Color blind or color brave? | Mellody Hobson

翻译人员: Yumeng Guo 校对人员: Scott Hou

So it's 2006.

故事发生在2006年。

My friend Harold Ford calls me.

我的朋友哈罗德•福特找我帮忙。

He's running for U.S. Senate in Tennessee,

他是田纳西州的参议员，

and he says, "Mellody, I desperately need some national press. Do you have any ideas?"

他说：「麦勒迪，我急需找一个国家媒体。 你能帮我吗？」

So I had an idea. I called a friend

我想到一个主意，

我给一个在纽约的朋友打电话，

who was in New York

at one of the most successful media companies in the world,

她所在的公司是世界上最成功的媒体公司之一，

and she said, "Why don't we host

她说，「为何不邀请哈罗德参与编辑部的午宴呢？

an editorial board lunch for Harold?

You come with him."

你可以跟他一起来。」

Harold and I arrive in New York.

哈罗德随我抵达纽约，

We are in our best suits.

身着我们最好的套装，

We look like shiny new pennies.

看起来像金光灿灿的硬币。

And we get to the receptionist, and we say,

到达接待处后，我们说，

"We're here for the lunch."

「我们是过来吃午餐的。」

She motions for us to follow her.

她示意我们跟着她走。

We walk through a series of corridors,

经过长长的走廊，

and all of a sudden we find ourselves

突然，我们发现自己到了一个空旷的房间里，

in a stark room,

at which point she looks at us and she says,

随后她打量着我们，说，

"Where are your uniforms?"

「你们的工作制服呢？」

Just as this happens,

就在这时，

my friend rushes in.

我的朋友冲了进来，

The blood drains from her face.

脸红得都要渗出血了。

There are literally no words, right?

真得很无语，是吧？

And I look at her, and I say,

我转向她，说，

"Now, don't you think we need

「现在，你不觉得美国参议院至少需要一位黑人吗？」

more than one black person in the U.S. Senate?"

Now Harold and I --

如今，哈罗德跟我——

(Applause) —

（掌声）——

we still laugh about that story,

我们还把这个故事当笑话讲，

and in many ways, the moment caught me off guard,

无论怎么说，那一刻令我措手不及，

but deep, deep down inside,

但在我内心最深处，

I actually wasn't surprised.

我真的不觉得惊讶。

And I wasn't surprised because of something

我之所以不惊讶，

my mother taught me about 30 years before.

是因为大概30年前我母亲给我上了一堂课。

You see, my mother was ruthlessly realistic.

我母亲是不折不扣的现实主义者。

I remember one day coming home from a birthday party

我记得有一天， 参加完一个只有我一个黑人受邀的生日宴会后，

where I was the only black kid invited,

and instead of asking me the normal motherly questions

回到家后，

母亲没问一些母亲们通常会关心的问题，

like, "Did you have fun?" or "How was the cake?"

如「玩得开心吗？」或者「蛋糕好吃吗？」

my mother looked at me and she said,

我的母亲看着我说，

"How did they treat you?"

「他们对你的态度如何？」

I was seven. I did not understand.

那时我方才7岁，我不明白这个问题。

I mean, why would anyone treat me differently?

我想，为什么别人会对我有所不同呢？

But she knew.

但是我母亲知道。

And she looked me right in the eye and she said,

她看着我的眼睛，说，

"They will not always treat you well."

「别人不会总是对你笑脸相迎。」

Now, race is one of those topics in America

如今在美国，种族话题是

that makes people extraordinarily uncomfortable.

让人感到极不舒服的话题之一。

You bring it up at a dinner party

在晚宴会或工作场所中提到这个话题，

or in a workplace environment,

it is literally the conversational equivalent

无异于触碰了「雷区」。

of touching the third rail.

There is shock,

人们会感到震惊，

followed by a long silence.

随即陷入长久的沉默。

And even coming here today,

甚至对于今天的这个演讲，

I told some friends and colleagues

当我告诉一些朋友和同事

that I planned to talk about race,

我计划谈谈种族问题时，

and they warned me, they told me, don't do it,

他们警告我说，不要这么做，

that there'd be huge risks

谈论这个话题会带来巨大的风险，

in me talking about this topic,

that people might think I'm a militant black woman

人们也许会认为我是一位激进的黑人女性，

and I would ruin my career.

这会毁了我的事业。

And I have to tell you,

我必须向你们坦诚，

I actually for a moment was a bit afraid.

