I want to start out with quoting Helen Keller, that great woman that we all admire. And she had a statement that is very profound, and this statement is that science has been able to find cures for many evils, but never the greatest evil of all in human beings, and that evil is apathy.
Quero empezar citando a Hellen Keller, esa gran muller que todos admiramos. E ela fixo unha declaración que é moi profunda, o que dixo é que a ciencia foi capaz de atopar curas para moitos demos, pero nunca para o maior demo de todos dentro dos seres humanos, e ese demo é a apatía.
So, we know that apathy really costs us a lot, especially in our democracy. And when we think of why people do not get involved, why they do not become activists, it's often that people are so worn down with their own familial responsibilities, and women especially.
Sabemos que a apatía abofé que nos supón un gran custo, especialmente na nosa democracia. E cando pensamos en por que a xente non se compromete, por que non se converten en activistas, a miúdo é que a xente está tan esgotada coas súas responsabilidades familiares, e as mulleres especialmente.
You know, women, they have so many inhibitions. Many of them have suffered so much trauma in their lives, so many aggressions in their lives. And so it's very hard for them to realize that they have leadership capacities. That they can get out there, and they could change the world. Another thing that many women -- we think that we have to do everything. That we are the only ones responsible for our families, and it is so hard for us to delegate and just get others to help us do the duties that we are responsible for. We feel embarrassed or we feel guilty. But we know that we have to make this happen, because if not, we will never have time to be able to volunteer to help on these many causes that are now facing us. One of the areas that women can give up a little bit of time and that is in shopping, OK?
Sabedes, as mulleres, teñen tantas inhibicións. Moitas delas teñen sufrido tantos traumas nas súas vidas, tantas agresións nas súas vidas. Por iso élles moi difícil darse conta de que teñen capacidades de liderado. De que poden saír aí fóra e cambiar o mundo. Outra cousa que moitas mulleres... pensamos que temos que facer todo. Que somos as únicas responsables das nosas familias, e para nós é moi difícil delegar e conseguir que outros nos axuden coas nosas responsabilidades. Sentímonos avergoñadas ou culpables. Pero sabemos que temos que acadar isto, porque se non, nunca teremos tempo para facer voluntariado para axudar nas moitas causas que temos diante. Unha das áreas á que as mulleres podemos quitar algo de tempo é ir de compras, non si?
(Laughter)
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And especially when we go out there shopping for things that we don't even need.
E especialmente cando saímos comprar cousas que nin sequera precisamos.
(Laughter)
(Risadas)
You know, you never saw a hearse with a U-Haul behind it.
Sabedes, nunca vistes un coche fúnebre cun camión de mudanzas detrás.
(Laughter)
(Risadas)
We have to live simply, so that others can simply live. And when we think of the kind of inheritance that we want to leave to our children or our grandchildren, think of leaving them a legacy of justice. This is a legacy that they can not only imitate, but they can be proud of for the rest of their lives. If we leave them a lot of material goods, all they're going to do is fight, and they're going to hate each other. Just remember that, when we think about what we're doing.
Temos que vivir simplemente, para que outros poidan simplemente vivir. E cando pensemos no tipo de herdanza que queremos deixar ós nosos fillos ou netos, pensemos deixarlles un legado de xustiza. Este é un legado que poden, non só imitar, senón que tamén os fará sentir orgullosos o resto das súas vidas Se lles deixamos moitos bens materiais, o único que van facer é pelexar, e vanse odiar uns ós outros. Só lembrade iso, cando pensemos no que estamos facendo.
The other thing that we have to do to liberate our women, eventually, so that we can do the kind of volunteer work that we need to do to change this world, is we have to have a different kind of an education for our young women. Unfortunately, in our societies around the world, women are taught to be victims. Women are not taught that they are going to have to defend themselves, that they're going to have to support themselves and they have to protect themselves. Because, you know, when we actually look at the animal kingdom, and we see who are the most ferocious, the male or the female? We know it's the female, right? So something went wrong with us at the top of that animal kingdom as women.
