You know, everywhere in the world, the question inevitably comes up: "Do you play basketball?"
不論在世界的哪個角落, 我免不了都會被問到這個問題: 「你會打籃球嗎?」
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
From the neighbor across the street -- "Hey, do you hoop?" -- to the five-foot-seven guy at TSA PreCheck --
從對街的鄰居: 「嘿,你會灌籃嗎?」 到負責旅客快速安檢的五呎七吋男,
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
that swore that he could beat me one on one.
發誓他能在一對一 籃球鬥牛中打敗我。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
I despise fitting into the lane or the mold that this question insinuates. But I reluctantly say, “Yes.” I am a two-time NCAA champion.
我很討厭 讓自己被這個問題 所影射的刻板印象給框住。 但我很不情願地說了:「會」。 我拿過國家大學體育協會的兩次冠軍。
(Cheers)
(歡呼)
(Applause)
(掌聲)
Thank you.
謝謝。
A two-time gold medalist and a two-time --
拿過兩次金牌,還有兩次——
(Applause)
(掌聲)
A two-time WNBA champion.
兩次國家女子籃球聯盟的冠軍。
(Cheers)
(歡呼)
But inside I scream, "I am so much more."
但我的內心在大叫: 「我遠不只如此。」
(Applause)
(掌聲)
You see, barrier breaking is about not staying in your lane and not being something that the world expects you to be. It's about not accepting limitations. It starts with inspiration, and it's a foundation built upon picking apart what everybody thinks is the right way to do things. There are so many barrier breakers in here that are fighting so hard to unlock doors that they may never walk through, but they do it anyway because we're standing on the shoulders of those that did it for us. It's an uphill battle, and it doesn't guarantee big wins or lots of success. And throughout that uphill battle, I think all of us look for hope, right? We all look for optimism. And mine is my daughter and this next generation.
突破藩籬的重點在於 不要只是做好所謂的本分, 不要被世俗的框架 限制住你所能扮演的角色。 重點是不向限制低頭。 它從鼓舞靈感開始, 它是個基礎,建立在打破 別人認為正確的做事方式之上。 在座有好多突破藩籬的人, 努力奮鬥去解鎖那些他們 可能永遠無法步入的門, 但他們還是做了, 因為我們站在那些曾為了我們 而奮鬥的人們的肩膀上。 這是場硬仗,且不保證 能大勝或有許多成功。 在那場硬仗的過程中, 我想我們都在尋找希望吧? 我們都在尋找樂觀。 對我而言,是我的女兒和下個世代。
You see, I get to be the mom to an amazing 12-year-old daughter.
我是個媽媽,
Yes, I know. I am partial.
有個很棒的十二歲女兒。 對,我知道,我偏心。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
But she's pretty dope. I've been fortunate enough to travel the world with her while she allows her mom to fight for her dreams. We've played in Russia, and I say we because she really does think she's part of the team.
但她相當出色。 我很幸運能和她一起環遊世界, 同時她也讓她媽媽 為了自己的夢想奮戰。 我們曾到俄羅斯打球,我說「我們」 是因為她真心認為她也是 球隊的一員。(笑聲)
(Laughter)
我們在俄羅斯、土耳其、 中國都打過球。
We played in Russia, Turkey, China. And throughout that journey, I thought I would be the one teaching her, challenging her, being the example for her. But I’ve realized it’s a two-way street. You see, at three years old, I decided to enroll her in school in Russia. I was like, I wanted her to have a normal life, right? I want her to be able to meet kids her age. So at three, she befriended this little girl. Her name was Masha. Masha didn't speak any English. Lailaa barely spoke Russian, but her parents invited us over to their house. And so we went. We went for this playdate. So we knock on the door, and Masha's parents open the door so graciously and welcome us into their home. And we step forward, and I realize there’s no floor. It's a modest home. It's one room with a couch on the side that pulls out into the bed that they sleep on. There's a wood fire oven in the middle that heats the room and that they cook with. And at three years old, I was concerned. So I go to grab Lailaa, but I was too late. She looked in the corner and she said, “A dollhouse!” And Masha and Lailaa ran to the corner to play with the dollhouse. I'm so proud that that's my kid, and I can't say that I had much to do with that. She has a way of like uniting people, finding commonality, of rolling with the punches, of making the best of situations.
