3 questions to ask yourself about US citizenship | Jose Antonio Vargas

Translator: Ditte Christensen Reviewer: Anders Finn Jørgensen

Four years after arriving in the United States,

Fire år efter at jeg ankom til USA,

like any typical 16-year-old,

ville jeg have kørekort

I went to get my driver's permit.

ligesom alle andre 16-årige.

After I showed the clerk my immigration papers, my green card,

Da jeg viste mine papirer og mit Green Card til personen bag skranken,

she told me it was fake.

fortalte hun mig, at de var falske.

"Don't come back here again," she said.

"Kom ikke tilbage," sagde hun.

That's how I found out I was in America illegally.

Det var sådan jeg fandt ud af, at jeg var illegal immigrant.

And I'm still here illegally.

Hvilket jeg stadigvæk er.

I'm a journalist and filmmaker.

Jeg er journalist og producer.

I live in stories.

Jeg lever af at fortælle historier.

And what I've learned

Og jeg har fundet ud af,

that what most people don't understand about immigration

at hvad mange ikke forstår om immigration er,

is what they don't understand about themselves:

hvad de ikke forstår om sig selv:

their families' old migration stories and the processes they had to go through

Deres families historie som indvandrere og hvad de skulle igennem

before green cards and walls even existed,

før der fandtes Green Card og mure,

or what shaped their understanding of citizenship itself.

eller hvad der skabte deres forståelse af statsborgerskab i sig selv.

I was born in the Philippines.

Jeg blev født i Filippinerne.

When I was 12, my mother sent me to live with her parents,

Da jeg var 12 år, sendte min mor mig til sine forældre,

my grandparents,

mine bedsteforældre,

or, as we say in Tagalog, lolo and lola.

eller - som vi siger på tagalog - lolo og lola.

Lolo's name was Teofilo.

Lolos navn var Teofilo.

When he legally emigrated to America and became a naturalized citizen,

Da han lovligt emigrere til USA og blev statsborger,

he changed his name from Teofilo to Ted,

ændrede han sit navn fra Teofilo til Ted

after Ted Danson from the TV show "Cheers."

efter Ted Danson fra tv-serien "Cheers."

Can't get any more American than that.

Så bliver det ikke mere amerikansk.

Lolo's favorite song was Frank Sinatra's "My Way,"

Lolos yndlingssang var Frank Sinatras "My Way,"

and when it came to figuring out how to get his only grandson, me,

og da han skulle finde ud af, hvordan hans eneste barnebarn, mig, kom til USA,

to America,

besluttede han sig for

he decided to do it his way.

at gøre det på sin egen måde.

According to Lolo, there was no easy and simple way to get me here,

Ifølge Lolo, var der ingen nemt måde at få mig hertil på,

so Lolo saved up 4,500 dollars --

så han sparede 4.500 dollars op --

that's a lot of money for a security guard

hvilket er mange penge for en vagt,

who made no more than eight dollars an hour --

der ikke tjente mere end otte dollar i timen --

to pay for the fake green card

for at få et falskt Green Card

and for a smuggler to bring me to the US.

og få mig smuglet til USA.

So that's how I got here.

Det var sådan, jeg kom hertil.

I can't tell you how many times people tell me that their ancestors

Folk har ofte fortalt mig om, hvordan deres forfædre

came to America "the right way,"

kom hertil på "den rigtige måde,"

to which I remind them,

hvorefter jeg minder dem om,

America's definition of "the right way"

at USA's opfattelse af "den rigtige måde"

has been changing ever since the first ship of settlers dropped anchor.

har ændret sig lige siden det første skib kastede anker.

America as we know it is more than a piece of land,

USA, som vi kender det, er mere end blot et stykke land,

particularly because the land that now makes up the United States of America

især fordi det område, der nu omfattes af Amerikas Forenede Stater,

used to belong to other people in other countries.

plejede at tilhøre andre folk i andre lande.

America as we know it is also more than a nation of immigrants.

USA, som vi kender det, er altså mere end en nation af immigranter.

There are two groups of Americans who are not immigrants:

Der er to amerikanske grupper, som ikke er immigranter:

Native Americans, who were indigenous to this land

De indfødte amerikanere, der oprindeligt boede her,

and who were killed in acts of genocide;

og som blev underkuet af folkedrab;

and African Americans, who were kidnapped, shipped and enslaved

og afroamerikanere, der blev kidnappet og fragtet hertil

to build this country.

for at bygge landet som slaver.

America is, above all, an idea,

USA er, mest af alt, en idé,

however unrealized and imperfect,

hvor end urealiseret og fejlbarlig,

one that only exists because the first settlers came here freely

der kun eksisterer fordi de første bosættere ankom

without worry of citizenship.

uden at skulle tænke på statsborgerskab.

So, where did you come from?

Så, hvor kom du fra?

How did you get here?

Hvordan kom du hertil?

Who paid?

Hvem betalte?