A outra cousa que temos que facer para liberar as nosas mulleres, algún día, para que poidamos facer o traballo desinteresado que precisamos facer para cambiar este mundo, é que temos que ter un tipo de educación diferente para as nosas nenas. Desgraciadamente, nas sociedades do noso mundo, apréndennos ás mulleres a sermos víctimas. Non nos aprenden que imos ter que defendernos nós mesmas, que imos ter que apoiarse entre nós mesmas e que temos que protexernos a nós mesmas. Porque, sabedes, certamente cando miramos ó reino animal, e vemos quen son os máis feros, os machos ou as femias? Sabemos que son as femias, verdade? Entón algo nos saíu mal ás mulleres na cima dese reino animal.
(Laughter)
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So I want to give you an example of how I found my voice. And I was very fortunate in that, when I was 25 years old, I met a gentleman named Fred Ross Sr., who organized a chapter of a group called the Community Service Organization in my hometown of Stockton, California. This was a grassroots organization, and I was recruited to be a volunteer. So, one day, while we were sitting in the office, a farm worker comes in. And he's paralyzed, he can hardly walk, he has a crutch. And he needs help. He needs someone to help him go down to the welfare office and make an application. So, I volunteered to do that. But when I got to the welfare office, they would not let me make an application for this gentleman. So I didn't know what to do, I was at a loss. So I went back to the office, and I told Mr. Ross, "They won't let me make an application." And he said to me, very sternly, "You go right back down to that welfare office, and you demand to see a supervisor. And you demand that they let him make an application." And I thought, "Wow, I can do that?"
Entón, quero darvos un exemplo de como eu atopei a miña voz. E fun moi afortunada niso, cando eu tiña 25 anos, coñecín un señor chamado Fred Ross Sr., que organizou unha etapa dun grupo chamado Organización do Servizo á Comunidade na miña terra Stockton, California. Era unha organización popular, e eu fun reclutada como voluntaria. Así que, un día, mentres estabamos sentados na oficina, entra un traballador dunha granxa. Estaba paralizado, case non podía andar, levaba unha muleta. E precisaba axuda. Precisaba que o axudasen a baixar á oficina de asistencia e facer unha solicitude. Así que, me ofrecín voluntaria para facelo. Pero cando cheguei á oficina de asistencia, non me deixaron facer unha solicitude para este señor. Eu non sabía que facer, estaba perdida. Así que volvín á oficina, e díxenlle a Mr. Ross, "Non me van deixar facer a solicitude" E el díxome, moi serio, "Ti volve baixar a esa oficina de asistencia, e pide ver un supervisor. E esixe que lle deixen facer a el a solicitude." E eu pensei, "Vaites, podo facer eu iso?"
(Laughter)
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So I thought about it, and I kind of overcame my anxieties and my fears. I went down to the welfare office and I demanded to see the supervisor. Sure enough, he came out, and they had to let Mr. Ruiz make an application for welfare. And he got his disability for himself and his family. But that taught me a lesson. That taught me that I had a voice.
Entón pensei niso, e foi como se me sobrepuxese ás miñas ansiedades e medos. Baixei á oficina de asistencia e esixin ver o supervisor. Efectivamente, el saíu, e tiveron que deixar a Mr. Ruiz facer unha solicitude de asistencia. E obtivo a discapacidade para si e para a súa familia. Pero iso aprendeume unha lección. Iso aprendeume que eu tiña voz.
Well, Mr. Ross also taught many of us many other things, including Cesar Chavez and many other volunteers. And he taught us not only that we can make demands of people, especially our public officials. And this is something we should always keep in mind: every public official -- guess what -- they work for us. Because we pay their salaries with out taxes. And they are actually our servants. Some of them turn out to be leaders, but not all of them.
Ben, Mr. Ross tamén nos aprendeu a moitos outras cousas, incluíndo a Cesar Chavez e a moitos outros voluntarios. E aprendeunos non só que podíamos esixir cousas á xente, especialmente ós nosos funcionarios. E isto é algo que sempre debemos ter presente: cada funcionario púbico -- sabedes que? -- traballa para nós. Porque nós pagamos os seus soldos cos nosos impostos. E eles son en realidade serventes nosos. Algúns deles convértense en líderes, pero non todos eles.
(Laughter)
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Once in a while we get a leader out of there.
