The work that makes all other work possible | Ai-jen Poo

翻译人员: Sam Bao 校对人员: Conway Ye

I want to talk to you tonight

今晚我想和大家谈谈

about the work that makes all other work possible,

让所有工作成为可能的工作，

about the millions of women who go to work in our homes

谈谈数百万每天来到我们的家中

every single day,

工作的女性，

caring for children as nannies,

有的是照顾孩子的保姆，

caring for our loved ones with disabilities and our elders,

有的是照顾我们 身体不便的亲人和长辈的

as home care workers,

家庭护理员，

maintaining sanity in our homes as cleaners.

有的是让住宅保持洁净的清洁工。

It's the work that makes all other work possible.

这是让所有工作成为可能的职业。

And it's mostly done by women, more than 90 percent women,

做这份工作的，90%都是女性，

disproportionately women of color.

非白人女性更多。

And the work itself is associated with work that women have historically done,

而这份工作本身 与历史上女性扮演的角色有关，

work that's been made incredibly invisible

在我们的文化中很少受关注，

and taken for granted in our culture.

我们都以习以为常了。

But it's so fundamental to everything else in our world.

但这种工作是世界上 其他事情的根基，

It makes it possible for all of us to go out and do what we do in the world

让我们能够每一天放心的走出家门，

every single day,

并承担起我们在世界上的责任，

knowing that the most precious aspects of our lives are in good hands.

不需要担心我们生活中最重要的部分。

But we don't think about it that way.

但我们却不这样看待这份工作。

It's almost defined by its invisibility.

这份工作几乎是透明的。

You could go into any neighborhood

你可以走进任何社区

却不知道哪座房子 也是某些人的办公室。

and not know which homes are also workplaces.

There's no sign.

没有任何标志，

There's no list or registry.

没有名单，没有前台。

It's just invisible.

它是看不到的。

And it's this work that is not even referred to as real work.

而且这份工作 还不被人当作真的工作，

It's referred to as "help."

人们将其称为“帮忙”。

It's often seen as unskilled,

它常被视作无需技能，

not seen as professional.

非正式的工作。

And race has played a profound role in how we value this work in our culture.

而种族深深影响了 我们对这份工作的态度，

Some of the first domestic workers in the United States were black women

美国第一批家政工作者有一些是

受到奴役的黑人女性，

who were enslaved,

and racial exclusion has shaped their conditions for generations.

而种族隔离已经影响了 她们好几代人的生活了。

In the 1930s, when Congress was discussing the labor laws

在上世纪三十年代， 国会修改了劳动法，

that would be a part of the New Deal,

成为了“罗斯福新政"的一部分，

that would protect all workers,

来保护所有劳动者。

Southern members of Congress refused to support those labor laws

来自南部的议员 拒绝支持这些劳动法规，

if they included protections for domestic workers and farmworkers.

因为这项法规包括了 对家政工人和农场工人的保护。

That history of racial exclusion

种族隔离的历史

and our cultural devaluing of work that's associated with women

和我们文化上对女性职业的轻视，

now means that millions of women go to work every single day,

使得现在上百万的女性

work incredibly hard

每天辛勤工作，

and still can't make ends meet.

却仍是勉强度日。

They earn poverty wages without a safety net,

她们在贫困线上挣扎， 没有社会保障。

so that the women that we're counting on to take care of us and our families

我们依赖这些女性照顾我们和家人，

can't take care of their own, doing this work.

但她们却无法靠这份工作照顾自己。

But my work over the last 20 years has been about changing precisely that.

但我二十年来的工作 正是为了改变这一点。

It's about making these jobs good jobs that you can take pride in

试图让家政工作变成 受尊重的令人骄傲的职业，

and support your family on.

并且凭此养活一家人。

At the National Domestic Workers Alliance, we've been working hard in states

在美国家政工作者联盟，

to pass new laws that will protect domestic workers from discrimination

我们努力促使各州通过新的法案

and sexual harassment,

来保护家政工作者

that will create days of rest, paid time off, even.

不受歧视和性侵，并提供 休息日、带薪假期。

So far, eight states have passed domestic workers bills of rights.

目前为止，有八个州已经 通过家政工作者的权利法案。

Yes.

是的！

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

And during the Obama administration,

在奥巴马执政期间，

we were successful in bringing two million home care workers

我们成功地让两百万家政工作者

under minimum wage and overtime protections

享受到最低薪资及加班保护。

for the first time since 1937.

