid even that can be matched by the one i just served. Today will go down in the legend of ms. P. [applause] i want to grab a quick thing of water and read one more excerpt and we can talk. Okay. Are yall all right . All right. To have once been a criminal is no disgrace. To remain a criminal is a disgrace. Malcom x. Every morning right on the corner of the board and asked students to give their thoughts on a daily inspirational quote. Someone is a hearty discussion most mornings they grumbled graduate normally. Too early for critical thinking. I get it. Until this morning, i wasnt sure if the seeds of consciousness i was attempting to plan for even registering. I forgot to put the thought for the day on the board which a quiet student, easily overlooked quickly brings to my attention. Ms. P. Whats good . You forgot the quote for the day. I smiled saying that they are watching, they are taking in a just might be reaching them after all. You are so right i got you. I pleasantly reply. And i write a new thought for the day in the corner of the board as he diligently copied into his notebook and grins. Look at what you have been through and what you have survived. You are a walking, talking miracle. So much more than you have been told ms. P. The first week is totally a got getting to know the dramatic range of characters who i am working with all day every day all year. For some odd reason the alpha males have decided to sit in the front role right up in my face. The back roads normally withhold kids sit, reserved for talking and social land parlaying. But the kitchen is a space most comfortable for real conversation insulin talk. Later i would figure out that the leader of this alpha male crew has a crush on me. Hence, the front row spotlight positioning. They call themselves the bosses. I called in the bosses of stink. Not because they smoke would have stink attitudes always getting on my nerves. They are fly boys. Sys one can be in jail. Rocking fresh haircuts and new sneakers as they damn sure wouldnt be caught dead in pumpkin seeds. They thought those jailhouse bobos are for herbs. The bosses get barbershop time on a regular basis and clearly their housing area. They in walked like kings with an air of confidence and subtle intimidation. Getting a constant flow of salutation and fist pumps and handshakes from guys passing by the class. Like little hoodlums. Me and my crew chief girls group in high school thought we were awesome too. Knowing the pecking order in this place is important. So is the og, who is in his crew, who is the dojo, who is the dummy, who is a blood who is a crip and whos who. It is critical information to stay a step ahead of potential explosions that might arise. But most important is having peripheral vision. Which is essential for classroom management. The process sit in the same seat every day immediately declaring their territory. They claim the front row seats on the lefthand side next to the door and the window that looks out into the hallway. Guys who are on their team, which include that pop up dummies, sit close behind them. The neutrals are guys that save them size. They do not claim a gang or team and visit in the far back row. Those desks are generally up for grabs since no one has a stronghold on that section. The harlem crew has plan for back proceeds in the far right next to the filthy windows that face another of the jails brick walls. Nothing to see accept hardens pigeon poop, dirt and such on the window. On the board i write, students will be able to discuss the five evolutions of malcom x and compare and contrast is evolution to their own. Then i write, do now. Write a five paragraph essay, reflecting upon and answering the following questions. What is your government name . Name your mother gave you . Were you in the street . Your nickname and why . Who are you in jail . Your jailhouse nickname and why. Finally, look into the future. What type of man do you see yourself evolving into . I asked the group, who knows the five names of malcom x . What are you talking about ms. P. . He was just malcom x. One of my more attentive but had worked at the students blurted out. I said he had the name he was born with, a name he was called running the streets and malcom x was a hustler . He interrupts. He did time in prison right ms. P. . One of the leader of the bosses interjects looking for approval. Watch that word i said. But yes, he did time in prison. When he was in prison he was called something else. He later changed his name to malcom x. Then after his trip to mecca, he would change it again. To something else. So malcom x at five names. What was his first name . What was his government legal name . What did his mother named him . I asked challenging them. Oh shoot, i should know this tyrone snapping his fingers trying to remember. Spike lee did a movie on him. And that i cocked my head to the side. After a moment he said i dont know ms. P. , i cannot call it. He gives up. I held the suspense long enough. You will never guess what i tell them. He was born malcolm little. And i write his first name on the board. So okay. When he was in the street hustling, getting paper what was the street name he went by i continued . Stunned to learn that he had a dark past in the streets, one adds, he sold drugs for real . He did a little bit of everything. Burglary, pimping, gambling, hustling, he was in the streets like you. So what was his hustling name i asked again . Looking at the faces and shrugging shoulders i tried to give a little help. Part of his name described the color of his hair. The other part was the name of the city where he was from. Harlem yells tyrone. Confident he is right. Harlem hey, others in the back say. Harlem got the most snitches. From across the room. One sexist teeth as he shoots back, not as many as broken. I mean snitching. I dont give a about snitches in brooklyn because i am not from brooklyn one response with a smile. Knowing his comment will surely get a rise out of his buddy tyrone but from brooklyn. Yoh, watch your mouth son he growls. Phone right into the truck to stir up drama by any means necessary. Another one of them sitting there tyrone chuckles like a muppet. I have to nip this in the butt. All right, all right every borough has snitches. Lets get this in focus. Being called a snitch is a disk. A dangerous dishonor like the mob calling you a rat. I immediately reengaged tyrone. You are on the right track, nothing did eventually hustle in harlem but he was not originally from harlem. A good guess though. Damn ms. P. I am stumped. I cannot call it. Tyrone shakes his head. He was called detroit red for his reddishbrown hair. I would have never guessed that says tyrone. Well, now you know. That is how you learn. I reassured him. Tyrones interest in the lesson seem to corral most of the class. He loves black history and nature to let me know. I like learning stuff like this. He says driving it on a sheet of paper. He nods his head and shoots me a friendly slightly flirty smile. His skin is the color of blackstrap molasses. And he has porcelain white teeth that shone like brandnew piano keys. Another student is determined to be a pain in my butt today. Hellbent on being the bane of my existence. He gets out of his seat and i asked him to please take a seat. Ms. P. , i dont care about no malcom x. What did he ever do for me . This boy makes my blood rice good i want to slap the taste out of his mouth for disrespecting my hero. One of the greatest, most courageous black leaders who i consider a divine miracle for black people. Our black shining prince in this raggedy pipsqueak, this ignorant Little Chicken bone his life was spent in sacrifice trying to