How One Small Idea Led to $1 Million of Paid Water Bills | Tiffani Ashley Bell | TED

翻译人员: Jia Wen Crystal Tan 校对人员: suya f.

One Thursday morning, several summers ago,

几个夏天前的一个周四早上，

I woke up and started scrolling through social media

我像许多人一样， 起床后开始浏览社交媒体。

like so many of us do every morning.

What caught my eye that morning, though,

不过，那天早上引起 我的注意的是一篇文章，

was an article about how 100,000 people in Detroit

were about to have to live without running water

讲述底特律将有 10 万人因为 无法交付水费而生活在没有水的情况下。

because they couldn't afford their water bills.

And people have been living with this issue for a while.

而且他们已经与这个问题 共存一段时间了。

And they get by.

他们仍在勉强的应对。

They were doing everything from collecting rainwater in barrels

他们从用桶收集雨水到每隔几天 步行到亲戚家洗澡，无所不用其极。

to walking to relative's houses to take showers every few days.

And much worse, sometime later,

更糟糕的是，后来我得知，

I learned that a lot of people were actually losing custody of their kids

许多人实际上因为无法交付水费

because they couldn't afford to pay their water bills.

而失去了孩子的监护权。

Instead of someone helping them, they just lost their kids.

他们没有得到任何帮助， 却失去了孩子。

For many of them, their greatest transgression, you could argue,

对于许多人来说,

was that they were either elderly, disabled,

他们最大的罪过是 年老、残疾、

had just been laid off

刚刚失业、或是工作的薪水根本不够。

or worked jobs that simply didn't pay enough.

And yes, I said jobs.

是的，我说的是工作。

And to me, how they were being treated

对我而言，他们收到的待遇、 他们收到的鄙视、

and the level of contempt shown to them

and how easy it was to simply deny them something that we all need to live

以及剥夺他们的生活必需品是多么简单，

was disgusting.

非常恶心。

(Applause)

（掌声）

It's disgusting.

太恶心了。

But to me this also felt personal,

但于我而言是个人的，

even though I have no direct family ties to Detroit.

即使我与底特律 没有直系家属关系。

And here's why.

而这是为什么。

Many of the people who were facing shut offs were Black.

很多那些被封锁的人都是黑人。

Many were also like myself, Black women.

很多也和我一样，黑女人。

And Lord knows it's not the first time in the United States

神明知道这不是第一次在英国

that Black people have been denied basic human rights like water.

黑人被剥夺了人类的基本权利，比如水。

So to me, that created an overwhelming urge

所以对我来说， 这产生了一种强烈的冲动，

to do something to help.

去帮忙做些什么。

I mean, I couldn't just read that and then go on about my day.

我的意思是，我无法仅仅阅读 之后一如往常地度过一天。

Then it became a question of what can I,

这也成了一个问题

sitting in my pajamas as one person at home, actually do?

穿着睡衣独自坐在屋里的我， 又能做些什么呢？

Well, what?

好的，什么？

Oh, oh, but wait.

哦，哦，但是等一下。

I'm a programmer.

我是个程序员。

And a heavy, heavy social media user.

也是个重度社交媒体用户。

So I decided to tweet.

于是乎我决定发出推文。

To tweet what I was reading about, what I was seeing, how I felt,

把有关我正读着的， 我看见的，我的感受的推文

to my online community of activists, politicians,

发到了我有着政治家，活动家，

start-up founders and investors.

初创企业的创始人 和投资者的社交平台账号

Some like yourselves.

一些和你一样。

And other programmers, of course.

当然也有一些是程序员。

And over the course of a few hours of back and forth about what to do,

在几个小时来回思考 该做什么的过程中，

we resolved to do the simplest, most obvious thing

我们决定做最简单、最显眼

that would help somebody in this situation.

在这个情况下 能够帮助到其他人的事

We decided to pay some water bills.

我们决定交付一些水费。

To do that, I skipped work that day.

为此那天我旷工了。

I did not go to work that day.

当天我没去上班。

And instead,

反之，

I spent a few hours digging around on the water company's website.

