Black life at the intersection of birth and death | Mwende "FreeQuency" Katwiwa

翻译人员: 娟 郁 校对人员:

My name is Mwende Katwiwa

我叫曼达·卡提哇，

and I am a poet,

我是一个诗人，

a Pan-Africanist

一个泛非主义者，

and a freedom fighter.

也是一名自由卫士。

I was 23 years old

我23岁时，

when I first heard about Reproductive Justice.

第一次听说生育公平。

I was working at Women with a Vision,

我当时在《卓识女性》工作，

where I learned that Reproductive Justice was defined by Sister Song as:

在那里，我了解到 “姐妹之歌”这样定义生育公平：

One: A woman's right to decide if and when she will have a baby

首先，女性有权决定是否与何时生育，

and the conditions under which she will give birth.

也有权决定具体的生育条件。

Two: A woman's right to decide if she will not have a baby

第二，女性有权选择不生育，

and her options for preventing or ending a pregnancy.

有权避孕或终止妊娠。

And three: A woman's right to parent the children she already has

第三，妇女有权

在安全健康的环境下抚养孩子，

in safe and healthy environments

without fear of violence

不用担心

来自个人或者政府的暴力事件。

from individuals or the government.

I've always wanted to be a mother.

我一直想成为一位母亲。

Growing up, I heard all about the joys of motherhood.

从小到大， 我听说过几乎所有为母的快乐。

I used to dream of watching my womb weave wonder into this world.

我那时一直梦想， 用自己的子宫孕育奇迹，带到这个世界上。

See, I knew I was young.

我知道我那时还很年轻。

But I figured,

但我觉得，

it couldn't hurt to start planning for something so big, so early.

生育这么重大的事， 再早规划也不早。

But now,

但如今，

I'm 26 years old.

我26岁了。

And I don't know if I have what it takes to stomach motherhood in this country.

我不确定在这个国家， 我是否享有的孕育孩子的权利。

See, over the years, America has taught me more about parenting

这些年，在养育孩子这方面，

美国教给我的 远比相关书籍要多得多。

than any book on the subject.

It has taught me how some women give birth to babies

它让我知道女性如何分娩，

产下他人眼中的嫌犯。

and others to suspects.

It has taught me that this body will birth kin

它让我知道黑人

who are more likely to be held in prison cells

被关进监狱的概率

than to hold college degrees.

高于获得大学学位。

There is something about being Black in America

黑人在美国

that has made motherhood seem

多少让“成为母亲”

complicated.

变得有点复杂。

Seem like,

就好像，

I don't know what to do to raise my kids right

我不知道如何让我的孩子正直成长，

and keep them alive.

不知道如何让他们好好活着。

Do I tell my son not to steal because it is wrong,

我教导我的儿子不要偷窃，

因为这件事是错误的， 还是因为这可能会陷他于死地？

or because they will use it to justify his death?

Do I tell him

我告诉他

that even if he pays for his Skittles and sweet tea

即使你花了钱买彩虹糖和甜茶，

there will still be those who will watch him

还是有人会监视着你，

and see a criminal before child;

像看一个偷窃犯而不是一个小孩；

who will call the police and not wait for them to come.

他们会报警， 但又会在警察来之前离开。

Do I even want the police to come?

我希望警察来吗？

Too many Sean Bells go off in my head when I consider calling 911.

打911之前， 我的脑袋会蹦出无数个肖恩·贝尔。

I will not take it for Oscar Grant-ed that they will not come and kill my son.

他们可能会像杀了奥斯卡·格兰特那样 杀了我的儿子，

So, we may have gotten rid of the nooses,

所以，尽管我们已经废除绞刑，

but I still consider it lynching when they murder Black boys

但当他们谋杀黑人男孩时， 我仍觉得那是一种私刑，

私刑后，再把他们的尸体 放在太阳下暴晒四个小时。

and leave their bodies for four hours in the sun.

As a historical reminder

以儆效尤，

that there is something about being Black in America

因为一些事情， 美国的黑人

that has made motherhood sound

使成为母亲这件事

like mourning.

听起来十分悲惨。

Sound like one morning I could wake up

就像是某天早晨我醒来，

and see my son as a repeat of last week's story.

看到上周的悲剧重演在我儿子身上。

Sound like I could wake up and realize

听起来就好像我醒过来发现，

the death of my daughter wouldn't even be newsworthy.

我女儿的死甚至都不值得上新闻。

So you can't tell me that Sandra Bland is the only Black woman

你总不能告诉我 只有桑德拉·布兰德这位黑人女性

whose violence deserves more than our silence.

所经历的暴行才值得我们站起来。

What about our other dark-skinned daughters in distress

那其他正在受难的黑人女同胞呢？

whose deaths we have yet to remember?

我们还能记得住谁的牺牲呢？

What about our children

我们的孩子怎么办？

whose lives don't fit neatly between the lives of your genders?

他们怎么能适应这样的生活呢？

See, apparently, nothing is a great protector

显而易见，如果你天生是个黑皮肤，

if you come out of a body that looks like this.

什么都救不了你。

See, there is something about being Black in America

所以，黑人在美国这样的事，

that has made motherhood sound

让成为母亲

听起来与我所愿相悖。

like something I'm not sure I look forward to.

I've written too many poems about dead Black children to be naïve

我写了很多 关于黑人小孩无辜牺牲的诗，

about the fact that there could one day be a poem written about my kids.

总有一天我的孩子可能也遭遇非难。

But I do not want to be a mother who gave birth to poems.