在那場旅程中, 我以為我會是負責教導她、 挑戰她、做榜樣給她看的人。 但我了解到,這關係是雙向的。 她三歲時,我就決定 讓她在俄羅斯上學。 我希望她能過正常的 生活,我希望她能夠 和同年齡的小孩相處。 三歲時,她和一個叫做 瑪莎的小女孩成了朋友。 瑪莎完全不會說英語。 萊拉幾乎不會說俄語。 但她父母邀請我們去他們家做客。 所以我們在孩子玩樂日去造訪。 我們敲了門,瑪莎的 父母親切地開門, 歡迎我們到訪。 往前踩了一步,我發現沒有地板。 這是個簡陋的家。 只有一個房間, 邊上有一張沙發,拉出來 就變成他們睡覺的床。 中間有個木製火爐,保持室內溫暖, 也用來煮菜。 萊拉才三歲,我很擔心。 所以我想去抓住萊拉, 但我遲了一步。 她朝角落看去說道:「是娃娃屋!」 瑪莎和萊拉就跑去角落玩娃娃屋。 我為我的孩子感到驕傲, 我不敢說我有什麼功勞。 她有辦法團結大家,尋到共同點, 隨機應變,盡力而為。
I’ve always wanted to uplift her, because the messaging that I received from home was never shrink yourself to fit into this world, that you're enough, that everyone is enough, but you need to be individually you all the time. I was fortunate to grow up in an environment with my parents and my two brothers who empowered me every single day. They told me I can do anything I set my mind to, so much so that my nickname was “Can Do.”
我一直都想要鼓舞她, 因為我的家傳遞給我的訊息 就是永遠不要縮小自己 來配合這個世界, 你夠好,每個人都夠好, 但你須保有完整的個人獨特性。 我很幸運,成長的環境中 有我父母和兩個兄弟, 他們每天都讓我變得更有能力。 他們告訴我,有志者事竟成, 到了我的小名被稱為 「能做」的程度。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
And it was later extended by my brothers to “Can Do Anything And Get Away With It.”
後來被我兄弟再延伸成 「做任何事都能僥倖脫身。」
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
I was the baby of the family. Yes, I was the baby, and I didn't lack confidence. If I wasn't kicking the ball out of the recess school parking lot in a dress, to my moms despise, or high, high in the trees. I loved to compete. At everything, not just in sports, either. This one time my teacher in elementary school, he said, "I want to know who can learn the helping verb song the fastest.
我是家中的寶貝。 是的,我是寶貝, 且我不會缺乏信心。 下課時,我若不是穿著 洋裝在停車場踢球, 這讓我媽很抓狂, 要不然就是爬到高高的樹上。 我喜歡競爭。 各方面,不只是在運動上。 有一次,我的小學老師, 他說:「我想知道誰能 最快學會助動詞的歌。」
(Sings)
(唱歌)
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
I love to compete. I was that kid. I was that kid.
我喜歡競爭。 我就是那種孩子。我就是那種孩子。
(Applause)
(掌聲)
But what I loved so much was that I was allowed to be me. I was allowed to compete. I was allowed to speak my mind. My parents encouraged that. Just because you're a girl, you don't have to stay in a certain lane.
但我非常喜歡的, 是我被允許做自己。 我被允許去競爭。 我被允許說出我的想法。 我父母鼓勵我這麼做。 不要因為你是女孩, 就必須要是某種樣子。
And then something happened in 1997. The women’s professional basketball league started. The WNBA had its inaugural season when I was 11 years old, and I saw people that looked like me playing the game that I loved so much. I no longer had to go out in the driveway and try to dunk like Michael Jordan. I could go out and get buckets like Cynthia Cooper.
