All language subtitles for Klepper s01e03 Underground University

College. For me, college was about
experimenting with facial hair,

sketch comedy in front of tens of
people, and impersonating Michael

dancing, specifically.

For undocumented students, it's
different.

Education, not segregation!

Education, not segregation!

Education, not segregation!

I do miss that goatee.

I work in construction.

It's corny, but I really love waking up
like really early in the morning and

going to work.

Construction is not what I want to do
for the long run.

I would like to...

find a career in helping people, maybe
as a social worker.

So you want to go to college?

Mm -hmm. And you want to be a social
worker?

I think that speaks to your integrity.

Oh, thank you. That means a lot. Unless
you're full of shit.

No, no. You're not full of shit, are
you? No, no, no, no. All right, well,

take the compliment, yeah.

This is Mondo. He loves the gym, hanging
with friends, and one day he hopes to

go to college.

If he lived almost anywhere else in the
country, he could do that.

But he lives in Georgia, where kids like
him are legally banned from the state's

top public universities.

And that's all because of one thing.

Mondo is an undocumented immigrant.

Why'd your family come to America?

I came here when I was six.

I don't remember how I got here. I don't
really remember much about where I came

from. So are you six, and you're like,
Mom?

Dad, I'm making the decision to come to
America. There's business opportunities.

I want to get there. I want to get in on
the ground floor. No, definitely not.

Definitely not. I was just thrust over
here just randomly and then just started

my life here. You came to Atlanta. It's
a fashionable city. Yes, of course.

Yeah, yeah.

It's where the players play.

Yeah, of course. Atlanta.

Atlanta. There we go.

Welcome to Atlanta, where in 2010, an
unelected panel called the Georgia Board

of Regents passed policy 416.

barring undocumented students and DACA
recipients, a .k .a. dreamers, who have

temporary protection from the state's
top public universities.

Meaning the taxes they pay fund the
universities they can't attend.

Fun fact, before the Civil Rights
Movement, those exact same schools

African Americans.

History doesn't always repeat itself,
but it does rhyme with faces.

Fortunately, students like Mondo have an
alternative. They attend a secret

underground college called Freedom
University.

And the school's director, Dr. Emiko
Soltis, agreed to take me there.

Why keep it secret?

A lot of people are trying to keep
undocumented students out of classrooms.

receive some pretty hateful emails, some
threats. And in comment sections,

people encourage others to find us and
shoot up our classrooms.

There's actually people saying to shoot
up the classrooms?

Yep. And we exist in part because
Georgia is by far the worst state to

if you're undocumented. The most
punitive, the most discriminatory, the

unapologetic about.

Their hate.

So, on the upside, we're number one.

In discrimination, yep. Yeah, you might
want to leave that off.

Emmy Koh and her students are letting us
film under the condition that we do not

disclose their location.

Can we just have a moment kind of off
camera where we actually talk about just

like safety and stuff like that? With
students, 100%. For these students, just

showing their faces on camera could put
them in jeopardy. Cameras are off.

Okay. So, as I enter, I don't know what
to expect.

Given the scorn from the Board of
Regents and the threats from hate

want to know what this radical Latinx
madrasa really looks like. We're

approaching X from negative six.

And I say, what is F of negative six?

Oh, it looks like fucking school.

There's music, calculus, and a dozen
other subjects taught by artists,

and professors from local colleges who
volunteer their time.

Like a lot of Americans, I took school
for granted. But these kids know how

difficult it can be to get into a
classroom, and they're legitimately

even when their homework is watching
failed surgeries.

So when you're in art class, it's easy
to forget the hostile environment these

kids face outside.

It was probably fifth grade, and we were
talking about our dream careers. I

mentioned to all my friends I wanted to
be a doctor, and this girl in my class

told me not to dream so big because the
only thing I would ever be was a maid in

her house.

What? Yeah. Was her name Becky? That
sounds like a Becky thing to say.

At Freedom Youth, students don't just
learn things like math and science.

They're also educated on the context of
their own immigration status, which they

then parlay into activism.

Undocumented!

Undocumented!

Undocumented! It's heavy stuff, which
today they tackle with trivia games.

Welcome to human rights class today.
Today's our big UndocuJeopardy class.

It's an open book battle between my
team.

Daka, daka, goof.

I'm the goof. I think I'm the goof.

The boys, with a Z, tacos, a name they
gave themselves, and Lily, who was

apparently so good at this game that she
plays by herself.

Only 42 % of young adults in Georgia
have college education.

That's correct.

In order for Georgia to meet the demands
of a global economy, 60 % of Georgians

should have a college degree.

If you have access to higher education,
how much money are you projected to get

over a lifetime had you not gotten
higher education?

$830 ,492. When we're talking about
intergenerational poverty, access to

education has a serious impact.

Final question.

In 1995...

The undocumented population in Georgia
was 55 ,000 people. By 2008, the

undocumented population was 425 ,000
people.

This six -fold increase is attributed to
what historical event?

The Olympics. Wait, can you repeat that
question?