De vez en cando conseguimos sacar algún lider de alí.
The other thing that Mr. Ross taught us is that voting is extremely important. And not just voting, but going out there and getting other people to vote. Going door to door. Phone banking, talking to voters, because many voters have a lot of doubts and they don't know how to vote. And unfortunately, we know that in many countries people are not allowed to vote because we have voter suppression in other countries, like we do here in the United States of America. But the thing is, if we can get out there as individuals and talk to people, so we can remove their apathy and make sure that they can vote.
A outra cousa que Mr. Ross nos aprendeu é que votar é de extrema importancia. E non só votar, senón sair aí fóra e conseguir que outra xente vote. Indo de porta a porta. Facendo chamadas teléfonicas, falando cos votantes porque moitos votantes teñen moitas dúbidas e non saben como votar. E por desgraza, sabemos que en moitos países non se lle permite votar á xente porque temos supresión do voto noutros países, como temos aquí nos Estados Unidos de América. Pero o caso é se podemos saír aí fóra como individuos e falar coa xente, para acabar coa súa apatía e asegurarnos de que poidan votar.
So, I want to give you an example of a woman in our foundation, the Dolores Huerta Foundation, and just to show you that sometimes people have power, but they don't know it. But once they find it, they do miraculous things. So, Leticia Prado is an immigrant from Mexico, only has a sixth-grade education and speaks very limited English. But she was very concerned because the children at the middle school in their town called Weedpatch -- this is in California, Central Valley -- they couldn't go out and play in the schoolyard, because the air quality is so bad in the southern part of Kern County, California in our United States of America. So she and her husband went out there, and they passed a bond issue to build a brand new, state-of-the-art gymnasium for the kids at their middle school. That was a big success.
Quero darvos un exemplo dunha muller na nosa fundación, a Fundación Dolores Huerta, e só para amosarvos que ás veces a xente ten poder, pero non o sabe. Pero cando o encontran, fan cousas milagrosas. Leticia Prado é unha inmigrante de México, só foi á escola ata sexto grao e falaba moi pouco inglés. Pero estaba moi preocupada porque os nenos na primaria no seu pobo Weedpatch- isto é en California, Central Valley -- eles non podían saír e xogar no patio da escola, porque a calidade do aire era moi mala na parte sur de Kern County, California nos nosos Estados Unidos de América. Entón ela e o seu home saíron, e aprobaron unha emisión de bonos para construír un novo ximnasio con todos os adiantos para os nenos na escola primaria. Foi un gran éxito.
Then she heard a rumor that the principal was going to end the breakfast program for the farm worker children, because the principal thought it was just too much paperwork. So, Leticia got herself elected to the school board. And they kept the breakfast program, and she got rid of the principal.
Despois ela oíu un rumor de que o director ía poñer fin ó programa de almorzos para os fillos dos granxeiros, porque o director simplemente pensou que era moito papelorio, Así que Leticia conseguiu ser elixida para o consello escolar. E mantívose o programa de almorzos, e librouse do director.
(Laughter)
(risadas)
(Applause)
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So there were other rumors about some corruption in the local water district. So, Leticia got herself elected to the water district. Then she looked into all of the finances of the water district and found there was 250,000 dollars missing from their bank account. So, Leticia called in the grand jury, and several arrests have been made. And this is just an example of a woman who never went to high school, never went to college, but she found her power. And in addition, she has recruited other people in the community to also run for public office, and guess what -- they've all gotten themselves elected.
Entón houbo outros rumores. sobre certa corrupción nos distritos de auga locais. Así que Leticia conseguiu ser elixida para o distrito de auga. Logo revisou todas as finanzas do distrito de auga e atopou que faltaban 250.000 dólares da conta bancaria. Así que Leticia avisou ó gran xurado, e tiveron lugar varios arrestos. E isto é só un exemplo dunha muller que nunca foi ó instituto, nunca foi á universidade, pero que atopou o seu poder. E ademais, reclutou outras persoas na comunidade para presentarse tamén a cargos públicos, e adiviña que pasou -- todos eles conseguiron ser elixidos.
So, I take that Leticia really embodies something that Coretta Scott King said. And I want to share this with you. Coretta Scott King said, "We will never have peace in the world until women take power."