我花了几个小时查找水务局的网站

And I found something interesting

找到了一些有趣的东西

that sort of jump-started what to do for people.

那种突然想到 为人们做些什么的方式。

For some reason, there was a 400-page PDF of customers on the website

因为某些因素， 网站上有个 400 页的客户文件

that the water company couldn't deliver their bills to through the mail,

水务局无法把这些账单发到邮箱去

and some of these were delinquent accounts.

其中有些是拖欠的账目。

But one of the things that was interesting about this list

但这文件里 其中一个有趣的东西是

is that it also included account numbers for people.

它也列出了其他人的账户号码。

So you just take one of those account numbers

所以你只需要使用这些号码

and, at that time, plug it into the website

输入至网站

and see everything about that account.

就能查看所有有关那个账户的资料

So I did that.

我便做了。

And one of the things that was interesting, though, there,

而有趣的是，

was that I saw a "make a payment" button.

我看见了“支付” 的按钮界面

So the idea then became, what if we got the account numbers of people

致使便有了如果我获得那些需要帮助的人

that needed help and then made payments for them?

他们的账户号码， 那样我就能帮他们缴付水费这样的想法

So a few hours later,

几个小时后，

I built a website to find those people

我创建了一个网站企图寻找这些人

and start connecting them to people that needed help.

并开始把他们 和需要帮助的人联系起来。

And then I tweeted that.

之后我便发出了那个推文。

And to keep things simple,

为了让事情简单化，

people who wanted to help

需要获得帮助的人

simply would get instructions on how to log onto the utility's website

将会得到指示 如何登入那个水务局网站

as if they were the account holder

如若他们是账户持有人

and just make payments.

便支付账单

And then once they had done that,

当他们完成后，

they would send us the receipts

他们会发送单据给我们

and we would send those to the families that had gotten the help.

我们则会把它发送给需要帮助的家庭

And empowered with those donations, with those payments,

通过这些捐赠， 这些款项，

they were able to go to the water company and advocate for themselves

他们能够前往水务局 为自己辩护

and demand that their water be turned back on.

要求他们重新开启水源。

And in doing that,

通过这样做，

that's how, in the first 40 or so days of doing this,

那就是如何， 在最初的 40 多天里，

we paid over 100,000 dollars in water bills by just simply --

我们缴付了于 10 万 美金的水费，仅仅--

(Applause)

（掌声）

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）

By just simply sending people directly to the utility company's website

仅仅把水务局网站直接发送给人

to pay five dollars, 10 dollars.

在他们的能力范围内。

Whatever they could afford.

他们缴付 5 元，10 元也无所谓。

And I don't say that to brag,

我并不是炫耀，

but instead to encourage you all

是鼓励大家

to notice problems

去意识到问题的存在

and to think about what is the simplest,

去思考你能为这问题所带来

most obvious thing you can do to impact that problem.

最简单， 最明显的影响。

So first, what I’ll also say that was true for us,

所以第一， 我要说的是，对我们来说，

is that it should be abundantly clear that whatever you do

不管你做什么并不一定得是完美的。

doesn't actually have to be perfect.

你应该要很清楚这一点。

You don't have to do some big overarching thing like a nonprofit.

你并不需要做出像 非盈利这样庞大的活动

Because you won’t have all the answers when you start.

因为一开始 你并不会拥有所有的答案

But what's beautiful about that

但美妙的是是什么呢

is that you don't actually need to have all the answers to get started.

是你并不需要拥有 所有答案才能够开始

And I will confess

我坦白地说

that if we had had all the answers, if we had known too much,

当我们拥有了所有答案 当我们知道了太多

we might not have actually gotten started.

我们可能就无法真正地开始。

So the next thing that's true is that ...

所以下一个真实的事是....

When you put together and you start doing something that's imperfect

当你拼凑在一起， 开始做一些不完美

and it's not finished,

还未完成的事情时，

people will see what you're doing and they'll want to join you.

其他人会看见你在做些什么 他们会想要参与你。

They'll want to get together with you to make what you're doing bigger,

他们会想要和你一起 去把你所做的事情发展得更大，

more impactful, more meaningful,

更有影响力，更有意义

but all in ways unique to themselves.

