For the last 50 years, a lot of smart, well-resourced people -- some of you, no doubt -- have been trying to figure out how to reduce poverty in the United States. People have created and invested millions of dollars into non-profit organizations with the mission of helping people who are poor.
過去50年來, 很多聰明又富足的人...... 無疑在座某些人 不斷努力得尋找方法降低 美國的貧窮問題 人們創立非營利組織 投入了數百萬美元 背負著濟貧的使命
They've created think tanks that study issues like education, job creation and asset-building, and then advocated for policies to support our most marginalized communities. They've written books and columns and given passionate speeches, decrying the wealth gap that is leaving more and more people entrenched at the bottom end of the income scale. And that effort has helped. But it's not enough. Our poverty rates haven't changed that much in the last 50 years, since the War on Poverty was launched. I'm here to tell you that we have overlooked the most powerful and practical resource. Here it is: people who are poor.
他們建立了知識庫 研究關於敎育、創造就業機會 和資產建立等的問題 支持政府輔助邊緣化族群 他們編撰書籍、專欄 和情緒激昂的演說 抨擊財富差距使愈來愈多人 無法擺脫薪水不高的情況 那些努力有幫助 但是不夠 在過去50年來,我們的貧困指數 在抗貧計畫後沒有大幅變化 我在這裡告訴你們 我們輕忽了最強大而有效的資源 請看這裡 貧困的人
Up in the left-hand corner is Jobana, Sintia and Bertha. They met when they all had small children, through a parenting class at a family resource center in San Francisco. As they grew together as parents and friends, they talked a lot about how hard it was to make money when your kids are little. Child care is expensive, more than they'd earn in a job. Their husbands worked, but they wanted to contribute financially, too.
在左上角的是喬邦納、辛蒂亞、柏莎 他們都在有了小孩後, 在舊金山一間 家庭資源中心親職教育課程而認識 既是家長又是朋友的他們一同成長 他們談論很多關於 兼顧孩童和賺錢是多麼困難 照顧小孩不便宜 超過他們所能賺的 她們丈夫有在上班 但他們也想在財務上有所貢獻
So they hatched a plan. They started a cleaning business. They plastered neighborhoods with flyers and handed business cards out to their families and friends, and soon, they had clients calling. Two of them would clean the office or house and one of them would watch the kids. They'd rotate who'd cleaned and who'd watch the kids. (Laughs) It's awesome, right?
所以他們想到一個計畫 他們開始清掃事業 他們在鄰近地區張貼傳單 遞出名片給他們的家人與朋友 不久,客戶上門了 其中兩個人清理辦公室或房子 其中一人照顧小孩 他們輪流清理和照顧孩子 (笑聲)很厲害,對吧?
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
And they split the money three ways. It was not a full-time gig, no one could watch the little ones all day. But it made a difference for their families. Extra money to pay for bills when a husband's work hours were cut. Money to buy the kids clothes as they were growing. A little extra money in their pockets to make them feel some independence.
然後他們分攤酬勞 這不是全職的工作 沒有人一整天都在照顧小孩 然而這讓他們的家庭變得不一樣 在丈夫工時縮短的時候 有額外的錢支付帳單 有錢買小孩子的新衣服 口袋裡的閒錢 讓他們覺得獨立一些
Up in the top-right corner is Theresa and her daughter, Brianna. Brianna is one of those kids with this sparkly, infectious, outgoing personality. For example, when Rosie, a little girl who spoke only Spanish, moved in next door, Brianna, who spoke only English, borrowed her mother's tablet and found a translation app so the two of them could communicate.
在右上角的是泰蕾莎和她女兒布里安娜 布里安娜是其中一位 充滿活力、 有影響力、個性外向的孩子 舉例來說, 只會說西班牙話的 小女孩羅西剛搬到隔壁 只會說英文的布里安娜 向她媽媽借了平板電腦 發現一個翻譯程式 以便他們兩個人可以聊天
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
I know, right? Rosie's family credits Brianna with helping Rosie to learn English.