Eu creo que Leticia realmente representa algo que Coretta Scott King dixo. E quero compartir isto con vós. Coretta Scott King dixo, "Nunca teremos paz neste mundo ata que as mulleres tomen o poder."
(Applause)
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Now, I have amended that statement to say that we will never have peace in the world until feminists take power.
Agora, eu modifico esa cita para dicir que nunca teremos paz neste mundo ata que os feministas tomen o poder.
(Laughter)
(Risadas)
Because we know there is a difference, right? Not only that, but if we want to define what is a feminist -- a person who stands up for reproductive rights, for immigrants' rights, for the environment, for LGBT rights and also for labor unions and working people.
Porque sabemos que hai unha diferenza, verdade? Non só iso, senón que se queremos definir que é ser feminista -- unha persoa que loita polos dereitos reprodutivos, polos dereitos dos inmigrantes, polo medio ambiente, polos dereitos LGBT e tamén polos sindicatos e a xente traballadora
(Applause)
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Which also means that men can also be feminists.
O cal significa que os homes tamén poden ser feministas.
(Applause)
(Aplausos)
So when we think of feminization, we should also think of how can we feminize the policies, and not only of our major countries, the wealthy countries like the United States, but all over the world, our domestic and foreign policy.
Así que cando pensemos en feminización, tamén debemos pensar en como podemos feminizar as políticas, e non só as dos nosos principais países, os países ricos como os Estados Unidos, senón as de todo o mundo, as políticas domésticas e exteriores.
And one of the things that we can do to stop wars and to have peace is to make sure that the wealthiest countries in the world also help the developing countries. Now, we did this in the past. After World War II, when Japan and Germany were devastated after the war, United States of America gave many tax dollars to those two countries, so that they can rebuild their economies and rebuild their corporations. And we can do that again. And if we can think about how we can help these other countries. And I want to give an example of issues that we are facing in the United States of America, for instance.
E unha das cousas que podemos facer para parar as guerras e ter paz é asegurármosnos de que os países máis ricos do mundo tamén axuden ós países en desenvolvemento. Agora, fixemos isto no pasado. Despois da II Guerra Mundial, cando Xapón e Alemaña foron devastados trala guerra, Os Estados Unidos de América deron moitos cartos dos impostos a estes dous países, para que puidesen reconstruír as súas economías e as súas empresas. E podemos facelo outra vez. E se somos quen de pensar en como podemos axudar a estoutros países. E quero dar un exemplo de problemas que estamos enfrontando nos Estados Unidos de América, por exemplo.
We know that right now we have a lot of refugees from Central America that are at the border of the United States. Why do people leave their homes, their beautiful homes that we go to as tourists? Because they don't have opportunities there. And then we think, "Hm, bananas." How many jillions of bananas do we consume in the United States every single day? And throughout the world. Now, do the people in Central America get the profits from the bananas that we consume? No, they don't. The profits go to corporations from the United States of America. And we think that this is wrong. Now, if the people in Central America were to be able to get some of that money that we pay for bananas, then they wouldn't have to leave their homes. They wouldn't have to come as asylum seekers to the borders of the United States of America. And then maybe, many children would not have to be separated from their parents.
Sabemos que agora temos moitos refuxiados de América Central que están na fronteira dos Estados Unidos. Por que a xente abandona os seus fogares, os seus fermosos fogares ós que nós imos como turistas? Porque non teñen oportunidades alí. E despois nós pensamos, "Mmh, plátanos." Cantos millóns de plátanos consumimos nos Estados Unidos cada día? E en todo o mundo. Agora ben, a xente de América Central consegue os beneficios dos plátanos que nós consumimos? Non. Os beneficios van a empresas dos Estados Unidos de América. E nós pensamos que isto está mal. Agora ben, se a xente en América Central fose capaz de conseguir algo deses cartos que nós pagamos polos plátanos, entón eles non terían que deixar os seus fogares. Non terían que vir pedindo asilo. ata as fronteiras dos Estados Unidos de América. E quizáis entón, moitos nenos non terían que ser separados dos seus pais.