但我不想只做诗歌的母亲。

I do not want a stanza for a son

我要的不是诗节这样的儿子，

nor a line for a little girl

也不是诗句这样的女儿，

nor a footnote for a child who doesn't fit into this world.

更不是脚注这样 不能适应社会的孩子。

No.

不。

I do not want children who will live forever

我不想要

只能活在诗歌里的孩子，

in the pages of poetry,

yet can't seem to outlive

而他们的生命

比我还短。

me.

(Applause)

（掌声）

I was invited to the TEDWomen conference

我受邀到TED女性大会

做一首诗。

to perform a poem.

But for me, poetry is not about art and performance.

但于我而言， 诗作无关艺术或表演。

It is a form of protest.

它是一种抗议。

Yesterday,

昨天，

during rehearsal,

在排练时，

I was told that there had been

我被告知最近有两三场TED演讲

two to three recent TED Talks about Black Lives Matter.

涉及黑人生存问题。

That maybe I should cut down my TED Talk

所以，我可能需要缩短演讲时间，

so it could "just" be about Reproductive Justice.

所以演讲可能仅仅涉及 生育公平这个话题。

But that poem and this talk

但是那首诗和这个演讲

is fundamentally about my inability to separate the two.

对我而言是不能分割的。

I was 21 years old --

我21岁时——

(Applause)

（掌声）

I was 21 years old when Trayvon Martin was murdered.

我21岁时，特雷文·马丁被谋杀了。

Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old Black boy,

特雷文·马丁， 一个17岁的黑人男孩，

a Black child,

一个黑人小孩，

reminded me

警示了我，

reminded us

警示了我们所有人，

how little this nation actually values Black life.

这个国家多么轻视黑人的生命。

The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter

“黑人的生命事关紧要”的话题标签

变成黑人大众和孩子们

became the most recognized call

for Black people and our children

广泛认可的诉求，

即可以生活在安全的环境 和健康的社会团体中，

to live in safe environments and healthy communities

without fear

而不用感到害怕

from violence from individuals or the state or government.

来自任何个人、州或政府的暴力行为。

Months later,

几个月后，

when George Zimmerman was not held responsible

当乔治·齐默尔曼被判

for murdering Trayvon Martin,

无需为特雷文·马丁的死亡负责时，

I heard Sybrina Fulton,

我听到塞丽娜·富尔顿，

Trayvon Martin's mother, speak.

特雷文·马丁母亲的讲话。

Her testimony so deeply impacted me

她的证词对我的影响十分深远，

that I found myself constantly asking,

我开始不停地问

what would it mean to mother in the United Stated of America

在美国，身为黑人母亲

究竟意味着什么？

in this skin?

What does motherhood really mean,

母亲的真正意义是什么，

when for so many who look like me

对于那么多像我一样的黑人而言，

it is synonymous with mourning?

母亲就是默哀的同义词吗？

Without realizing it,

在不自知的情况下，

I had begun to link the Reproductive Justice framework

我已经开始将 生育公平的框架

and the Movement for Black Lives.

和黑人运动联系起来。

As I learned more about Reproductive Justice

当我在《卓识妇女》

at Women With A Vision,

了解了更多的生育公平，

and as I continued to be active in the Movement for Black Lives,

当我积极参与黑人运动时，

I found myself wanting others to see and feel these similarities.

我希望他人能看到并体会 这些相似之处。

I found myself asking:

我不禁在问：

Whose job is it in times like this

在这样的时代，谁的工作

to connect ideas realities and people?

会将观念、现实和人民联系起来？

I want to dedicate this talk and that poem

我想将此演讲和那首诗

to Constance Malcolm.

送给康斯坦茨·马尔科姆。

She is the mother of Ramarley Graham

她是拉玛莉·格雷厄姆的母亲，

who was another Black child

拉玛莉·格雷厄姆是另一个黑人孩子，

who was murdered before their time.

在先前被谋杀。

She reminded me once over dinner,

有一次吃饭时，康斯坦茨·马尔科姆曾提醒过我，

as I was struggling to write that poem,

我当时正在写那首诗，

that it is the artist's job

她说艺术家有职责

to unearth stories that people try to bury

去揭露一些

人们想用自满和时间来掩盖的真相。

with shovels of complacency and time.

Recently,

最近，

Toni Morrison wrote,

托妮·莫里森写了一句话，

"In times of dread,

“面对恐惧时，

artists must never choose to remain silent.

艺术家绝不能保持沉默。

There is no time for self-pity,

我们没有时间自怨自艾，

no room for fear."

也没有恐惧的余地。”

Yesterday, during rehearsal,

昨天彩排时，

when I was told that I should

当得知我可能要删减

"maybe cut the Black Lives Matter portion from my talk,"

“黑人的生命事关紧要”这段演讲时，

我察觉到自己害怕了好一会儿。

I found myself fearful for a moment.

Fearful that again our stories were being denied

害怕我们的故事再一次被否定，

the very stages they deserve to be told on.

尤其是在这样大的舞台上。

And then I remembered the words I had just spoken.

但我想起刚刚我所说的话。

"In times of dread,

“面对恐惧时，

artists must never choose to remain silent.

艺术家绝不能选择沉默。

There is no time for self-pity.

我们没有时间自怨自艾。

(Applause)

（掌声）

There is no time for self-pity.

我们没有时间自怨自艾。

And no room for fear."

也没有恐惧的余地。”

And I have made my choice.

我已经做了决定。

And I am always choosing.

永不停息。

Thank you.

谢谢大家。

(Applause)

（掌声）