The story we tell about millennials -- and who we leave out | Reniqua Allen

翻译人员: Ziyao Wang 校对人员: Tianji (Homer) Li

So on the surface,

从表面上看，

Troy is the kind of millennial that think pieces are made of.

特洛伊（人名）是那种 人们口中的80后。

He's arrogant, self-centered

他很傲慢，自私，

and convinced that he is smarter than people give him credit for.

并且认为自己比 所有赞扬他的人都聪明。

His favorite topics of conversation are girls, sneakers and cars --

他最喜欢的话题是 女生，跑鞋和汽车——

not a surprise for someone who was a teenager just a few years ago.

鉴于他几年前还是十几岁的 少年，这并不令人惊讶。

But Troy's mannerisms --

但特洛伊的习惯——

they reveal the patterns of someone who is scared,

反映了他的害怕、烦恼

troubled and unsure of the future.

以及对未来的缺乏信心。

Now Troy also embodies the many positive qualities

不过特洛伊又具备了很多

his generation is known for.

他这代人出了名的 一些优秀品质。

An entrepreneurial spirit,

企业家的精神，

an independent streak

独立的性格，

and a dedication to his parents.

还有对父母的奉献精神。

He believes in hard work

他相信努力会有回报，

and has tried gigs in both the licit and underground economies,

尝试过以合法和 地下手段赚钱，

but he hasn't had any luck

但他运气并不好，

and is just trying to find his way

只能不停地寻找前进的路，

and still dances between both worlds.

并在两条不同的路 之间不停转换。

When I met Troy a few years ago,

当我几年前遇到特洛伊时，

he had been employed as a golf caddy at a local country club,

他被一家乡村俱乐部 雇用做了一名球童，

carrying bags for rich men and women

为常常对他视而不见的

who often never even acknowledged his existence.

富人们拎袋子。

Before that, he sold sneakers on Facebook.

在那之前，他在脸书上卖跑鞋。

He even tried selling candy bars and water bottles,

他甚至尝试过卖糖果和水杯，

but he wasn't making enough money to help his parents out

但他从没挣够过足以 让他父母过上好一点生活，

or save up for a car any time soon.

或者买一辆车的钱。

So Troy saw how hard his immigrant mother from Jamaica worked

当特洛伊看到从牙买加 移民来的母亲工作得那么努力

and how little she got back in return,

但却得到如此少的回报，

and he vowed --

他发誓——

Troy vowed to take a different path.

发誓要走一条不同的路。

So he ended up selling drugs.

他最后走上了卖毒品的道路。

And then he got caught,

然后他被抓住了，

and right now, he's trying to figure out his next steps.

现在他正试着搞明白 下一步该怎么办。

In a country where money equals power,

在这个金钱等于权利的国家，

quick money, at least for a while, gives young men and women like him

挣快钱在一小段时间内 可以让像他一样的年轻人

a sense of control over their lives,

对生活更有控制感，

though he said he mainly did it because he wanted stability.

即使他们说只是为了 有更稳定的生活。

"I wanted a good life," he told me.

“我想有美好的生活，” 他告诉我。

"I got greedy and I got caught."

“我变得贪婪，后来被抓住了。”

Yet the amazing thing about Troy

特洛伊身上最令人惊奇的

is that he still believes in the American dream.

是他仍相信美国梦。

He still believes that with hard work,

他相信即使被抓住了，

despite being arrested,

通过努力，

that he can move on up.

他仍可以提高自己的社会地位。

Now, I don't know if Troy's dreams came true.

我不知道特洛伊 的梦想有没有实现。

He disappeared from the program for troubled youth that he was involved in

他从自己参与的 问题青年项目中消失了，

and slipped through the cracks,

没再继续接受我们的帮助。

but on that day that we spoke,

但是，从我们那天的谈话，

I could tell that more than anything,

我可以看出，

Troy was happy that someone listened to his dreams

有人愿意听他的梦想， 询问他的未来，

and asked him about his future.

让特洛伊很开心。

So I think about Troy and his optimism

每当我想到许多年轻的

when I think of the reality that so many young, black millennials face

黑人千禧一代在实现梦想时 所面临的现实时，

when it comes to realizing their dreams.

我就会想到特洛伊和他的乐观主义。

I think about all the challenges

我总想到

that so many black millennials have to endure

那么多千禧一代黑人被告知 只要努力梦想就能实现，

in a world that tells them they can anything they want to be

而说那些话的人， 连坐下来听他们的梦想

if they work hard,

或他们的挣扎

but actually doesn't sit down to listen to their dreams

都不愿意时，

or hear stories about their struggle.