我知道,對吧? 羅西的家人很感謝布里安娜 教導羅西學習英文
A few years ago, Brianna started to struggle academically. She was growing frustrated and kind of withdrawn and acting out in class. And her mother was heartbroken over what was happening. Then they found out that she was going to have to repeat second grade and Brianna was devastated. Her mother felt hopeless and overwhelmed and alone because she knew that her daughter was not getting the support she needed, and she did not know how to help her. One afternoon, Theresa was catching up with a group of friends, and one of them said, "Theresa, how are you?" And she burst into tears. After she shared her story, one of her friends said, "I went through the exact same thing with my son about a year ago." And in that moment, Theresa realized that so much of her struggle was not having anybody to talk with about it. So she created a support group for parents like her. The first meeting was her and two other people. But word spread, and soon 20 people, 30 people were showing up for these monthly meetings that she put together. She went from feeling helpless to realizing how capable she was of supporting her daughter, with the support of other people who were going through the same struggle. And Brianna is doing fantastic -- she's doing great academically and socially.
幾年前 布里恩娜在學業上遇到瓶頸 在上課時愈來癒挫折 似乎有點沉默寡言表現不佳 她母親為此而心痛 後來他們知道她女兒需要重讀二年級 布里安娜痛不欲生 她母親深受打擊感到孤獨無助 因為知道她女兒得不到必要的協助 她不知道如何幫助她 有一天下午,泰蕾莎遇上一群朋友 其中有人說: 『泰蕾莎,你好嗎?』 她突然哭了 在說完她的遭遇後,其中一位朋友說: 『一年前我兒子和你的一樣, 遭遇到同樣的情況』 那時泰蕾莎了解一點 她真正的困難 就是沒有人可以聽她訴苦 所以她組了個互助會 幫助像她一樣遭遇的父母 剛開始會面只有她和另外兩人 但消息傳得很快,不久就二十、三十人 來參加這些他舉辦的集會 她從感到無助 到發現幫助她女兒的能力 有著那些正在經歷同樣苦難的人的幫助 現在的布里安娜很厲害 在學業和社交方面都表現得不錯
That in the middle is my man Baakir, standing in front of BlackStar Books and Caffe, which he runs out of part of his house. As you walk in the door, Baakir greets you with a "Welcome black home."
在中間的是我的人巴基爾 站在紐奧良的一家 BlackStar咖啡廳前 是他房子的一部分 一走進門, 巴基爾會說:『歡迎來到黑屋』
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
Once inside, you can order some Algiers jerk chicken, perhaps a vegan walnut burger, or jive turkey sammich. And that's sammich -- not sandwich. You must finish your meal with a buttermilk drop, which is several steps above a donut hole and made from a very secret family recipe. For real, it's very secret, he won't tell you about it.
進去可以點一些阿爾及爾香辣烤雞 或是素核桃漢堡 或是捷舞火雞山姆明治 是山姆明治不是三明治 你一定要配白脫牛奶醬 白脫牛奶醬是淋在甜甜圈球上 而且是家族秘方 真的很神秘,他不會告訴你
But BlackStar is much more than a café. For the kids in the neighborhood, it's a place to go after school to get help with homework. For the grown-ups, it's where they go to find out what's going on in the neighborhood and catch up with friends. It's a performance venue. It's a home for poets, musicians and artists. Baakir and his partner Nicole, with their baby girl strapped to her back, are there in the mix of it all, serving up a cup of coffee, teaching a child how to play Mancala, or painting a sign for an upcoming community event.
然而BlackStar不僅是一家咖啡廳 對於住在附近的孩童來說 是一個課後輔導的場所 對於成年人來說 在那可以了解當地的時事 和朋友見面 而且是表演場所 作為詩人、音樂家以及藝術家的聚集處 巴基爾和他的另一半妮可 背著他們的女兒 跟大家混在一起 提供咖啡、 教小孩玩 《播棋》 或是為即將舉辦的團體活動描繪標誌
I have worked with and learned from people just like them for more than 20 years. I have organized against the prison system, which impacts poor folks, especially black, indigenous and Latino folks, at an alarming rate. I have worked with young people who manifest hope and promise, despite being at the effect of racist discipline practices in their schools, and police violence in their communities. I have learned from families who are unleashing their ingenuity and tenacity to collectively create their own solutions. And they're not just focused on money. They're addressing education, housing, health, community -- the things that we all care about. Everywhere I go, I see people who are broke but not broken. I see people who are struggling to realize their good ideas, so that they can create a better life for themselves, their families, their communities. Jobana, Sintia, Bertha, Theresa and Baakir are the rule, not the shiny exception. I am the exception.