What did you say? The Olympics. That's
correct.

That's right, the Olympics.

Here's a history lesson.

We are less than 24 hours away from the
1996 Summer Olympic Games.

As the Atlanta Games were approaching,
the city was seriously behind schedule.

So they did what all Americans do when
they're short on funds and need a job

done now.

They hired an immigrant.

Immigration enforcement was allegedly
suspended, and the undocumented

exploded. After Georgia got its
stadiums, it decided it didn't need

anymore and went on to win the gold.

In being complete dicks.

The state spent the following decades
enacting some of the harshest anti

-immigrant policies in the nation. And
now their new governor has taken up the

torch. I got a big truck.

Just in case I need to round up criminal
illegals. Did he just say that?

Yep, I just said that.

Sorry.

It's a bit winded from all the mental
gymnastics it takes to justify being a

dick.

Illegal immigration reduces wages and
strains public services.

The lack of border control provides a
gateway for criminals and gang

members to enter the United States.

Vast quantities of lethal narcotics are
flooding through our border. A steel

barrier will help us stop illegal
immigration.

Thank you and God bless America.

On the crime.

The amount of drugs I have in my
apartment right now?

I'll tell you. I know who brought those
drugs in.

I brought the drugs in.

After class, I hitch a ride with Marta
and Dania. They're dreamers, a .k .a.

recipients of DACA, which gives them
temporary residency, which is more

than many of their classmates have.

Do you have your seatbelt on this time,
Jordan?

I do.

Just growing up undocumented, your
parents always like, oh, are they going

ask me, like, where are your papers?

I grew up with a lot of fear, like my
dad not having a license.

I wouldn't ask him to take me to school
events because I was always so scared of

him getting pulled over or something.

What about other students who don't have
DACA who are undocumented at Freedom U?

I don't mind picking up somebody even if
they're like an hour away or something,

like if it means they're going to be
safe.

I feel so blessed to be able to do that
for my other friends.

Yeah, DACA is great, but we've been here
our whole lives. We don't want just

temporary relief.

DACA is the It's Complicated of
immigration statuses.

Uh -huh.

All right.

Marta thinks I'm hilarious, but the
situation is serious.

Most young Americans don't give driving
a second thought, but for undocumented

students, it can be terrifying.

So ironically, we got pulled over.

Okay. You guys are doing okay?

Like, my heart's racing just thinking
about it.

He had a flashlight already out. And
right away, as soon as I saw it, I was

like, okay, he's looking for something.
And then he asked, do you have any

weapons or drugs in the car?

There was no law broken. No. He just
pulled you over.

I don't know. It really scared me
because I don't want to think about...

Fuck you, Georgia.

You don't think about the tension or the
anxieties that these kids have to deal

with day in and day out.

You ask them a little bit more about
their day -to -day, and that's when

stand out.

And you realize, oh, the idea of
driving, that in and of itself, is

I never think about drama with driving.
Even when I'm speeding, I'm not thinking

about getting pulled over.

Partially because I'm a celebrity.

And when you're a celebrity, all you got
to do is blow the police officer and

they'll let you off.

When you're famous, they'll let you do
anything.

I wonder why anyone would try to keep
these students and their families from

doing something as simple as driving. Or
what type of person would support the

current Georgia Board of Regents ban?

I support the current Georgia Board of
Regents ban because one way that we can

foster legal immigration and discourage
greatly illegal immigration is

demagnetizing the magnets that bring
illegal immigrants here.

Do you think Mexicans are made of metal?

I don't understand what that means.

This is Phil Kent, a political operative
and spokesman for groups like Pro

-English that support anti -immigrant
legislation in Georgia.

When folks like him say, demagnetizing
the magnets, what he really means is

making life unbearable for immigrants by
cutting off access to things like jobs

and school.

Let's talk specifically about
undocumented people here in America.

By the way, to interrupt you, I always
chuckle at the word undocumented.

some of the most documented people in
the world. It's just that they're fake.

They're fake? Okay, so they're liars.
That's one way to paint it. Let me paint

this undocumented. Don't you agree?

The people that I spent the last few
days with, they want a better education.

They want to be a part of America.

And they came here when they were very
young because their parents were

searching for a better life, a .k .a.
the American dream or some horseshit

that. What do they deserve here in this
great country that we both get to live

in? I would like to wave a magic wand
and have everyone happy. But? Because a

lot of these kids deserve it. There's a
but coming. But I think a lot of them

don't. Do you believe this is a civil
rights issue?

I'm going to say that the difference
between Martin Luther King and the

for equality by African Americans is
that they were citizens and that they

disenfranchised and that there was
systemic discrimination in the South by

Black Americans, they wanted dignity.

They wanted to be treated as humans.
Whereas these are immigrants.

Welcome Charles Black to class,
everybody.

St. Charles has not only been a
supporter of Freedom University, but he

very active in the Atlanta student
movement.