有时候我确实有一点担心。

Then I realized,

但后来我意识到，

the first step to solving any problem

解决任何问题的第一步是不逃避，

is to not hide from it,

and the first step to any form of action

任何行动的首要条件是意识到问题的存在。

is awareness.

And so I decided to actually talk about race.

因此我决定要谈谈种族问题。

And I decided that if I came here and shared with you

我坚信，如果我在此跟你们分享一些我的故事，

some of my experiences,

that maybe we could all be a little less anxious

或许会稍微缓解一下我们对这个话题的焦虑感，

and a little more bold

会让我们更有胆量来谈论种族问题。

in our conversations about race.

Now I know there are people out there who will say

我知道有很多人会说，

that the election of Barack Obama meant

巴拉克•奥巴马当选美国总统意味着

that it was the end of racial discrimination

种族歧视不复存在，没错吧？

for all eternity, right?

But I work in the investment business,

但我在投资行业工作，

and we have a saying:

我们这行有句俗语：

The numbers do not lie.

数据不会说谎。

And here, there are significant,

在今天的美国，数据表明

quantifiable racial disparities

有不可忽视的大量的种族不平等存在，

that cannot be ignored,

in household wealth, household income,

如家庭财富，家庭收入，

job opportunities, healthcare.

工作机会，医疗服务。

One example from corporate America:

举一个美国企业的例子：

Even though white men

尽管白人占美国人口总数的30%，

make up just 30 percent of the U.S. population,

they hold 70 percent of all corporate board seats.

他们占据了70%的企业董事会席位。

Of the Fortune 250,

财富250强的企业中，

there are only seven CEOs that are minorities,

只有7位CEO是少数族裔出身，

and of the thousands of publicly traded companies today, thousands,

在数以千计的公司的董事会主席中，

only two are chaired by black women,

只有两位是黑人女性，

and you're looking at one of them,

其中一位就站在你们眼前，

the same one who, not too long ago,

就是那位在不久之前，

was nearly mistaken for kitchen help.

差点被误以为是厨房打下手的人。

So that is a fact.

这就是事实。

Now I have this thought experiment

我跟自己玩思想实验，

that I play with myself, when I say,

我对自己说，

imagine if I walked you into a room

设想我走入一个房间，

and it was of a major corporation, like ExxonMobil,

是一家大公司的会议室，如埃克森美孚，

and every single person around the boardroom were black,

全体董事会成员都是黑人，

you would think that were weird.

你会觉得这很奇怪。

But if I walked you into a Fortune 500 company,

但如果你走入一家财富500强企业，

and everyone around the table is a white male,

在座的每位都是男性白人，

when will it be that we think that's weird too?

我们什么时候会认为这也是奇怪的？

And I know how we got here.

我知道历史是如何发展到今天的。

(Applause)

（掌声）

I know how we got here.

我知道我们是如何发展到今天的。

You know, there was institutionalized,

你们也知道，在我们国家，

at one time legalized, discrimination in our country.

歧视曾被制度化，有段时间还被合法化了。

There's no question about it.

这是不争的事实。

But still, as I grapple with this issue,

但是，当我深陷在这个问题中时，

my mother's question hangs in the air for me:

我母亲的问题依然在那里，

How did they treat you?

他们对你的态度如何？

Now, I do not raise this issue to complain

今天，我抛出这个问题，

不是在抱怨，也绝不是为了博得一丝同情，

or in any way to elicit any kind of sympathy.

I have succeeded in my life

我此生取得的成就，

beyond my wildest expectations,

已超出我最大胆的期望，

and I have been treated well by people of all races

各个种族的人对我予以善待，

more often than I have not.

要多于我所受到的恶待，

I tell the uniform story because it happened.

我告诉你们制服的故事因为那确实发生了。

I cite those statistics around corporate board diversity

我列举企业董事会的数据

because they are real,

是因为它们是真实的，

and I stand here today

而今天我站在这里，

talking about this issue of racial discrimination

谈论种族歧视问题，

because I believe it threatens to rob

是因为我相信种族问题会威胁下一代

another generation of all the opportunities

拥有公平机会的权利，

公平的机会是所有人期望所有的孩子能够拥有的，

that all of us want for all of our children,

no matter what their color

无论肤色，

or where they come from.

无论来自何方。

And I think it also threatens to hold back businesses.

而且，我认为种族问题会威胁到商业发展。

You see, researchers have coined this term

你们知道，研究者造出了一个新词

"color blindness"

「无视肤色」

to describe a learned behavior where we pretend

用以描述一种「假装没注意到种族差异」 的习得性行为。

that we don't notice race.