但都是以他们自己独有的方式。

For us, that was the city employees who answered our emails on weekends.

对我们来说，是城市雇员 在周末回复我们的邮件。

And then during the week,

然后在一周内，

drove people to appointments to get their water turned back on.

载人们赴水务局的约 以便能够重新开水源

It was the people in mutual-aid groups and nonprofits

是互助团体和非营利组织的人

that partnered with us

与我们合作

to completely pay off the water bills for some families.

为一些家庭付清水费。

It was the people who actually really made this work possible

是这些人让这活动得以成功

by giving five dollars, 10 dollars, 20 dollars,

通过给出 5 元，10 元，20 元，

some of whom had been in this situation themselves a few years prior,

有些前几年因为没有能力缴付账单

where they couldn't afford their own bills, but they now could,

前几年也亲身经历过这个问题， 但他们现在有能力了

so they were generous about it.

所以他们对此很慷慨。

It was the people who held bake sales

是那些举办烘焙销售活动的人

to help people that they didn't know

帮助了一些他们不认识

and would never meet.

没见过面的人

People see you walking the walk,

人们看到你付出行动，

and you'll understand that that compassion is contagious.

你就会明白这种同情心 是会互相传染的。

So I'd ask you in this moment then,

那么，我现在想问你，

what is it

是什么

that sends you down a rabbit hole of blog posts and news articles?

让你陷入一堆博客文章 和新闻文章的深渊？

What leaves you so disgusted and annoyed that you would rather skip work or class

是什么让你觉得恶心及烦躁 导致你宁愿旷工旷课

and work on that instead?

而取而代之的做那个？

What is that for you?

那对你来说是什么？

It's got to be something.

那必须是些什么。

So suppose, for example,

比如说，假设，

you find out that the third graders at your old elementary school

你发现你原来小学三年级的学生

owe lunch money debt?

欠下了午餐的钱

What if the most obvious thing to do for them

什么是最明显你能够为他们做的

is to pay off that lunch money debt,

也就是帮他们还清午餐欠的钱

sponsor some lunches, and then later on

提供一些午餐，之后呢

go run for the local school board

竞选当地学校董事会成员

to push for systemic change around access to nutrition at school?

推动在学校获得营养的系统改革？

That's just an idea.

这只是个想法。

Now you might hear this and say, "That's nice, it's cute,

现在你可能听见和说， “这很好，这很可爱，

but I don't really have time for that."

但是我并没有时间去实行”

Or "Most problems are too big to work on, so why bother?"

或是 “很多问题都难以解决， 为何费心呢？“

I'll say you're not unique in thinking that at all.

我会说你这样想并不奇怪

But if we just stick with the idea of doing the smallest at first,

但如果我们秉持这个想法 先从小的开始

the most obvious thing,

最明显的东西，

and just think about for a second,

去思考几秒，

what do you have the time,

你有多少时间，

what do you have the resources,

你有多少资源，

what do you have the skills and the influence, even, to do?

你有多少能力和影响，甚至

To make happen.

让他发生。

For me, I was a programmer with a whole day job,

对我来说， 我是一个全职的程序员，

so I didn't actually initially have time to work on this all day either.

所以一开始我并没有时间 成天地实行这个计划

But using the skills and the resources and the network that I did have,

但是使用了能力和资源 以及我的人脉关系

we built out the original website and then grew it from there.

我们创造了一个网站 从那开始

So the next somewhat obvious

所以下一个比较明显的

but I think hasty criticism that we sometimes hear

但我认为我们有时听到的 一些仓促的种族批评，

is that what we did was just a band-aid.

是我们所做的一切 并无法真正帮助到些什么。

That whatever you end up doing is not going to be significant enough

无论你最终做什么， 都不会有足够的意义

is not going to make a difference,

不会带来什么改变，

it's too fleeting of a thing to try to do to make a difference.

尝试做出改变的事情转瞬即逝。

But is it not that the purpose of a band-aid is to give an injury,

但创可贴的目的不是要伤害人。

a place where something has gone wrong,

是一个事情已经错误了

the opportunity to heal?