我和像他們的人一樣 一起合作學習超過二十年 我招集人馬反對監獄體制 影響了貧困的人 特別是黑人、本土人、拉丁美洲人 而且是以驚人的速度 我和一群年輕人合作 他們滿懷希望,對未來有所憧憬 儘管他們受到校園裡種族岐視的處分 與生活中的警察暴力 我從各個家庭學到 他們的別出心裁與堅定 使他們一同打造自己的解決辦法 他們不只有賺錢 他們改善教育、居住、健康及社區的問題 改善我們所關懷的事情 每到一個地方 我看到那些口袋沒錢四肢健全的人 我看到那些人陷於無法想到好點子 以便給他們自己、 家庭與社會開創一片天 喬邦納、辛蒂亞、柏莎、 泰蕾莎和巴基爾的事情很常見 沒什麼特別的 我不一樣
I was raised by a quietly fierce single mother in Rochester, New York. I was bussed to a school in the suburbs, from a neighborhood that many of my classmates and their parents considered dangerous. At eight, I was a latchkey kid. I'd get myself home after school every day and do homework and chores, and wait for my mother to come home. After school, I'd go to the corner store and buy a can of Chef Boyardee ravioli, which I'd heat up on the stove as my afternoon snack. If I had a little extra money, I'd buy a Hostess Fruit Pie.
在紐約州羅徹斯特,我被一位表面深沉 內心澎湃的單親媽媽培育長大 我搭校車從住區到郊區一座學校上課 很多同學和父母認為那住區很危險 八歲的我放學後一個人在家 每天回家做功課和家事 等待母親回來 下課後,我會到街角超商 買一罐柏亞迪廚師義大利方餃 在爐子上加熱作為下午的點心 如果有還有錢,我會買女主人水果派
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
Cherry. Not as good as a buttermilk drop.
櫻桃口味的 但不像白脫牛奶那麼好吃
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
We were poor when I was a kid. But now, I own a home in a quickly gentrifying neighborhood in Oakland, California. I've built a career. My husband is a business owner. I have a retirement account. My daughter is not even allowed to turn on the stove unless there's a grown-up at home and she doesn't have to, because she does not have to have the same kind of self-reliance that I had to at her age. My kids' raviolis are organic and full of things like spinach and ricotta, because I have the luxury of choice when it comes to what my children eat.
小時候我們很窮 但現在,我在加州奧克蘭 新興開發地區擁有一棟房子 我有自己的事業 我丈夫是公司負責人 我有個退休金帳戶 除非大人在家 不然我女兒不准使用爐火 她不必煮東西 因為不用像我小時候一樣 要自立更生 我孩子的義大利方餃是有機食品 富含類似食材菠菜、瑞可達起司的食材 因為對於孩子的飲食 我能夠擁有不同的選擇
I am the exception, not because I'm more talented than Baakir or my mother worked any harder than Jobana, Sintia or Bertha, or cared any more than Theresa. Marginalized communities are full of smart, talented people, hustling and working and innovating, just like our most revered and most rewarded CEOs. They are full of people tapping into their resilience to get up every day, get the kids off to school and go to jobs that don't pay enough, or get educations that are putting them in debt. They are full of people applying their savvy intelligence to stretch a minimum wage paycheck, or balance a job and a side hustle to make ends meet. They are full of people doing for themselves and for others, whether it's picking up medication for an elderly neighbor, or letting a sibling borrow some money to pay the phone bill, or just watching out for the neighborhood kids from the front stoop.