接著,1997 年發生了一件事。 女子職業籃球聯賽開始了。 WNBA 的第一季的 那年,我十一歲, 我看到外觀像我的人, 在進行我好熱愛的比賽。 我不再需要到車道上, 學麥可‧喬丹灌籃。 我可以像辛西婭‧庫珀 一樣在球場上電人。
(Applause)
(掌聲)
You see, my parents encouraged sports because sports in their eyes was a microcosm of life. You learn to win. You learn to lose. You learn to work through obstacles. You learn to get up when you don't want to. You learn to value differences, because those are important. But as I ventured out into the world, I realized, like, the world wasn't so uplifting towards differences, right? The world had a way of ... putting differences in a box.
我父母鼓勵我們運動, 因為在他們的眼中, 運動就像是人生的縮影。 你學會贏。 你學會輸。 你學會努力克服障礙, 學會即使不想也得要爬起來。 你學會珍視差異,因為它們很重要。 但當我向外闖天下時,我發現, 世界並沒有很鼓勵差異,對吧? 世界總有辦法…… 用刻板印象看待差異。
For instance, I received my girls basketball uniform in middle school. It was old and smelly and tight. The boys got brand new ones. My brother worked his butt off to get into one of the most prestigious medical schools in the country. My family was so proud. We heard the whispers: they said, “Quotas.” The world had a way of just putting differences in a box and then getting mad when we had the audacity to not fit. Just as an individual, you get mad at me for not fitting in the box that you made.
舉例來說, 我在中學時拿到我的 女子籃球隊球衣。 很老舊、很臭、很緊。 男生的球衣則是全新的。 我哥哥拼了命, 進到全國最負盛名的醫學院之一。 我的家人感到很驕傲。 我們聽到有人在傳: 「只是保障名額。」 這個世界總是有辦法 用刻板印象看待差異, 如果我們有膽量不扮演 那刻板印象,他們就會生氣。 身為一個人, 你會因為我不符合 你定義的形象而生氣。
There was a time that went by where ... I didn't want to say yes to the basketball question. Because if I checked that box, then I checked all of their other assumptions, right? So competitive juices kicked in. I'll show you, I'll show you. I'm going to be the best. Girls can't dunk in a game? I'll dunk twice.
曾經有一段時間…… 對前述的那個籃球問題, 我不想回答「會」。 因為如果我符合了 他們的這一項假設, 就等同我承認了 他們的其他假設,對吧? 於是,競爭心態就被點燃了。 我做給你看,我做給你看。 我要成為最好的。女生不會 灌籃?我就灌兩次給你看。
(Applause)
(掌聲)
You can't hold up an MVP trophy pregnant? OK, I'll show you. You can't have a family, a career and nurse your daughter. I came back nine weeks post-delivery and I played in a game, and I nursed my daughter for 13 months.
懷孕了就不可能拿到 最有價值球員獎? 好,我做給你看。 你不能兼顧家庭、 職涯,還要哺育女兒? 我產後九週就復出, 上場比賽,還哺育我女兒十三個月。
(Applause)
(掌聲)
You can't be on the cover of a video game. You can’t do a TED Talk as an athlete.
你不可能登上電玩遊戲的封面。 你無法以運動員的身分去 TED 演講。
(Cheers)
(歡呼)
(Applause)
(掌聲)
But this entire time, my idea of breaking barriers was being something so that the world could see that it was possible. But breaking down barriers isn't always records.
但這一路上, 我對於突破藩籬的想法 就是去做到什麼, 讓世界看到這是有可能的。 但,突破藩籬不見得都和記錄有關。
In [2021], like most of you, I sat around the television because I knew this was a moment. I sat my daughter front and center. I said, "Lailaa, watch this." The first African-American Asian Vice President was being sworn in. This is a moment that you might not appreciate now.
2021 年,和大部分人一樣, 我坐在電視機前, 因為我知道就是這一刻了。 我要我女兒在電視機前坐好, 我說:「萊拉,好好看著。」 第一位亞非裔美國人 宣誓就任副總統。 你現在可能對這一刻還無感。
(Applause)
(掌聲)
But in time you will. And as Kamala Harris was being sworn in, I said, “Lailaa, now look at her. Now you can do that too.”