If you happen to be surrounded by a bunch of people

如果你恰巧跟一群长得跟你很像的人在一起，

who look like you, that's purely accidental.

那纯是巧合。

Now, color blindness, in my view,

所谓「无视肤色」，在我看来，

doesn't mean that there's no racial discrimination,

并不意味着消除了种族歧视，带来了公平。

and there's fairness.

It doesn't mean that at all. It doesn't ensure it.

根本就不是这样。 「无视肤色」并不能保证消除歧视。

In my view, color blindness is very dangerous

在我看来，「无视肤色」极其危险，

because it means we're ignoring the problem.

因为它意味着我们有意地忽视问题。

There was a corporate study that said that,

有企业研究表明，

instead of avoiding race,

与其避免谈论种族问题，

the really smart corporations actually deal with it head on.

不如直面问题，迎难而上。 这才是真正有智慧的企业的做法。

They actually recognize that embracing diversity

这些企业意识到，

包容多元化意味着承认各种种族的存在，

means recognizing all races,

including the majority one.

也包括人数最多的种族。

But I'll be the first one to tell you,

但我会第一个告诉你，

this subject matter can be hard,

这个问题解决起来会有困难，

awkward, uncomfortable -- but that's kind of the point.

会棘手，会让人感觉不舒服——但这是关键所在。

In the spirit of debunking racial stereotypes,

为揭露种族歧视问题的顽疾，

the one that black people don't like to swim,

有人说黑人不喜欢游泳，

I'm going to tell you how much I love to swim.

我来告诉你我有多热爱游泳。

I love to swim so much

我如此喜爱游泳，

that as an adult, I swim with a coach.

以至于作为成年人，还请了一位教练。

And one day my coach had me do a drill

有一天，教练让我做一项训练，

where I had to swim to one end of a 25-meter pool

我不得不在25米长的泳池里从头游到尾，

without taking a breath.

不能换气。

And every single time I failed,

每次失败后，

I had to start over.

都要从头来过。

And I failed a lot.

我屡战屡败。

By the end, I got it, but when I got out of the pool,

最后，成功了，但当我从泳池出来后，

I was exasperated and tired and annoyed,

心力憔悴，但更恼火，

and I said, "Why are we doing breath-holding exercises?"

我说，「为什么要做憋气练习？」

And my coach looked me at me, and he said, "Mellody,

我的教练看着我说，

「麦勒迪，这不是一个憋气练习。

that was not a breath-holding exercise.

That drill was to make you comfortable

这项训练是为了让你适应不舒服的感觉，

being uncomfortable,

because that's how most of us spend our days."

因为这就是我们大部分人的生活。」

If we can learn to deal with our discomfort,

如果我们知道如何适应不舒服的感觉，

and just relax into it,

以轻松的态度来应对，

we'll have a better life.

我们的生活会更加美好。

So I think it's time for us to be comfortable

因此，我认为到了适应这个 让人感觉不舒服的种族话题的时候了：

with the uncomfortable conversation about race:

black, white, Asian, Hispanic,

黑人，白人，亚裔，西班牙裔，

male, female, all of us,

男性，女性，我们所有的人。

if we truly believe in equal rights

如果我们真正相信在美国

and equal opportunity in America,

拥有平等的权利和机会，

I think we have to have real conversations

我认为我们不得不真正地谈一谈这个话题。

about this issue.

We cannot afford to be color blind.

我们经受不起「无视肤色」。

We have to be color brave.

我们必须勇敢地面对肤色差异。

We have to be willing, as teachers and parents

我们——作为老师、父母、

and entrepreneurs and scientists,

企业家和科学家——

we have to be willing to have

必须高瞻远瞩，

proactive conversations about race

乐于讨论种族问题，

with honesty and understanding and courage,

心怀诚意、理解和勇气，

not because it's the right thing to do,

不是因为这么做是正确的，

but because it's the smart thing to do,

而因为这是明智的举措，

because our businesses and our products

因为更广泛的多元化会让 商业、产品和科学研究等等一切都变得更好。

and our science, our research,

all of that will be better with greater diversity.

Now, my favorite example of color bravery

关于勇敢地面对肤色差异，

我最喜欢引用的例子是一个叫John Skipper的家伙，

is a guy named John Skipper.

He runs ESPN.

他是ESPN的管理者。

He's a North Carolina native,

他是北卡罗来纳州当地人，

quintessential Southern gentleman, white.