所以找机会治疗？

I'll say no,

我会说不是

initially, we weren't going to solve

一开始，我们并没有打算

the root of why people couldn't afford their water bills.

根源地解决为什么人们 无法承担他们的水费

And I'm not here to tell you either

我也不是在这里告诉你

that benevolent strangers sitting at home in their pajamas

那身穿睡衣坐在屋里 的慈祥陌生人

are a proper substitute for systemic structural changes to issues.

是改变系统问题结构 适当的替代品。

But what I will tell you, though,

可是我会告诉你，

is that also, our solution didn't attack the poverty,

那就是，我们的解决方案 并没有解决贫困问题，

it didn't attack the unemployment,

没有解决失业问题，

it didn't attack the bad public policy.

没有解决糟糕的公共政策问题。

Yes, bad public policy

是的，糟糕的公共政策

that enthusiastically punishes people who are poor,

热情地惩罚穷人，

especially when they are Black or brown.

尤其当他们是黑皮肤或黄皮肤的人

But what we did give people,

但我们给到人们的是什么，

yes, what we did give people in that moment is relief.

对，我们给到人们的是 在那一刻的解脱。

So again, whatever you do,

所以再次， 不管你做什么

if it's small and if it's an obvious thing,

如果是小的 如果是明显的事

it doesn't mean that your impact can't actually be durable.

这并不意味着 你的冲击力无法持久。

And that you shouldn't try to do something.

并不意味着你不应该 尝试去做些什么。

And I say that because today,

而我今天这样说是因为

we have helped over 5,000 people with water bill payments just from --

我们已经帮助了 多过五千人的水费单仅仅从--

(Applause)

（掌声）

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）

Just from people again, giving five dollars, 10 dollars, 50 dollars

仅仅从人们， 给出 5 元，10 元，50 元

whatever they can afford to contribute.

任何他们所能够负担的数额。

And our ripples of compassion have actually gone even further.

我们同情的涟漪 实际上已经走得更远了。

We got a major American city to start offering more compassionate assistance.

我们有一个美国主要城市 开始提供更有同情心的援助。

We had a US member of Congress and their office reach out to get help

我们有一位美国国会议员 和他们的办公室

for their constituents.

为他们的选民伸出援手。

We've had policymakers in three different states

我们有三个不同州的决策者

that we were able to help using our data, our knowledge,

能够帮助使用我们的数据， 我们的知识，

our experience

我们的经验，

to understand what's happening around water affordability

去了解水源的开支负担

in their districts.

在他们的市区周围发生了什么

We've also been able to partner with other nonprofits

我们也与其他非营利组织

and mutual aid groups

和互助团体合作

to keep families from facing eviction, homelessness over their water bills.

来防止家庭面临被逐出， 因为水费问题无家可归。

We've also been able to help families avoid facing the threat

我们也能够帮助家庭避免面对

of losing their kids.

失去孩子的威胁

I also now do this work full time

我现在也全职做这个工作

with the goal of helping utilities understand

目的是帮助公用事业公司理解

how to make water more affordable,

如何让水源更便宜，

make water more of a human right,

让水成为一个人权，

so that people also don't fall behind on their bills in the first place.

这样人们也不会在账单上落后。

Legendary comedian Lily Tomlin once said,

传奇喜剧演员莉莉·汤姆林曾经说过:

"I always wondered why people wouldn't do something about that.

“我一直很纳闷， 为什么人们不会对此有所作为。

Why somebody wouldn't do something about that.

为什么人们不采取措施呢？

Then I realized I was somebody."

然而我发现我是那某个人。“

So you don't even actually have to be a programmer to make a difference

所以你甚至不需要成为一个程序员，

or even do what I did.

或做完所做的去做出改变

You just have to be, like Lily said, to be somebody.

你只需要，像莉莉所说， 成为某个人

Somebody who sees a thing that can be fixed,

某个人会发现可解决的

can be impacted,

可被影响的问题

and do that.

而进行。

Do something.

行动吧。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause and cheers)

（欢呼和掌声）