All across America, in front of diverse audiences --

Over hele USA har jeg spurgt forskelligt publikum --

conservatives and progressives,

konservative og progressive,

high school students and senior citizens --

gymnasieelever og pensionister --

I've asked those questions.

disse spørgsmål.

As a person of color, I always get asked where I'm from,

Som farvet bliver jeg altid spurgt om, hvor jeg kommer fra,

as in, "Where are you from from?"

som i, "Hvilket land kommer du fra?"

So I've asked white people where they're from from, too.

Så jeg har også spurgt hvide personer om, hvor de er fra.

After asking a student at the University of Georgia

Da jeg spurgte en studerende på University of Georgia

where he was from,

hvor han var fra,

he said, "I'm American."

sagde han, "Jeg er amerikaner."

"I know," I said, "but where are you from?"

"Det ved jeg godt," sagde jeg, "men hvor er du fra?"

"I'm white," he replied.

"Jeg er hvid," svarede han.

"But white is not a country," I said.

"Men hvid er ikke et land," sagde jeg.

"Where are your ancestors from?"

"Hvor kommer dine forfædre fra?"

When he replied with a shrug,

Da han trak på skuldrene som svar,

I said,

spurgte jeg,

"Well, where did you come from?

"Så, hvor kom du fra?"

How did you get here? Who paid?"

"Hvordan kom du hertil? Hvem betalte?"

He couldn't answer.

Det kunne han ikke svare på.

I don't think you can talk about America as America

Jeg tror ikke, at man kan snakke om USA som USA

without answering those three core questions.

uden at besvare de tre spørgsmål.

Immigration is America's lifeline,

USA består af immigranter.

how this country has replenished itself for centuries,

Det er sådan det er vokset i århundreder,

from the settlers and the revolutionaries who populated the original 13 colonies

fra bosættere og revolutionære i de oprindelige 13 kolonier

to the millions of immigrants, predominantly from Europe,

til de millioner af immigranter, hovedsageligt fra Europa,

who relentlessly colonized this land.

der ubarmhjertigt koloniserede dette land.

Even though Native Americans were already here

Selvom de indfødte amerikanere allerede boede her

and had their own tribal identities and ideas about citizenship,

og havde deres egne stammeidentiteter og ideer om statsborgerskab,

they were not considered US citizens until the 1924 Indian Citizenship Act.

blev de ikke anset som amerikanske borgere før Indian Citizenship Act i 1924.

The landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act that Black Americans fought for

Den vigtige Civil Rights Act fra 1964, som sorte amerikanere sloges for,

inspired the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act,

inspirerede Immigration and Nationality Act fra 1965,

which ended America's race-based exclusionary system

der stoppede USA's racebaserede udelukkelsessystem,

that had lasted for 40 years.

som havde varet i 40 år.

I could go on and on here,

Jeg kunne fortsætte,

but my point, my larger point, is this:

men min egentlige pointe er:

How much do any of us,

Hvor meget ved vi,

whether immigrants of the past or the present,

nuværende eller tidligere immigranter,

know of these crucial parts of American history?

om disse vigtige dele af USA's historie?

How much of this history makes up the actual US citizenship test?

Hvor meget af denne historie findes i den amerikanske statsborgertest?

Have you ever seen it?

Har du nogensinde set den?

It's a mostly oral test,

Det er mest en mundtlig test,

and government officers ask applicants up to 10 of the 100 questions.

hvor ansøgere stilles op til 10 af de 100 spørgsmål.

To pass, applicants must get at least six answers right.

For at bestå, skal man have mindst seks rigtige svar.

I looked at the test recently,

Jeg så testen for nyligt,

and I was aghast at the questions posed

og blev forfærdet over spørgsmålene

and what constitutes acceptable answers to the glaring omissions.

og hvad der accepteres som svar på de mangelfulde spørgsmål.

There's a question about the Statue of Liberty and where it is.

Der er et spørgsmål om Frihedsgudinden og hvor den står henne.

There's no question about Ellis Island,

Der er intet spørgsmål om Ellis Island,

about the United States as an immigrant nation

om USA som en nation af immigranter

and the countless anti-immigrant laws that were passed.

og de mange anti-immigrant love, der blev vedtaget.

There's nothing about Native American history.

Der er intet om de indfødte amerikaneres historie.

There's a question about what Martin Luther King, Jr. did,

Der et et spørgsmål om, hvad Martin Luther King Jr. gjorde,

but largely, there's inadequate and irresponsible contexts

men generelt set er der mangelfulde og uansvarlige kontekster

about African Americans.

om afroamerikanere.

Here's an example.

Her er et eksempel.

Question number 74 under the American history section

Spørgsmål nummer 74 under amerikansk historie

asks applicants to "name one problem that led to the Civil War."

beder ansøgeren om at nævne "et problem, der førte til borgerkrigen."

There are three acceptable answers:

Der er tre acceptable svar:

slavery,

Slaveriet,

states' rights,

staternes rettigheder og

economic reasons.