但年紀漸長,你會懂的。 當賀錦麗宣誓就職時, 我說:「萊拉,看看她。 現在你也能做這件事了。」
And Lailaa looked at me. She looked through my eyes, and she said, “Why couldn’t I before?”
萊拉看著我。 她看著我的雙眼,她說: 「為什麼以前我不能?」
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
(Applause)
(掌聲)
Suddenly, I felt this big because I had become what I despised the most in this world. I had put her in a box because you see, the story that the world told me was women aren’t Vice Presidents. And I had assumed that that's what they had told my daughter. I'm telling you, Generation Z, my daughter's generation, they're changing the world, they're changing the world through conversation, through unity and through living as though boxes and barriers don't exist. It's no longer enough to just put your head down. Get the job. Accomplish the feat. We have to unite, to come together, to figure out why barriers are there in the first place. And Generation Z is doing that. They're listening. They're seeing both sides. And they're uniting for causes that don't directly impact them. We have entire sports leagues that are standing up for what they believe in. It's no longer just one athlete. We have men that are fighting for women to receive equal pay. We have white allies that are protesting racial inequalities. We are talking about mental health.
突然,我覺得自己這麼渺小。 因為我成了世界上 我最討厭的那種人。 我對她有了刻板印象, 因為,這個世界告訴我的故事 就是女性無法當副總統。 我就假設,他們也這樣告訴我女兒。 告訴各位,Z 世代,我女兒的世代, 他們在改變世界, 他們改變世界的方式是透過談話、 透過團結, 且當作刻板印象及藩籬 都不存在般地過生活。 光是埋頭苦幹已經不足夠了。 拿到那份工作。 完成那項功績。 我們得團結, 同心協力搞清楚 藩籬最初是怎麼產生的? 那正是 Z 世代 在做的事。他們在傾聽。 他們能看見對立的兩面。 他們正為了不會直接 影響到他們的目標而團結。 我們有整個運動聯盟, 為了他們的信念而站出來。 不再只是一個運動員。 我們有男性 在為女性爭取平等的薪資。 我們有白人盟友 為了種族不平等而抗議。 我們在談論心理健康。
And you know what's so special? My daughter the other week came up and handed me a list of stores that we're not allowed to shop at anymore.
你們知道特別的是什麼嗎? 某一週我女兒來找我,拿給我 一張清單,列出我們要抵制的商店。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
I’m like, “Lailaa, like, another lesson, like, already?” She's like, "Mom, we're not allowed to shop at these stores because they're not body positive and body conscious towards all shapes and sizes.”
我說:「萊拉, 又有新的一課了嗎?」 她說:「媽,我們要抵制這些商店 是因為它們沒有對所有的體型 做到身體自愛和身體意識。」 (掌聲)
(Applause)
And you know what, I'm listening, I'll be honest, and I'm learning, and you should, too, because my optimism lies in the next. That they will take our obstacles, our struggles, our insecurities, our challenges and not see them as obstacles, but as opportunities. Or they may not even acknowledge them at all.
你們知道嗎?我在聽, 老實說,我在學習,各位也應該要, 因為我把我的樂觀放在下一代。 他們在看待我們的障礙、 我們的掙扎、 我們的不安全感、我們的難題時, 會把它們視為機會,而非阻礙。 或者他們根本不會認為它們存在。
I'm proud because Generation Z are proud, bold, and they're themselves.
我很驕傲,因為 Z 世代
Because those ... that were told that they can't their entire life are having kids that are making us believe that we can.
很驕傲,大膽,且做自己。 因為那些…… 一生中都被灌輸著 不可能做得到的人們, 現在他們所生的孩子正在 讓我們相信我們可以做到。
So go ahead, ask me if I play basketball, and I’ll proudly say, “Yes.” Because I realize I was the one putting basketball in a box all along.
所以,請便, 問我會不會打籃球, 我會很驕傲地說:「會」。 因為我了解到, 從頭到尾都是我自己 把籃球套上刻板印象。
Thank you so much for this opportunity.
非常謝謝給我這個機會。
(Cheers)
(歡呼)
(Applause)
(掌聲)