You can ask anyone you want, and they will tell you that they are sick and tired of fighting for justice. People of color and members of the LGBT community are tired of carrying the burden of speaking up and stepping up even when they're being silenced and pushed back down. And white allies and cis allies are tired, too. Tired of being told they're doing it wrong or that it isn't even their place to show up at all. This fatigue is impacting all of us. And in fact, I believe we won't succeed until we approach justice in a new way.
你可以去問任何你想問的人, 他們都會告訴你, 他們已經厭倦了為正義而努力。 有色人種及 LGBT 族群的人 都厭倦了背負這樣的擔子: 要他們在被噤聲和打壓的時候, 還要他們說出來和站出來。 而白人盟友 及 CIS 盟友也都厭倦了。 厭倦了別人說他們做錯了, 或者說他們根本不該出現在那裡。 這種疲憊感影響著我們所有人。 事實上, 我相信我們不會成功, 除非我們用新方法來實現正義。
I grew up in the middle of the civil rights movement in the segregated South. As a five-year-old girl, I was very interested in ballet. It seemed to be the five-year-old-girl thing to do in the 1960s. My mother took me to a ballet school. You know, the kind of school that had teachers that talked about your gifts and talents knowing that you'd never be a ballerina.
我成長的時期, 剛好是種族隔離的南方 發生民權運動的時期。 當時我是個五歲的女孩, 對芭蕾非常有興趣。 在 1960 年代,那似乎 就是五歲女孩會去做的事。 我媽媽帶我到一間芭蕾學校。 你們知道的,在那種學校裡, 老師明明知道你永遠 不會成為芭蕾舞伶, 仍然會說你很有天賦和才華。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
When we arrived, they said nicely that they "did not accept Negroes." We got back in the car as if we were just leaving a grocery store that was out of orange juice. We said nothing ... just drove to the next ballet school. They said, "We don't accept Negroes."
我們抵達時, 他們好聲好氣地說 他們「不接受黑人」。 我們回到車上, 就好像到了雜貨店, 結果柳橙汁賣完了那樣若無其事地離開。 我們什麼都沒有說…… 就只是開車到下一所芭蕾學校。 他們說: 「我們不接受黑人。」
Well, I was confused. And I asked my mother why they didn't want me. And she said, "Well, they're just not smart enough to accept you right now, and they don't know how excellent you are."
我感到很困惑。 我問我媽媽,為什麼他們不要我? 她說:「他們只是現在還不夠聰明 所以不懂得收你, 他們不知道你有多出色。」
(Cheers)
(歡呼)
(Applause and cheers)
(掌聲及歡呼)
Well, I didn't know what that meant.
我當時不知道那是什麼意思。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
But I was sure it wasn't good, because I could see it in my mother's eyes. She was angry, and it looked like she was on the verge of tears. Well, I decided right then and right there that ballet was dumb.
但我很肯定不是好事, 我從我媽媽的眼中就看得出來。 她很憤怒, 且看起來她就快要哭出來了。 那時,就在那裡,我決定 跳芭蕾是件蠢事。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
You know, I had lots of experiences like that along the way, but as I got older, I started to get angry. And not just angry at the outright racism and injustice. I was angry at people that stood by and didn't say anything. Like, why didn't the white parents in that ballet school say "Uh, that's wrong. Let that little girl dance." Or why --
成長路上,我有很多像那樣的經歷, 但隨著年紀漸長, 我開始感到憤怒。 不僅是氣這麼公然的 種族主義及不公正, 也氣袖手旁觀、保持沉默的人。 為什麼那間芭蕾學校的白人父母 不說:「呃,那是錯的。 讓那個小女孩跳舞。」 或者為什麼——(掌聲)
(Applause)
為什麼在種族隔離餐廳裡的 白人老主顧不說:
Why didn't the white patrons in the segregated restaurants say "Hey, that's not right. Let that family eat." Well, it didn't take me long to realize that racial injustice wasn't the only place that people in the majority were staying quiet. When I'd sit in church and hear some homophobic comment being disguised as something scriptural, I'd say, "I'm sorry, why aren't the heterosexual churchgoers disrupting this nonsense?"