Now, we know that there are countries in the world that actually have free education and have free health care for all of the people in their country. And that country is Cuba. Cuba has health care for every one of their citizens, and they have a free college education for every one of their citizens. They're 11 million citizens. Now, we think, if a poor country like Cuba can have these kind of resources, and we know that they're a poor country, then why can't some of the other wealthier countries, like the United States of America, do the same? I think that we can make that happen.
Agora, sabemos que hai países no mundo que teñen ensino gratuíto e sanidade gratuíta para todas as persoas no país. E ese país é Cuba. Cuba ten sanidade para cada un dos seus cidadáns, e teñen educación universitaria gratuíta para cada un dos seus cidadáns. Son 11 millóns de cidadáns. Agora pensemos, se un país pobre como Cuba pode ter este tipo de recursos, e sabemos que é un país pobre, entón por que non pode algún dos outros países máis ricos, como os Estados Unidos de América, facer o mesmo? Eu penso que podemos facer que iso pase.
(Applause)
(Aplausos)
But we know it's not going to happen until we, the people of the United States of America, and people throughout the world, start making sure that they get public officials elected to their governments that really care about the constituents, they care about people, they will commit to make sure that the resources that they have are going to be used for their citizens, and not to be used for war.
Pero sabemos que non vai pasar ata que nós, a xente dos Estados Unidos de América, e a xente de todo o mundo, empecemos a asegurar que nos seus gobernos sexan elixidos representantes que realmente se preocupen polos votantes, pola xente, que se comprometan a asegurar que os recursos que teñen van ser usados polos cidadáns, e non para a guerra.
So, how do we make this happen? We have to get rid of the apathy, we have to get more people involved. We know that if we can't have a democracy in the United States, we can't have democracies throughout the world, unless people participate. So it is imperative that all of us get out there and we say, "Get rid of the apathy, get off of the sidewalk, come and join the march for peace and justice, let's make Coretta Scott's vision a reality, to have peace in the world."
Entón, como facemos que isto suceda? Temos que librarnos da apatía, temos que implicarnos máis. Sabemos que se non podemos ter unha democracia nos Estados Unidos, non podemos ter democracias no mundo, a non ser que a xente participe. Así que é imperativo que todos nós saiamos aí fóra e digamos, "Liberádevos da apatía, saíde da beirarrúa, vide e unídevos á manifestación pola paz e a xustiza, fagamos da visión de Coretta Scott unha realidade, para ter paz no mundo."
We recently had midterm elections in the United States of America. And what did we see? We saw that so many more women, young people, people of color, LGBT folks, were all elected to public office. And we know this happened -- why? Because so many women were on the march. We had the Women's March in the United States. They had the Women's Marches all over the world. And so we now see that we have this potential. We have this potential to get rid of the apathy. And if we get everyone involved, get everyone committed, then, I think, we can make Coretta Scott's vision come true.
Recentemente tivemos eleccións intermedias en EEUU. E que vimos? Vimos que moitísimas máis mulleres, xente nova, xente de cor, xente LGBT, foron todos elixidos para cargos públicos. E sabemos que isto pasou -- por que? Porque moitas mulleres se manifestaron. Tivemos a Marcha das Mulleres nos Estados Unidos. Houbo Marchas de Mulleres por todo o mundo. Agora vemos que temos este potencial. Temos este potencial para librarnos da apatía. E se conseguimos que todos se involucren, que todos se comprometan, entón, eu penso, que podemos facer realidade a visión de Coretta Scott.
So, I want to just remind everybody, throughout the world, one of the things is, we have power, poor people have power, every citizen has power. But in order to achieve the peace that we all yearn for, then we've all got to get involved.
Daquela, só quero recordar a todos, en todo o mundo, unha das cousas é que, nós temos poder, a xente pobre ten poder, cada cidadán ten poder. Pero para acadar a paz que todos desexamos, temos que implicarnos todos.
So, what do we say? Can we do it? We say, "Yes, we can!" And in Spanish, we say, "Sí, se puede."
Entón, que dicimos? Podemos facelo? Nós dicimos, "Si, nós podemos!" E en Español, nós dicimos, "Sí, se puede."
Thank you very much.
Moitas grazas.
(Applause)
(Aplausos)