我不一樣 不是因為我比巴基爾更有才華 不是我媽比喬邦納、辛蒂亞、柏莎更勤勞工作 也不是比泰蕾莎更照顧自己的孩子 邊緣化族群充滿著聰明、才華洋溢的人 他們每日工作很忙碌,富有創新的思維 就像受各位尊敬、獲獎無數的執行長 邊緣化族群充滿著適應力強的人 每天醒來,送孩子上學 到薪水不高的地方上班 或是被受教育而身陷負債 邊緣化族群充滿著崇高智慧的人 他們讓自己的最低工資最大限度得其所用 或是兼顧正職與副業得以維持生計 邊緣化族群充滿著為自己與大家想的人 無論是幫年長的鄰居取藥 或是借兄弟姊妹一些錢繳電話費 或是照看 在門廊前的鄰居小孩
I am the exception because of luck and privilege, not hard work. And I'm not being modest or self-deprecating -- I am amazing.
我不一樣 是因為我的運氣和榮幸 而不是努力工作 我沒有謙虛或自卑 我很了不起
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
But most people work hard. Hard work is the common denominator in this equation, and I'm tired of the story we tell that hard work leads to success, because that allows --
然而大多人工作很勤奮 努力工作是大家所公認的事 我厭倦大家所說的 努力工作就能成功 因為那讓...
Thank you.
謝謝各位
(Applause)
(掌聲)
... because that story allows those of us who make it to believe we deserve it, and by implication, those who don't make it don't deserve it. We tell ourselves, in the back of our minds, and sometimes in the front of our mouths, "There must be something a little wrong with those poor people." We have a wide range of beliefs about what that something wrong is. Some people tell the story that poor folks are lazy freeloaders who would cheat and lie to get out of an honest day's work. Others prefer the story that poor people are helpless and probably had neglectful parents that didn't read to them enough, and if they were just told what to do and shown the right path, they could make it.
因為這樣說來 那些成功的人認為我們可以成功 也意味著 那些失敗的人不會成功 我們不自覺地告訴自己 而且有時候在大家面前告訴自己 這些貧窮的人必定有什麼地方錯了 對於錯誤的事情, 大家有不同的想法 有些人說窮人是好吃懶做的寄生蟲 他們善用欺騙和謊言 來擺脫腳踏實地的工作 其他人相信窮人很無助 而且可能沒有父母的陪伴 沒有父母為他們說故事 如果有人告訴他們該做的事 指引正確的道路 他們便得以功成名遂
For every story I hear demonizing low-income single mothers or absentee fathers, which is how people might think of my parents, I've got 50 that tell a different story about the same people, showing up every day and doing their best. I'm not saying that some of the negative stories aren't true, but those stories allow us to not really see who people really are, because they don't paint a full picture. The quarter-truths and limited plot lines have us convinced that poor people are a problem that needs fixing. What if we recognized that what's working is the people and what's broken is our approach? What if we realized that the experts we are looking for, the experts we need to follow, are poor people themselves? What if, instead of imposing solutions, we just added fire to the already-burning flame that they have? Not directing -- not even empowering -- but just fueling their initiative.
每個故事中,我都聽到 糟糕的低薪單親媽媽與不負責任的父親 可能大家覺得是我父母的樣子 我聽到五十個人用不同的方式 談論同一群人 他們每天出現各說各話 我並不是說有些負面的故事不正確 而是那些故事不是真的 讓我們了解到真實面貌 因為那些故事沒有鉅細靡遺的刻畫出來 那些一知半解的事實讓我們相信 窮人是需要改善的問題 要是我們了解人在做 但方法不對呢? 要是我們知道我們要找的專家 與建議 是從窮人他們本身呢? 要是我們沒有解決問題 只是在本身的情況上 火上加油呢? 沒有得到效果 更不要說改善 而就他們提議給予幫助
Just north of here, we have an example of what this could look like: Silicon Valley. A whole venture capital industry has grown up around the belief that if people have good ideas and the desire to manifest them, we should give them lots and lots and lots of money.
就在這北方 大家有個例子可以看到這樣的情況 矽谷 整個創投產業始終抱持著 如果有人提供好點子, 我們應該投資他們很多很多錢
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
Right? But where is our strategy for Theresa and Baakir? There are no incubators for them, no accelerators, no fellowships. How are Jobana, Sintia and Bertha really all that different from the Mark Zuckerbergs of the world? Baakir has experience and a track record. I'd put my money on him.