黑人青年们面临的挑战。

And we really need to listen to this generation

如果我们想有一个 健康文明的未来社会，

if we hope to have a healthy and civil society going forward,

我们就必须倾听 这一代年轻人的声音，

because millienials of color,

因为千禧一代有色人种青年

they make up a fair chunk of the US and the world population.

组成了美国和 世界相当比例的人口。

Now when we talk about millennials,

当我们讲到千禧一代，

a group that is often labeled as entitled, lazy, overeducated,

他们总被贴上享有特权， 懒惰，高学历，没主见，

noncommittal and narcissistic,

孤芳自赏的标签。

the conversations often swirl around avocado toast,

话题总是围绕着 牛油果吐司，

overpriced lattes and fancy jobs abroad --

贵得离谱的拿铁， 海外高级的工作——

you probably have heard all these things before.

你也许听说过这些。

But millennials are not a monolith.

但千禧一代的特质却不尽相同。

Actress Lena Dunham may be the media's representation

女演员莉娜·丹恩 也许成为了媒体眼中

of this generation,

这一代人的代表，

but Troy and other voices like his are also part of the story.

但特洛伊和很多其他人 也是故事的一部分。

In fact, millennials are the largest and most diverse adult population

实际上，千禧一代是美国 最大、最多样化的

in this country.

人群。

44 percent of all American millennials are nonwhite,

美国44%的千禧一代青年 都是有色人种，

but often, you wouldn't even know it at all.

只不过人们通常不知道。

Now sure, there are similarities within this population

的确，这个出生于 1981和1996年之间的群体

born between 1981 and 1996.

有他们自己的特点。

Perhaps many of us do love avocado toast and lattes --

也许我们很多人 确实喜欢牛油果吐司和拿铁——

I know I do, right?

至少我是的——

But there are also extreme differences,

但千禧一代中的

often between millennials of color and white millennials.

有色人种和白人有着很大不同。

In fact, all too often,

实际上，

it seems as though we're virtually living in different worlds.

他们似乎常常活在 两个完全不同的世界里。

Now black millennials,

对于千禧一代的黑人青年，

a group that I have researched for a book I recently wrote,

我做了研究并写了一本书，

are the perfect example of the blind spot that we have

就是我们有关千禧一代 讨论中的盲点

when it comes to this group.

最好的例子。

For example,

比如，

we have lower rates of homeownership,

我们的房屋拥有率更低，

we have higher student debt,

学生债务更高，

we get ID'd more at voter registration booths,

大选投票时 被查身份文件的频率更高，

we are incarcerated at higher rates ...

被关押率更高，

we make less money,

赚的钱更少，

we have higher numbers of unemployment --

失业率更高——

even when we do go to college, I should say --

即使我们上了大学——

and we get married at lower rates.

我们的结婚率也更低。

And honestly, that's really just the beginning.

老实说，这只是个开始。

Now, none of these struggles are particularly new, right?

没有一个上面提到的 困难是新出现的。

Young black people in America have been fighting,

黑人青年在美国 努力地斗争，

really fighting hard to get their stories told for centuries.

奋力传播他们的故事。

After the Civil War in the 1800s,

十九世纪初的内战后，

Reconstruction failed to deliver the equality

战后重建没有像 奴隶制废除时预示的那样

that the end of slavery should have heralded,

达到人人平等的原则，

so young people moved to the North and the West

年轻人们为了逃避 种族歧视的吉姆·克劳法

to escape discriminatory Jim Crow policies.

搬到西部和北部。

Then, as segregation raged in much of the country,

20 世纪 50 和 60 年代

young black people helped spearhead civil rights campaigns

种族隔离在全国肆虐时，

in the 1950s and 1960s.

年轻的黑人们担当了 人权运动的先锋。

After that, some people embraced black power and then became Black Panthers

后来，有些人接受了黑人权利 并加入了黑豹党，

and then the next generation,

再下一代人

they turned to hip-hop to make sure their voices were heard.

用说唱音乐讲述自己的故事。

And then Barack Obama,

再后来是贝拉克·奥巴马

hopeful that he, too, may bring about change.

满怀希望地争取改变。

And when that failed,

当有些尝试失败时，

when we realized we were still brutalized and battered,

当我们意识到我们 仍不断被伤害时，

we had to let the world know that our lives still mattered.

我们要让世界知道 我们的生命也很重要。

Now, when technology allows more video of our pain and struggle

当科技让我们的痛楚和挣扎 以视频的形式

to be broadcast to the world,

在世界范围内播出时，

we wonder, like, what is next?