典型的南方绅士，白人哦。

He joined ESPN, which already had a culture

在他加入ESPN时，ESPN已经形成了一种

of inclusion and diversity, but he took it up a notch.

包容和多元化的文化，但他将文化落实。

He demanded that every open position

他要求每一个空缺岗位

have a diverse slate of candidates.

都要有多元化的候选人。

Now he says the senior people

他说在最初的时候，

in the beginning bristled,

高层怒不可遏，

and they would come to him and say,

径直找他谈话，

"Do you want me to hire the minority,

「你希望我雇佣少数族裔的人，

or do you want me to hire the best person for the job?"

还是一个最适合这份工作的人？」

And Skipper says his answers were always the same:

而Skipper说他的回答总是不变的，

"Yes."

「是。」

And by saying yes to diversity,

ESPN向多元化敞开大门，

I honestly believe that ESPN

我发自内心地相信ESPN是世界上最具价值的电台。

is the most valuable cable franchise in the world.

I think that's a part of the secret sauce.

我认为这是其秘密武器之一。

Now I can tell you, in my own industry,

现在我要告诉你的是，在我从事的行业，

at Ariel Investments, we actually view our diversity

在亚瑞投资公司，我们实际上将多元化

as a competitive advantage,

看作竞争优势 ，

and that advantage can extend way beyond business.

这个优势的影响力远远超乎商业范畴。

There's a guy named Scott Page at the University of Michigan.

在密歇根大学有个叫斯科特•佩奇的人，

He is the first person to develop

他是第一位建立多元化数学算法的人。

a mathematical calculation for diversity.

He says, if you're trying to solve a really hard problem,

他说，如果你试图解决一个非常困难的问题，

really hard,

非常困难的问题，

that you should have a diverse group of people,

你的团队成员应是多元化的，

including those with diverse intellects.

人人各有所长。

The example that he gives is the smallpox epidemic.

他举的例子是天花传染病。

When it was ravaging Europe,

当天花肆虐欧洲时，

they brought together all these scientists,

科学家们汇聚在一起，

and they were stumped.

却束手无策。

And the beginnings of the cure to the disease

第一道曙光从谁也不曾料到的地方照来，

came from the most unlikely source,

a dairy farmer who noticed that the milkmaids

原来是一位奶农，他注意到挤奶女工都没被感染。

were not getting smallpox.

And the smallpox vaccination is bovine-based

正因为那位奶农，基于牛痘的疫苗才得以发现。

because of that dairy farmer.

Now I'm sure you're sitting here and you're saying,

我确信坐在这儿的你们会说，

I don't run a cable company,

「我并不管理一家电台，

I don't run an investment firm,

我并不拥有一家投资公司，

I am not a dairy farmer.

我不是一位奶农，

What can I do?

我能做些什么？」

And I'm telling you, you can be color brave.

我来告诉你，你可以勇敢地面对肤色差异。

If you're part of a hiring process

如果你在公司做人事或行政，

or an admissions process,

you can be color brave.

你应让自己变得勇敢。

If you are trying to solve a really hard problem,

如果你在努力解决一个很困难的问题，

you can speak up and be color brave.

你应直言不讳，勇敢面对。

Now I know people will say,

我知道有些人会说，

but that doesn't add up to a lot,

这样做贡献不了什么的。

but I'm actually asking you to do something really simple:

但实际上我是在请你做一些非常简单易行的事情：

observe your environment,

注意周边环境，

at work, at school, at home.

工作中，在学校里，在家里。

I'm asking you to look at the people around you

我请你们注意身边的人，

purposefully and intentionally.

有意识地去观察，

Invite people into your life

让你的生活与那些你不曾来往的人有所交集，

who don't look like you, don't think like you,

这些人或许长相、思想、行为跟你不一样，

don't act like you,

don't come from where you come from,

或许跟你来自不同的地方，

and you might find that they will challenge your assumptions

你会发现，他们会让你反思你曾经的假设，

and make you grow as a person.

让你朝着正确的方向成长。

You might get powerful new insights

从他们身上，你也许会听到全新的深刻见解，

from these individuals,

or, like my husband, who happens to be white,

或者，像我的丈夫，他碰巧是白人，

you might learn that black people,

你会懂得黑人，无论男人，女人，还是孩子，

men, women, children,

we use body lotion every single day.

我们每天都用润肤露。

Now, I also think that this is very important

那么，

我认为，其重要性也在于让下一代明白，

so that the next generation really understands

that this progress will help them,

这一进程会帮助他们，

because they're expecting us to be great role models.