这是1937年以来的第一次。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

Most recently, we've been really excited to launch a new portable benefits platform

最近，我们怀着激动的心情 启动了全新的移动福利平台，

for domestic workers, called "Alia,"

专门服务于家政工人，名叫“Alia”，

which allows for domestic workers with multiple clients

该平台第一次让服务于 多个家庭的家政工人

to give them access to benefits for the very first time.

能够享受到福利。

So really important progress is being made.

我们正在实现重大的进步。

But I would argue tonight

但是今晚我想说，

that one of the most important things that domestic workers can provide

家政工作者所提供的最重要的东西，

is actually what they can teach us

实际上也是她们能教会我们的，

about humanity itself

关于人性自身的事情，

and about what it will take to create a more humane world for our children.

关于我们如何为后代 创造一个更人性的世界。

In the face of extreme immorality,

在沦丧的道德面前，

domestic workers can be our moral compass.

家政工作者可以是我们的指南针。

And it makes sense,

这很好理解，

because what they do is so fundamental

因为她们的工作对人类最基本的

to the very basics of human need and humanity.

需求和人性如此重要。

They are there when we are born into this world;

我们出生时她们在场，

她们塑造了我们的生活，

they shape who we become in this world;

and they are with us as we prepare to leave this world.

我们将要离开人世时她们也在场。

And their experiences with families are so varied.

她们和所服务的家庭 会有种种不同的故事。

They have some relationships with the families that they work for

她们与有些所服务的家庭

that are incredibly positive and mutually supportive

有非常积极和互相支持的关系，

and last for years and years.

并且持续数年。

And then the opposite also happens.

但也有相反的情况。

And we've seen cases of sexual violence and assault,

有时还有性侵犯和性暴力事件，

of extreme forms of abuse and exploitation.

还有极端的虐待和剥削，

We've seen cases of human trafficking.

甚至还有拐卖的案例。

Domestic workers live in poor neighborhoods,

家政工人生活在糟糕的社区，

and then they go to work in very wealthy ones.

她们工作的社区却十分富裕。

They cross cultures and generations and borders and boundaries,

她们跨越了文化、代际和国界。

and their job, no matter what,

而不管怎样，她们的职责

is to show up and care --

都是如约出现并提供关照——

to nurture, to feed, to clothe, to bathe,

给人呵护、给人喂食、 帮人穿衣、帮人沐浴，

to listen, to encourage,

倾听、鼓励，

to ensure safety,

保障安全，

to support dignity ...

维护尊严——

to care no matter what.

无论如何，都会尽职尽责。

I want to tell you a story of a woman I met early on in this work.

我想给大家讲一讲 我在工作中遇到的一位女性，

Her name is Lily.

她叫莉莉。

Lily and her family lived in Jamaica,

莉莉和家人曾住在牙买加。

and when she was 15 years old, she was approached by an American couple

她15岁的时候， 有对美国夫妇找到了她，

who were looking for a live-in nanny to come live with them

需要一位保姆住在他们

in the United States

在美国的家里，

and help them care for their children.

帮他们照顾孩子。

They offered Lily's family that if she came to work as their nanny,

他们向莉莉的家人保证 如果莉莉来当保姆，

she would be able to have access to a US education,

莉莉将会接受美国的教育，

and she would have a weekly salary sent home to help her family financially.

她每周还有薪水， 可以寄回家补贴家用。

They decided it was a good idea

莉莉一家觉得这是个好主意，

and decided to take the opportunity.

决定抓住这个机会。

Lily held up her end of the bargain

莉莉遵守了自己的承诺，

and helped to raise three children.

帮忙抚养三个孩子。

But all communication with her family was severed:

但她失去了与家人的所有联系。

no letters, no phone calls.

没有信件，没有电话。

She was never allowed to go to school,

那对夫妇从没让她去上学，

and she was never paid --

她从没领过薪水，

for 15 years.

整整15年。

One day, she saw an article in a newspaper about another domestic worker

有一天，她在报纸上看到 一篇关于另一名家政工人的文章，

with a really similar story to hers,

两人遭遇十分相似。

another case that I was working on at the time,

而当时我正在帮助这名家政工人。

and she found a way to reach me.

莉莉想办法找到了我，

She also found a way to reach her brother,

也想办法找到了她的哥哥。

who was living in the United States at the time as well.

那时她哥哥恰好也在美国。

Between the two of us, we were able to help her escape.

我和她哥哥最后把她救了出来。

And she had the help of one of the children.