我们很好奇接下来会发生什么。

Our country feels more polarized than ever,

当下的美国 史无前例地两极化，

yet we are still being told to pull up our pants,

而我们却被告知要保持克制，

be respectable, be less angry,

要体面，不要愤怒，

smile more and work harder.

多微笑，努力工作。

Even the attitudes of millennials themselves are overdue for an update.

即使以千禧一代青年们的态度， 也迟迟没有任何进展。

Research done by the Washington Post in 2015 about this supposedly "woke" group

《华盛顿邮报》2015年关于本应当 “被唤醒”的群体的研究发现，

found that 31 percent of white millennials think that blacks are lazier than whites,

31%的白人千禧一代 认为黑人青年比白人懒惰，

and 23 percent say they're not as intelligent.

23% 认为黑人没白人聪明。

These are, like, surprising things to me, and shocking.

这些说法令我相当震惊。

And these responses are not that much different

这些回答其实跟前人的回答

than generations in the past,

相差不大，

and it shows that unfortunately,

这项研究也表明

this generation is repeating the same old stereotypes

这一代人仍在重复以前的

and tropes of the past.

对黑人的模式化看法。

Now, a study conducted by David Binder Research and MTV in 2014 --

大卫·宾得研究所和 MTV 在 2014 年进行的一项研究表明，

it found that 84 percent of young millennials were taught by their families

84%的千禧一代 在家中被亲人教导

that everyone should be equal.

人生而平等。

This is a really great thing, a really positive step.

这是很棒的一件事， 也是乐观的一步，

But only 37 percent in that group

但在那些人中，

actually talked about race with their families.

只有37%的人 会跟家人讨论种族问题。

So I could understand why things may be confusing to some.

我可以理解为什么 有些人会很困惑。

There are definitely black millennials who are succeeding.

千禧一代的黑人青年里 的确有成功人士。

Marvel's "Black Panther,"

漫威的电影《黑豹》

directed by black millennial Ryan Coogler and showcasing many others,

就是由千禧一代的黑人青年瑞安·库格勒 导演，很多其他黑人青年出演的，

broke all sorts of records.

打破了很多记录。

There's a crop of television shows by creatives like Donald Glover,

还有很多有创意的电视剧， 由唐纳德·格洛沃，

Lena Waithe and Issa Rae.

列娜·怀瑟， 伊莎·瑞等人精心打造。

Beyoncé is, like, the queen, right?

碧昂丝就像天后，不是吗？

She is, like, everything.

她代表了一切。

Young black authors are winning awards,

年轻的黑人作家 也捧回不少奖项，

Serena Williams is still dominating on the tennis court

赛琳娜·威廉姆斯 在网球场上所向披靡，

despite all her haters,

哪怕有人不喜欢她。

and there's a crop of new politicians and activists running for office.

除此以外还有一群新晋 黑人政治家和运动领导者。

So I don't want to, like, kill these moments of black joy

我不想压下这 属于黑人的快乐片刻，

that I too revel in,

因为我也在狂欢中，

but I want to make it clear

但我想澄清的是，

that these wins are too few and far between

这还是太少了，且远不够，

for a people that's been here for over 400 years.

因为我们已经在这里 生活了超过四百年，

Like, that's insane, right?

听起来是不是难以置信？

And most people still don't really understand the full picture, right?

还有很多人依然不能 明白全局，不是吗？

Our stories are still misunderstood,

我们的故事仍被误解，

our bodies are still taken advantage of,

我们的身体和声音

and our voices?

仍被利用。

Our voices are silenced

我们的声音

in a world that still shows little concern for our everyday struggles.

被这个对我们日常的困境 漠不关心的世界掩盖了。

So our stories need to be told

我们的故事

in a multitude of ways

应该以多种方式

by a range of voices

被不同的声音讲述，

talking about diverse and nuanced topics,

讨论我们多样、 细致划分的话题，

and they really need to be listened to.

它们应该被聆听。

And it is not just here in America, right?

而且还不能只是在美国，

It's all around the world.

而是在全世界。

Millennials make up 27 percent of the world's population.

千禧一代占据世界人口的27%，

That's around two billion people.

那是20亿人了。

And with countries like India, China, Indonesia and Brazil,

像印度、中国、印尼、巴西

along with the United States,

和美国这些国家，

accounting for 50 percent of the world's millennials,

拥有世界几近一半的 千禧一代青年，

it's clear that the white, often male, heterosexual narrative of the millennial

很明显，他们中的 异性恋白种男子讲述的

is only telling half the story.