因为他们在期望我们成为杰出的榜样。

Now, I told you, my mother,

我之前讲过，我的母亲，

she was ruthlessly realistic.

是不折不扣的现实主义者。

She was an unbelievable role model.

她是一个不可思议的榜样。

She was the kind of person

为现实所迫，她不得不以身作则，树立榜样，

who got to be the way she was

because she was a single mom

因为她是芝加哥的六个孩子的单亲母亲，

with six kids in Chicago.

She was in the real estate business,

在房地产行业工作，

where she worked extraordinarily hard

任劳任怨，不辞辛劳，

but oftentimes had a hard time making ends meet.

却依然食不果腹，捉襟见肘。

And that meant sometimes we got

这意味着有时

our phone disconnected,

电话信号会中断，

or our lights turned off,

灯不得不长闭，

or we got evicted.

或者被驱逐出门。

When we got evicted, sometimes we lived

我们被驱逐出门后，

in these small apartments that she owned,

有时会住在母亲名下的几个小公寓，

sometimes in only one or two rooms,

有时只有一个或两个房间，

because they weren't completed,

因为公寓简陋，

and we would heat our bathwater on hot plates.

我们都能听见洗澡水滴落在电热板上的声音。

But she never gave up hope, ever,

但她从没有放弃过希望，从没有，

and she never allowed us to give up hope either.

而且她也从来都不允许我们放弃希望。

This brutal pragmatism that she had,

她秉持根深蒂固的务实精神，

I mean, I was four and she told me,

我的意思是，当我四岁时她对我说，

"Mommy is Santa." (Laughter)

「妈咪是圣诞老人」（笑声）

She was this brutal pragmatism.

她就是这么务实。

She taught me so many lessons,

她言传身教，循循善诱，

but the most important lesson

但让我记忆最深的，

was that every single day she told me,

还是那句她每天都会对我说的，

"Mellody, you can be anything."

「麦勒迪，你的未来有无限可能。」

And because of those words,

正因为母亲的话语，

I would wake up at the crack of dawn,

我才会在黎明前就告别梦乡；

and because of those words,

正因为母亲的话语，

I would love school more than anything,

我才会把学校当作最爱；

and because of those words, when I was on a bus

正因为母亲的话语，

我才会在乘车去学校的路上，怀揣最远大的梦想；

going to school, I dreamed the biggest dreams.

And it's because of those words that I stand here right now

正因为母亲的话语，

我才会满怀激情地站在这里，

full of passion,

asking you to be brave for the kids

呼吁你们勇敢面对肤色，为了那些拥有梦想的孩子

who are dreaming those dreams today.

(Applause)

（掌声）

You see, I want them to look at a CEO on television

我希望这些孩子们在看到电视里的CEO时会说，

and say, "I can be like her,"

「有朝一日我会成为像她那样的人。」

or, "He looks like me."

或说，「他看起来跟我很像。」

And I want them to know

我想让他们知道，

that anything is possible,

一切都是有可能的，

that they can achieve the highest level

可以实现想象到的最宏伟的目标，

that they ever imagined,

that they will be welcome in any corporate boardroom,

走入任何一家企业的办公室，都会受到欢迎，

or they can lead any company.

他们也可以领导任何公司。

You see this idea of being the land

你们知道，「自由之地」和「勇者之家」的理念

of the free and the home of the brave,

it's woven into the fabric of America.

是美利坚合众国民族的脊梁，

America, when we have a challenge,

在美国，当我们面临挑战，

we take it head on, we don't shrink away from it.

我们要迎难而上，而不是畏首畏脚。

We take a stand. We show courage.

我们要表明立场，展现出勇气。

So right now, what I'm asking you to do,

现在，我希望大家去做的

I'm asking you to show courage.

是请你们展现出勇气，

I'm asking you to be bold.

请你们勇敢。

As business leaders, I'm asking you

作为商界领袖，

not to leave anything on the table.

我会请你们不要在桌子上落下东西。

As citizens, I'm asking you not to leave any child behind.

作为公民，我请你们不要让任何孩子落下，

I'm asking you not to be color blind,

我请你们不要无视肤色，

but to be color brave,

而是要勇敢地面对差异，

so that every child knows that their future matters

这样，每一个孩子都会知道他们的未来事关重大，

and their dreams are possible.

他们的梦想可以实现。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）

Thank you. Thanks. Thanks. (Applause)

谢谢。谢谢。谢谢。（掌声）