莉莉也得到了其中一个孩子的帮助。

One of the children was old enough to realize

这个孩子已经长大，并能够理解

that the way his nanny was being treated was wrong,

他的保姆受到了不公正的待遇。

and he gave her the money that he had been saving through his childhood

他还把从小存的钱给了她，

to help her escape.

来帮她逃脱。

But here's the thing about this story.

这个故事的重点在于，

She was essentially enslaved for 15 years.

莉莉等同于被奴役了15年。

Human trafficking and slavery is a criminal offense.

人口拐卖和奴役是刑事犯罪。

And so her lawyers and I asked Lily,

所以莉莉的律师和我问她，

did she want to press criminal charges for what had happened to her.

要不要因为她的遭遇 而提出刑事指控？

And after thinking about what it would mean,

然而考虑到这行为的后果，

she said no,

她婉拒了。

because she didn't want the children to be separated from their parents.

因为她不希望 让那些孩子与父母分开。

Instead, we filed a civil lawsuit, and we eventually won the case,

我们最终提出了 民事控告，并赢了官司，

and her case became a rallying cry for domestic workers everywhere.

她的案子使各地的 家政工人激动万分。

She was reunited with her family and went on to have a family of her own.

她不但和家人团聚， 还建立了自己的家庭。

But the thing that's so profound to me about this story

这个故事令我深受触动的一点是，

is, despite having 15 years stolen from her life,

尽管有人偷走了她生命的15年，

it did not affect the care and compassion that she felt for the children.

却没有改变她对孩子们的关怀和同情。

And I see this from domestic workers all the time.

我经常在家政工人身上看到这一点。

In the face of indignities

在遭受屈辱的时候，

and our failure to respect and value this work in our culture,

在我们的文化没能 尊重和重视家政工作的时候，

她们仍然如约出现，

they still show up,

and they care.

提供呵护。

They're simply too proximate to our shared humanity.

她们太了解我们共同的人性了。

They know how your toddler likes to be held

她们知道你的孩子 喜欢怎么样被抱着，

as they take their bottle before a nap.

她们在孩子入睡前给他们喂奶。

They know how your mother likes her tea,

她们知道你的母亲喜欢喝怎样的茶，

how to make her smile and tell stories despite her dementia.

知道怎样让有痴呆症的 母亲笑起来，怎样给她讲故事。

They are so proximate to our humanity.

她们如此懂得我们的人性。

They know that at the end of the day,

她们知道在一天结束之时，

these are people who are part of families --

她们服务的对象都是家庭的一分子，

someone's mother,

或许是位母亲，

someone's grandmother,

或许是位祖母，

someone's best friend

或许是某人的挚友，

and someone's baby;

或许是某人的孩子。

undeniably human,

他们都是人，

and therefore, not disposable.

因此是不可以随意抛弃的。

Domestic workers know that any time a single person becomes disposable,

家政工人知道， 一旦有人遭到抛弃，

it's a slippery slope.

便是人性滑坡的开始。

You see, the cultural devaluing of domestic work

轻视家政工作的文化，

is a reflection of a hierarchy of human value

意味着将人类价值划分等级，

that defines everything in our world,

而这种人类价值定义着 这世上所有一切；

a hierarchy that values the lives and contributions

这种等级重视 某些群体的生命和贡献，

of some groups of people over others,

又轻视另一些群体的。

based on race, gender,

其依据则是种族、性别、

class, immigration status --

阶级和合法身份，

any number of categories.

以及其他方面的差异。

And that hierarchy of human value requires stories about those groups of people

而这种价值等级需要这些家政工人

in order to sustain itself.

来保持自身的延续。

So these stories have seeped deep into our culture

因此这些人的故事 深深渗透进了我们的文化，

about how some people are less intelligent,

有些人比别人笨，

some people are less intuitive,

有些人比别人迟钝，

weaker,

比别人弱，

by extension, less trustworthy,

进而不够可信，

less valuable

不够有价值，

and ultimately,

最后，

less human.

他们的人格没有得到应有的尊重。

And domestic workers know it's a slippery slope

而家政工作者知道这人性的滑坡，

when we start to see a worker as less than a real worker,

当我们忘记她们也是真正的劳动者，

to a woman as less than a woman,

忘记她们也有女性的尊严，

to a mother as less than a mother,

忘记她们也是母亲，

to a child as less than a child.