只是故事的一部分。

Now, there's many people trying to broaden the palette.

现在很多人都在尝试 扩展他们的调色板。

They're fighting to get their stories told and bust the millennial stereotype.

他们为了讲述自己的故事、 去除对千禧一代的模式化印象而奋斗。

Whether it's students in South Africa protesting statues of Cecil Rhodes,

无论是南非学生保护 塞西尔·罗兹的雕像的游行，

Michaela Coel making us laugh from the UK,

在英国的米歇尔拉·克尔 让我们大笑，

or Uche Eze, who's framing views about Nigerian life, online.

还是在互联网上试图改变外人对 尼日利亚人生活印象的伍彻·厄泽。

But I want to make it clear --

我想强调的是——

I want to make it really clear to everyone

我想让每个人明白

that just because things look more equal than they did

虽然这个世界比20世纪

in the 20th century,

看起来更平等，

doesn't mean that things are equitable at all.

但是这并不意味着 世界是公正的。

It doesn't mean our experiences are equitable,

不意味着我们的 经历是公正的，

and it certainly doesn't mean that a post-racial society,

不意味着我们生活在 一个没有种族歧视的社会，

that thing that we talked about so much,

更不意味着我们的愿望

ever became close to being a reality.

正在成为现实。

I think of Joelle,

这让我想到了卓艾丽，

a middle-class 20-something who did everything the "right way,"

一个二十多岁，做事效率 极高的中产阶级家庭的孩子，

but she couldn't go to her dream school, because it was simply too expensive.

但她没能去上梦想的大学， 仅仅是因为学费太贵。

Or Jalessa,

还有贾蕾萨，

who knows she can't be mediocre at her job

她知道她不能像她的 一些白人伙伴们一样

the same way that her white peers can.

应付她的工作。

Or Trina, who knows that people judge her unconventional family choices

还有翠娜，人们对她不同寻常的 组建家庭方式评头论足，

in a different way than if she were a white woman.

只因为她不是白人。

Or actor AB,

还有某位演员，

who knows that the roles he takes and gets in Hollywood are different

知道在好莱坞电影中， 由于他的肤色，

because of his skin color.

扮演的角色和别人不同。

And then there's Simon.

还有西蒙。

So Simon, by all means, would be an example of someone who's made it.

西蒙是人们眼中成功的例子。

He's a CFO at a tech company in San Francisco,

他是旧金山一个科技公司 的首席财务官。

he has a degree from MIT

他从麻省理工毕业，

and he's worked at some of the hottest tech companies in the world.

为世界上最热门的 科技公司工作。

But when I asked Simon if he had achieved the American dream,

但当我问西蒙 有没有实现美国梦时，

it took him a while to respond.

他想了一会儿才回答。

While acknowledging that he had a really comfortable life,

虽然他承认他过着 很舒适的生活，

he admitted that under different circumstances,

但他也承认在不同情况下，

he might have chosen a different path.

他可能选择不同的人生道路。

Simon really loves photography,

西蒙很喜欢摄影，

but that was never a real option for him.

但他却曾经没钱买摄影机。

"My parents weren't able to subsidize me

“我的父母甚至不能资助我

through that sort of thing," Simon said.

去发展那些兴趣”，他说。

"Maybe that's something my children could do."

“也许那是留给下一代的。”

So it's these kinds of stories --

这种故事——

the quieter, more subtle ones --

更不为人知的故事——

that reveal the often unique and untold stories of black millennials

揭露了黑人千禧一代独特的， 从未被讲述的故事，

that show how even dreaming may differ between communities.

告诉我们梦想也会 因群体而不同。

So we really need to listen and hear the stories of this generation,

我们需要聆听 这一代人的故事，

now more than ever,

随着婴儿潮那一代人老去，

as the baby boomers age and millennials come to prominence.

以及千禧一代的成长， 这种需求比以往更迫切。

We can talk all we want to about pickling businesses in Brooklyn

我们可以随心所欲地谈论 布鲁克林的腌菜企业，

or avocado toast,

或者牛油果吐司，

but leaving out the stories and the voices of black millennials,

但忽略千禧一代黑人的 故事和声音——

large swaths of the population --

这个庞大的群体——

it will only increase divisions.

只会增大分歧。

So stories of black millennials, brown millennials

黑人和棕色人种，

and all millennials of color

以及所有有色人种 的千禧一代，

really need to be told,

他们的故事需要被讲述，

and they also need to be listened to.

也需要被倾听。

We'd be a far better-off country and world.

这样一来，我们的国家 和这个世界都会变得更美好。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）