økonomiske årsager.

Did my Lola and Lolo get that question?

Fik min Lola og Lolo det spørgsmål?

If they did get the question,

Og hvis de gjorde,

do they even understand the history behind it?

forstod de overhoved historien bag?

How about my uncles and aunties and cousins

Hvad med mine familiemedlemmer

and millions of other immigrants who had to take that test

og millioner af andre immigranter, der har taget testen

to become Americans?

for at blive amerikanere?

What do immigrants know about America before we get here?

Hvad ved immigranter om USA, før vi kommer hertil?

What kind of citizenship are we applying for?

Hvilket slags statsborgerskab ansøger vi om?

And is that the same kind of citizenship we actually want to be a part of?

Og er det en slags statsborgerskab, vi ønsker at være en del af?

Come to think of it -- I've been thinking a lot about this --

Jeg har tænkt en del på netop dette:

what does dignified citizenship look like?

Hvad er et værdigt statsborgerskab?

How can I ask for it when I just arrived here 26 years ago,

Hvordan kan jeg bede om det, når jeg kun ankom for 26 år siden,

when Black and Native people

mens sorte og indfødte folk,

who have been here in America for hundreds of years

der har været i USA i århundreder,

are still waiting for theirs?

stadig venter på deres?

One of my favorite writers is Toni Morrison.

En af mine yndlingsforfattere er Toni Morrison.

In 1996, a year before I found out I was in the country illegally,

I 1996, året før jeg opdagede, at jeg var illegal immigrant,

my eighth-grade class was assigned to read "The Bluest Eye,"

skulle jeg i 8. klasse læse "The Bluest Eye,"

Morrison's first book.

Morrisons første bog.

Instantly, the book challenged me to ask hard questions.

Bogen fik mig straks til at stille svære spørgsmål.

Why does Pecola Breedlove,

Hvorfor ønsker Pecola Breedlove,

this young Black girl at the center of the book,

den sorte pige, som bogen handler om,

why did she want blue eyes?

at hun havde blå øjne?

Who told her to want it?

Hvem sagde, at hun skulle have det?

Why did she believe them?

Hvorfor troede hun på dem?

Morrison said she wrote the book to illustrate what happens

Morrison fortalte, at hun skrev bogen for at vise, hvad der sker,

when a person surrenders to what she called "the master narrative."

når en person overgiver sig til "den store fortælling."

"Definitions," Morrison said, "belong to the definers, not the defined."

"Definitioner," sagde Morrison, "tilhører den, der definerer, ikke den definerede."

Once I realized that I was here illegally,

Da jeg opdagede, at jeg var her ulovligt,

I convinced myself that if I was not a legal citizen by birth or by law,

sagde jeg til mig selv, at hvis ikke jeg var legal via fødsel eller lov,

another kind of citizenship was possible.

kunne jeg opnå en anden slags statsborgerskab.

Citizenship as participation:

Statsborgerskab gennem deltagelse:

I engage.

Jeg engagerer mig.

I engage with all kinds of Americans, even Americans who don't want me here.

Jeg engagerer mig med alle slags amerikanere, selv dem, der ikke vil have mig her.

Citizenship as contribution:

Statsborgerskab gennem bidrag:

I give back to my community in whatever ways I can.

Jeg bidrager til mit fællesskab, så meget jeg kan.

As an undocumented entrepreneur -- and yes, there is such a thing --

Som en udokumenteret entreprenør -- og ja, det findes --

I've employed many US citizens.

har jeg ansat mange amerikanske statsborgere.

Citizenship as education:

Statsborgerskab gennem uddannelse:

We can't wait for others to educate us about the past

Vi kan ikke vente på, at andre lærer os om fortiden

and how we got to this present.

og hvordan vi nåede i dag.

We have to educate ourselves and our circles.

Vi skal uddanne os selv og folk omkring os.

Citizenship as something greater than myself:

Statsborgerskab som noget, der er større end mig selv:

We are, I think, individually and collectively,

Jeg tror, at vi individuelt og kollektivt

rewriting the master narrative of America.

er ved at omskrive USA's store fortælling.

The people who were once defined are now doing the defining.

Dem, der før blev defineret, er nu dem, der definerer.

They're asking the questions that need to be asked.

De stiller de spørgsmål, som vi ikke kan undgå.

A core part of that redefinition

En vigtig del af denne redefinition

is how we define not only who is an American

er ikke kun, hvordan vi definerer, hvem der er amerikaner,

but what constitutes citizenship.

men også hvad statsborgerskab betyder.

Which, to me, is our responsibility to each other.

Hvilket, synes jeg, er vores ansvar til hinanden.

So consider your own personal narrative

Så tænk på din egen personlige historie

and ask yourself:

og spørg dig selv:

Where did you come from?

Hvor kom du fra?

How did you get here?

Hvordan kom du hertil?

Who paid?

Hvem betalte?