「嘿,那是不對的。 讓那家人進來吃飯。」 沒有多久,我便了解到, 屬於多數族群的人 對很多事都保持沉默, 不僅僅是針對種族不公。 當我坐在教堂裡, 聽到有人把恐同的意見 包裝成是聖經的意思, 我就會說:「抱歉, 為什麼上教堂的異性戀者 不阻止這種胡說八道?」
(Applause)
(掌聲)
Or ... in a room filled with boomers and Gen-Xers who started degrading their millennial colleagues as being spoiled, lazy and overconfident, I'd say, "I'm sorry, why isn't someone my age saying 'stop stereotyping?'"
或者…… 當我在滿是嬰兒潮世代 和 X 世代的房間裡, 若有人開始貶損他的千禧世代同事 被寵壞、懶惰,和過度自信時, 我就會說:「抱歉, 為什麼沒有我這個年齡的人說 『別用刻板印象看人』?」
(Audience) Yes!
(觀眾)沒錯!
(Applause)
(掌聲)
I was used to standing up on issues like this, but why wasn't everyone else?
我以前很習慣 遇到這類議題就會站出來, 但為什麼別人不這麼做?
My fifth grade teacher, Mrs. McFarland, taught me that justice requires an accomplice. Not just anyone will do. She said we need unlikely allies if we want to see real change happen. And for those of us experiencing injustice up front, we need to be willing to accept the help, because when we don't, change takes too long.
我五年級時的老師 麥克法蘭女士告訴過我, 正義需要有共犯。 不是任何人都行。 她說我們需要不太可能 成為盟友的盟友, 這樣才可能讓真正的改變發生。 對於我們這些直接 面對不公的人來說, 我們必須願意接受協助, 因為若我們不願意, 那得要花很長的時間才會有所改變。
I mean, imagine if heterosexual and gay people had not come together under the banner of marriage equality. Or what if President Kennedy just wasn't interested in the civil rights movement? Most of our major movements in this country might have been delayed or even dead if it weren't for the presence of unlikely allies. When the same people speak up in the same ways they've always spoken up, the most we'll ever get are the same results over and over again.
想像如果當初異性戀和同性戀 沒有在婚姻平權的旗幟下攜手合作。 或者如果甘迺迪總統 就是對民權運動不感興趣,會如何? 在美國,我們大部分的重大運動 就會被延後或甚至胎死腹中, 倘若沒有那些不太可能 成為盟友的盟友的話。 當同樣的人用他們過去 一直使用的同樣方式發聲時, 我們最多也只會一而再再而三 得到同樣的結果。
You know, allies often stand on the sidelines waiting to be called up. But what if unlikely allies led out in front of issues? Like ... what if Black and Native American people stood in front of immigration issues?
要知道,盟友通常都站在場邊, 等著被叫上場。 但,若不太可能成為盟友的盟友 在前頭引領議題呢? 比如…… 如果美國黑人和原住民 站上移民議題的前線呢?
(Applause)
(掌聲)
Or what if white people led the charge to end racism?
或者,如果白人帶頭 要求終止種族主義?
(Applause and cheers)
(掌聲及歡呼)
Or ... what if men led the charge on pay equity for women?
或者…… 如果男性帶頭要求 給予女性平等的薪水呢?
(Applause and cheers)
(掌聲及歡呼)
Or ... what if heterosexual people stood in front of LGBTQ issues?
或者…… 如果異性戀站上 LGBTQ 議題的前線呢?
(Applause and cheers)
(掌聲及歡呼)
And what if able-bodied people advocated for people living with disabilities?
如果好手好腳的人 為身心障礙人士發聲呢?