And he was also one of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr.'s eight students at Morehouse

College. What does Dr. King mean when he
states, but today, more than ever, the

black person realizes that while
studying, he can also act to change the

conditions which cripple his future.

I think the fact that the students that
he was teaching and the students that

were paying attention to the movement
were so eager for the change that they

were willing to risk their lives and
also risk arrest. I think that's very

courageous of them.

I mean, a lot of people connect Freedom
University with the civil rights

movement and see a lot of parallels.

As somebody who was on the front lines,
I was wondering what parallels you see.

I grew up in Miami, Florida.

There was no college in Miami that I
could attend because of my scan.

So what that amounted to was serious
brain drain from those communities.

So that is a definite parallel between
the experience that you're having now.

That's a very good question.

We discussed last week that we wanted to
move forward with a direct action on

February 12th at the next Board of
Regents meeting.

of a direct action is that anytime
you're disrupting a public hearing,

could potentially arrest people for
criminal trespassing or disrupting a

government assembly.

But you do have a huge community of
people who are willing to support you,

in for you, and get arrested.

I'm a little nervous today at the Board
of Regents day. I mean, what is so...

What's so scary is a lot of these kids
don't know what could happen. I think

just walking into a space where there's
going to be a police officer, that's not

a small thing.

When I used to go to Board of Regents
meetings as a kid, I remember, I'm

kidding, I never went to a Board of
Regents meeting as a kid.

Here's what I know.

To protest policy 416, students have
chosen to make and wear butterfly wings,

symbol of migration.

It's nerve -wracking, it's scary, but
then at least I'll have this to know

I fought as hard as I could.

To mitigate risk, the students have
asked for the help of allies like local

pastors and educators, anyone who can
leverage their citizenship and status as

protectors. What can people like me, or
specifically me, do to help out a

situation like this?

Listen. Say that again?

Listen. Listen. Okay. Show up and find
where you are most powerful.

If that means you have a show on Comedy
Central.

use that power to amplify the voices of
undocumented youth.

And I'd like to call to order the
February meeting of the Board of Regents

the University System of Georgia. Good
morning, everyone.

And the meeting will now come to order.

Dear Lord, we ask that you provide us
with strength and provide us with the

ability to continue to do what we have
to do. In your name we pray. Amen.

Thank you. You may be seated. Thank you,
Mr. Bradley.

We call upon your power and presence to
move the moral conscience of

these leaders that they would allow us
to overcome segregation in education

again today by allowing undocumented
students, undocumented young people to

participate fully.

In George's system.

God,

your word says that your young ones will
have visions and your elders will have

dreams. So we pray that you can allow
these students to live their dream. We

want education, not segregation.

I am not a man of faith. I am a godless
comedian.

So I can't speak with any kind of moral
authority towards the board. But I can

say that education, not segregation.

Thank you. Education, not segregation.

Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank
you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you.

I don't think that's right.

Either we're going to leave or we're
going to arrest you. That's what we

want to do. So I'm asking you nicely,
could you please leave?

We pray this is a nation under God.

We're getting arrested.

We're getting jammed.

Not segregation.

Officer, where are we heading?

Probably not good.

Nine people were arrested this week for
disrupting a Georgia Board of Regents

meeting, among them the former Comedy
Central host, arguing that students'

immigration status did not matter.

We're the city of the dream, and we're
not living up to that dream. We're not

living up to who we are as the state and
the city of civil rights.

We have to do it. I'm thinking about it.

Change takes time, but it's not
impossible.

We're not going to sit down. That's
exactly what the wings are for. We're

to fly. We're not here to sit down.

Sit down means to, like, give up.

Are you talking to me or your family?

You, Ben. You're my one phone home.

Okay, I love you too.

I had been in jail for 12 hours, but my
spirits were high knowing that the

students were safe, although I'm sure
they were struggling in my absence.

Pinch, and then twist.

Put it together, and then twist those
two together.

Jail is no joke.

I did have to drop my pants and cough to
see if anything would fall out of my

anus.

That really happened today. If you never
thought twice about going to college,

driving a car, and can make jokes as you
get arrested... All the times I wanted

to try a city bike, and my hands are
tied.

You've got some privilege, and you can
use it to stand up for those who aren't

so lucky. Hell, some people even
dedicate their whole lives to doing

this. Personally, I'm not quite there
yet.

I mentioned I had to squat bare -ass to
cough to see if something fell on my

ass. I did, I did it, like right away.
That's like the first thing they do.

If Martin Luther King's calculations are
correct, the arc of the moral universe

will bend toward justice.

Although, I may have done my math wrong.

As of today, the Board of Regents ban on
undocumented students still stands.

But that doesn't mean they've lost the
fight.

Georgia's losing.

Like, maybe we're going to go out there
and become lawyers and doctors.

And, like, we're not going to come back
to Georgia where they didn't want to

give us the opportunity. So what do you
get?

You guys, we have a really important
announcement to make as well.

I applied to Prescott College in
Arizona, and I got accepted.

Tell them that you won in DocuJeopardy
twice.

Trouble in my head.