對吧?對於泰蕾莎和巴基爾怎麼辦? 他們沒有創投組織的協助 沒有加速器材、沒有研究獎助金 喬邦納、辛蒂亞、柏莎的世界 真的與馬克祖克柏有那麼不同嗎? 巴基爾有音軌錄製的經驗 我投資他
So, consider this an invitation to rethink a flawed strategy. Let's grasp this opportunity to let go of a tired, faulty narrative and listen and look for true stories, more beautifully complex stories, about who marginalized people and families and communities are.
所以,考慮此為誘使你反思錯誤的門路 我們要抓住這機會 拋開陳腔濫調,荒誕無稽的說法 尋找真實的故事聆聽, 更美妙、不簡單的故事 發掘邊緣化的人、家庭與社會
I'm going to take a minute to speak to my people. We cannot wait for somebody else to get it right. Let us remember what we are capable of; all that we have built with blood, sweat and dreams; all the cogs that keep turning; and the people kept afloat because of our backbreaking work. Let us remember that we are magic. If you need some inspiration to jog your memory, read Octavia Butler's "Parable of the Sower." Listen to Reverend King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail." Listen to Suheir Hammad recite "First Writing Since," or Esperanza Spalding perform "Black Gold." Set your gaze upon the art of Kehinde Wiley or Favianna Rodriguez. Look at the hands of your grandmother or into the eyes of someone who loves you. We are magic. Individually, we don't have a lot of wealth and power, but collectively, we are unstoppable. And we spend a lot of our time and energy organizing our power to demand change from systems that were not made for us. Instead of trying to alter the fabric of existing ways, let's weave and cut some fierce new cloth. Let's use some of our substantial collective power toward inventing and bringing to life new ways of being that work for us.
我要用一點時間對我的人說話 我們不能坐以待斃, 等著別人解決 我們要想起自己被賦予的能力 用我們心血、汗水與夢想 所換來的 所有重要缺一不可的 還有因為賣力工作而活下去的人 我們要想起自己真的不可思議 如果你要某些靈感來喚起你的記憶 可以讀奧維亞巴特勒《播種者的寓言》 可以聽馬丁路德金牧師 《伯明翰監獄來鴻》 可以聽蘇荷哈梅朗誦《自從第一次寫作》 或是艾斯佩蘭蕯斯伯丁表演《黑金》 觀賞凱欣德威利的藝術創作 法維拉羅德里格斯的藝術創作 想要一展絕活 看著你(外)祖母的手 或望著愛你的人 我們真的不一樣。 一個人沒有巨大的財富與力量 但是團結一致使我們無懈可擊 我們消耗很多自己的時間與體力 集結我們的力量來改變現在的制度 並非試圖打破常規 我們要打造出全新的格局 我們要用強大的合作力量 在生活中創造 適用於我們的新格局
Desmond Tutu talks about the concept of ubuntu, in the context of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation process that they embarked on after apartheid. He says it means, "My humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in yours; we belong to a bundle of life." A bundle of life. The Truth and Reconciliation process started by elevating the voices of the unheard. If this country is going to live up to its promise of liberty and justice for all, then we need to elevate the voices of our unheard, of people like Jobana, Sintia and Bertha, Theresa and Baakir. We must leverage their solutions and their ideas. We must listen to their true stories, their more beautifully complex stories.
戴斯蒙屠圖論述烏班圖(人性)的觀念 當時在南非的真相與和解過程 也就是在種族隔離制度之後開始 他說烏班圖的意思是 『我與你同為一體,密不可分, 我們是生命共同體』 生命共同體 開始真相與和解過程 讓沒被聽見的聲音聽見 如果這國家要實現對人民 自由與正義的承諾 那我們要讓沒被聽見的聲音聽見 像喬邦納、辛蒂亞、柏莎 泰蕾莎和巴基爾一樣的人 我們必須採納他們的解決之道和想法 我們必須聆聽他們真實故事 他們更美妙、不簡單的故事
Thank you.
謝謝各位
(Applause)
(掌聲)