Over the past three months,
teachers around the country have been protesting
for decent pay and better classroom conditions
with strikes and marches
in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Colorado,
and one of the biggest ones happening right now in Arizona.
Arizona is facing a fifth day
of teacher walkouts and school closures today.
The strike is impacting nearly two-thirds
of the state's public schools
and nearly 800,000 students.
High school teacher Courtney Thompson
says she works four jobs just to make ends meet
and struggles at school.
We have cockroaches in our school.
We have rats in our school.
It is crowded.
Uh, hell, yeah, it's crowded.
You're also teaching rats and cockroaches.
And don't you dare call them pests,
because with the help of a passionate drama teacher,
those rats and roaches will put on
an absolutely stunning production of Spring Awakening.
But America really needs good teachers,
because without good teachers,
you get college dropouts who say things like this.
Now Kanye West is defending himself
against, really, the indefensible.
He said slavery was a choice.
Here's the sound.
You hear about slavery for 400 years.
For 400 years? That sounds like a choice.
(chuckles)
(chuckling)
(laughter, booing)
"Just-just me?"
No, Kanye, slavery is not a choice.
Going blond is a choice.
Both are terrible, but one is easier to undo.
Although, actually, you know what,
when I think about it, slavery was a choice--
for white people. Yeah.
White people were like,
"Hey, should we keep doing stuff ourselves
"or make other people do it for us?
"Hmm. Yeah, other people.
Yeah, that sounds good. That sounds good. Good choice."
So, Kanye West popped up at TMZ's offices
and decided to freestyle some history lessons.
Thankfully, TMZ staffer Van Lathan was there
to call Kanye out in person.
Producer Van Lathan taking West to task
about the slavery comment.
While you are making music and being an artist,
the rest of us in society
have to deal with these threats to our lives.
Frankly, I'm disappointed.
I'm appalled.
And, brother, I am unbelievably hurt
by the fact that you have morphed into something
to me that's not real.
Wow. That was powerful.
That was really, really powerful.
And you know there was one scared white person
in that office who was like, "Hello, police?"
(laughter and applause)
"There's two black people
arguing in the office right now."
(laughter)
You know, normally, I wouldn't really care
what Kanye West said about slavery or black history,
but what does suck is that now every member
of the tiki torch club out there
is gonna use Kanye's words to justify their hate.
You know, basically, the way Kanye samples
old-school soul music
is how racists are gonna sample him now.
And they'll be like...
♪ Well, black folks had choices ♪
♪ Like slavery ♪
So, look, Kanye may think he's just being a free thinker,
but the truth is, there's nothing good
coming out of this except maybe, maybe,
an idea for a new movie.
♪ ♪
And that servant that don't obey his lord
shall be beaten with many strikes.
Oh! Shit!
Love my job!
♪ In my life ♪
Hey, y'all ready to pick some cotton?
I got doughnuts.
♪ I see the light ♪
♪ Oh, Lord ♪
Being a slave is the best choice I ever made.
I get to work and have fun in the sun.
Master brought you here to work. That's all.
Any more will earn you 100 lashes.
I may need to talk to HR about that.
♪ Want you to be ♪
Do what you love,
and you never work a day in your life.
-Get back to work, boy! -Ooh, shit.
♪ ♪
Roy Wood Jr., everybody.