(Applause and cheers)
(掌聲及歡呼)
You know, we can stand up for issues, weigh in and advocate even when it seems like the issue has nothing to do with us. And actually, those are the issues that are most compelling. And sure, people will have no idea why you are there, but that's why those of us facing injustice must be willing to accept the help. You know, we have to fight injustice with a consciousness of grace. When white guys stand up to fight for the liberation of Black and Brown people, Black and Brown people will have to be willing to accept their help. And I know that's complicated, but this is collective work and it requires everyone to be all in.
要知道,我們可以 為了議題挺身而出, 去介入、去擁護, 即使是和我們自身無關的議題。 事實上, 那些議題才是最需要我們的。 當然, 別人會搞不懂你在那裡幹嘛, 但那就是為什麼 我們這些面對不公的人 必須要願意接受協助。 要知道,我們在對抗不公時, 也要能意識到恩惠。 當白人為了黑人 和褐色皮膚人種的自由 站出來奮戰時, 黑人和褐色皮膚人種 必須要願意接受他們的協助。 我知道這很複雜, 但這是集體的努力, 需要每個人都投入。
One day when I was at kindergarten, our teacher introduced us to this beautiful, tall, white lady named Miss Ann. I thought she was the prettiest white lady I'd ever seen. Well, if I can be honest with you, I think it was the first time we'd ever seen a white lady in our school ever.
我在讀幼稚園時,有一天, 我們的老師向我們介紹了 美麗高挑的白人女士,安小姐。 我覺得她是我見過 最漂亮的白人女士。 老實說, 我想那是我第一次在 我們的學校裡看到白人女士。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
Miss Ann stood in front of us, and she said she was going to start teaching ballet classes right there are our school and that she was proud to be our dance teacher. It was unreal. All of a sudden -- (sings) I didn't think ballet was dumb anymore.
安小姐站在我們前面,她說 她要開始教芭蕾課, 且就在我們的學校裡, 且她很榮幸能當我們的舞蹈老師。 那簡直難以置信。 突然間—— (唱歌)我不再覺得 跳芭蕾是件蠢事了。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
You see, what I know now is Miss Ann was fully aware that the white ballet schools would not accept Black girls. She was incensed by that. So she came to the Black neighborhood to start teaching the dance classes herself. And you know, it took love and courage for her to do that.
現在我知道, 安小姐非常清楚知道 白人芭蕾學校絕對不會收黑人女孩。 那讓她很憤怒。 所以她來到黑人的鄰里, 自己開始教舞蹈課。 她非常有愛也有勇氣 才有可能這麼做。
(Applause)
(掌聲)
And where there was no justice, she just built it. We all survived, because we stood on the shoulders of our Black ancestors. We all thrived, because Miss Ann was an unlikely ally.
在沒有正義的地方, 她自己建立正義。 我們都存活下來了, 是因為我們站在了 黑人祖先的肩膀上。 我們都茁壯了, 是因為安小姐是個 不太可能成為盟友的盟友。
You know, when you add your voice and your actions to situations that you don't think involve you, you actually inspire others to do the same. Miss Ann inspired me to always be on the lookout for situations that weren't about me but where I saw injustice and inequality happening anyway. I hope she inspires you, too, because to win the fight for equity we will all need to speak up and stand up. We will all need to do that. And we will all need to do that even when it's hard and even when we feel out of place, because it is your place, and it is our place. Justice counts on all of us.
要知道,當你把你的聲音和行動 投入到你認為與你無關的情況當中, 你其實會鼓舞其他人也來這麼做。 安小姐鼓舞了我,讓我總是會去 留心那些雖然和我無關, 但卻讓我看到不公、 不平正在發生的情況。 我希望她也能鼓舞各位, 因為, 要贏得平等之戰的勝利, 我們所有人都得發聲 並站出來。 我們都得這麼做。 我們都得這麼做, 即使很艱苦, 即使我們覺得自己 與這個位置格格不入, 因為那是你的位置, 那是我們的位置。 正義要仰賴我們所有人。
Thank you.
謝謝。
(Applause and cheers)
(掌聲及歡呼)