忘记有些也是孩子。

In the spring of 2018,

2018年的春天，

the Trump administration announced a new policy at the US-Mexico border,

特朗普政府在美墨边境 宣布了一项新政策，

a zero-tolerance policy,

一项零容忍的政策，

to forcibly separate all children from their parents,

强制将儿童与父母分离，

who were arriving at the border seeking asylum;

这些父母来到边境是为了寻求庇护。

children as young as 18 months, separated from their parents

小至18个月的儿童被迫与父母分离，

after a long and arduous journey to reach the US-Mexico border

而他们刚经过长途的 跋涉才来到美墨边境，

in search of safety and a new beginning.

寻求安全的环境与全新的开始。

Thousands of children separated.

数千名儿童被迫与父母分离。

And because they were migrants,

而由于他们是移民，

they were treated as less than children.

他们没有得到普通儿童的待遇。

In response, I helped to organize the Families Belong Together Vigil

为此，我在父亲节那天参与 组织了“家庭团聚守夜活动”，

at the Ursula Border Patrol Processing Center in McAllen, Texas,

就在德克萨斯州麦克艾伦的

on Father's Day.

乌尔索拉边境巡逻中心。

Inside that processing center, there were hundreds of children

在巡逻中心，有数百名儿童

who were being held, processed

处在扣留状态，等待下一步安排，

and then prepared to be shipped all over country

他们随后会迁往全美各地，

to be jailed in facilities hundreds of miles away from their parents.

扣留在某处，与父母相隔数百公里。

I saw with my own eyes

我亲眼目睹了，

children not [old] enough for kindergarten

有些孩子还不到上幼儿园的年级，

in unmarked buses,

乘着没有标识的车，

being shipped off to jails hundreds of miles away.

前往数百英里之外的关押所。

And as they passed us by,

他们与我们擦肩而过的时候，

they reached for us through the windows,

会通过窗子向我们示意。

as we stood vigil to let them know that they are not alone,

我们守夜是为了告诉他们， 他们并不孤独，

and we are fighting for them.

我们在为他们而战。

Domestic workers came from all over Texas to be a part of the vigil.

德州各地的家政工作者 都赶来参加守夜。

They saw in those families their own family stories.

她们在这些家庭中 看到了自己家庭的故事。

They had also come here in search of safety and a new beginning,

她们来到美国也是 为了安全和新的开始，

a better life for their families,

为了让家人更好的生活。

and they saw in the eyes of those children

她们在这些孩子的眼中，

their own children.

看到了自己的孩子。

And through our tears,

我们难掩泪水，

we looked at each other and we asked each other,

看着彼此，询问彼此，

"How did we get here,

“我们是如何走到这一步的？

to putting children in cages

把儿童置于牢笼，

and separating them from the people who love them the most in the world?"

把他们从全世界 最爱他们的人身边带走？

How?

怎么回事？”

And what I thought to myself was: if domestic workers were in charge,

我在心里想的是， 如果家政工作者是掌权者，

this never would have happened.

这样的事永远不会发生。

Our humanity would never have been so disposable

我们的人性不会遭到随意践踏，

that we would be treating children in this way.

到了如此对待儿童的地步。

The Dalai Lama once said that love and compassion are necessities,

达赖喇嘛曾经说过， 爱与同情是必须品，

not luxuries.

不是奢侈品。

Without them, humanity cannot survive.

没有这些，人类无法生存。

In other words, they are fundamental to human existence.

换言之，它们对人类生存 是不可或缺的。

Domestic workers are in charge of the fundamentals.

家政工人掌握的 正是这些不可或缺的品质。

They love and they care,

她们有爱心，她们懂得关怀，

她们总是充满同情心，不管发生什么。

and they show compassion no matter what.

We live in a time of moral choices

我们生活在道德抉择的时代。

everywhere we turn:

抉择无处不在，

at the border,

在边境问题上，

at the ballot box,

在选举时，

in our workplaces,

在工作场所，

right in our homes, full of moral choices.

甚至在家中，到处都是道德抉择。

As you go about your day and you encounter these moral choices,

在你度过每一天，面对道德抉择时，

think of Lily.

想想莉莉。

Think like Lily.

并像莉莉一样思考。

Think like a domestic worker who shows up and cares no matter what.

像家政工人那样思考， 无论如何都如约出现，提供关怀。

Love and compassion, no matter what.

奉献爱与关怀，不论发生什么。

Show up like a domestic worker,

像家政工作者那样如约出现，

because our children are counting on us.

因为孩子们依靠着我们。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）