My Quest to End the Horror of Gun Violence in the US | Lucy McBath | TED

翻译人员: wu yuna 校对人员: suya f.

In the blink of an eye, life can change forever.

转眼间， 生活可以永远改变。

One single moment can redefine everything that we know and believe.

片刻便可以重新定义 我们所知道和相信的一切。

In 2012,

2012 年，

I would face the most devastating moments of my life

我面临着人生中最痛苦的时刻。

when my son, Jordan, was shot and killed in a hate-driven shooting.

那一刻，我的孩子乔丹， 在一场仇恨驱动下的枪击案中被射杀。

My story, Jordan’s story, had began as one of loss.

我的故事，或是说乔丹的故事， 起初是一个失去的故事。

But I refused to let it in there.

但我拒绝就让它这样罢了。

A life of loss, a story of loss, became one of transformation,

失去孩子的生活， 或是一个关于失去的故事

of finding my voice

成了一个改变的故事， 一个让自己发声的故事，

and turning my pain into purpose.

和一个将痛苦化为决心的故事。

My story would become my most important tool

我的故事将成为我打击

in fighting this nation's gun laws.

这个国家枪支法律的最重要工具。

Our personal stories have such power to be able to bridge the deepest divisions

我们每个人的故事具有着 能够弥合最深层次的分歧，

and to inspire change and to bring people together.

启发变革和团结人们的力量。

After losing my son, I left my 30-year career at Delta Airlines,

失去儿子后，我结束了 在达美航空 30 年的职业生涯，

and I began a new career as an activist

并开始了作为一名活动家的 新职业生涯，

fighting to change our nation's gun laws.

致力于改变我们国家的枪支法律。

And that trajectory led me to winning a seat in Congress,

这条轨迹使我赢得了国会席位，

which was once held by Newt Gingrich.

该席位曾经由纽特·金里奇担任。

I just have to say, though, that everything that I have done,

但是我只需说，我所做的一切，

there was nothing more important to me than being a mother.

对我来说，没有什么 比做一位母亲更重要的了。

It all began with me just wanting to simply be a mother.

这一切都始于我 仅仅只是想当一位母亲。

As a flight attendant,

作为一名空乘人员，

I had the ability to be able to manipulate my schedule in such a way

我能够调整自己的日程安排

that I could be home for my son every single night.

使我每晚都能回家照顾儿子。

And I have to be honest

实话实说，

that dealing with all those drunk passengers on the aircraft

与飞机上那些醉酒的乘客打交道

prepared me far better for a career in Congress

使我为国会职业生涯做好了

than it ever should have.

比假想的任何情况 都要好得多的准备。

But during the Great Recession, you know,

但是在大衰退期间，你知道，

Jordan and I had to find fun activities that we could do

乔丹和我必须找到我们能做的

that would not break my budget.

并且不会超出我预算的有趣活动。

So we spent a lot of time in our local skating rink

因此，我们在当地的溜冰场 度过了很多时间，

where you could get pizza for a dollar a slice.

在那里你可以 花一美元买到一块披萨。

And as Jordan got older and he began to recognize girls,

随着乔丹长大， 他开始意识到性别差异，

he would say, "Mama, go over there and skate with the adults.

他会说：“妈妈，去那边 和那些成年人一起滑冰。

You go skate with them, and let me skate by myself.”

你和他们一起去滑冰， 让我自己一个人滑冰。”

So off he would go, trying to be so cool and so suave,

所以他会走开， 努力变得很酷、很温柔，

and I would run up to him and I'm like,

然后我会跑到他身边， 之后我便说：

"Oh, Jordan, my baby, I love you, oh, my baby!"

“哦，乔丹，我的宝贝， 我爱你，哦，我的宝贝！”

And he would do everything that he could to get away from his crazy mama.

然后他会尽其所能 摆脱我这个疯狂的妈妈。

You know, Jordan and I had just such a special bond,

乔丹和我有着如此特殊的纽带。

and it would be these intimate moments

正是我们先前的

of our former life

这些亲密时刻

that would fuel my new journey to Congress.

将为我进入国会的新旅程助力。

A decade ago.

十年前，

Jordan was with his father in Jacksonville, Florida,

乔丹和他的父亲一起在 佛罗里达州的杰克逊维尔

for Thanksgiving.

过感恩节。

And it was Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving,

那是黑色星期五， 也就是感恩节后的第二天，

and Jordan was so excited because he was going to go shopping with his boys.

乔丹非常兴奋，因为他要 和他的朋友们一起去购物。

He was going to go shopping at the mall,

他打算去商场购物，

and they were going to buy clothes and pick up girls

他们打算买衣服，搭讪女孩，

and just do all the things that these teenagers would do

做这些青少年在探索

when they're finding their newfound independence.

新获得的独立能力时 会做的各种事情。

They stopped at a convenience store gas station just to get some chewing gum.

他们在加油站的便利店停下来 只是想买点口香糖。

And Jordan was in the back seat of the car,

乔丹坐在汽车的后座，

and a man pulls up next to them on the passenger side.

然后一名男子在乘客侧 停车在他们旁边。

He starts complaining about their loud music.

他开始抱怨他们大声播放的音乐。

And he starts a verbal altercation with them,

然后他开始与他们发生口角，

claiming that he couldn't hear himself thinking.

声称自己听不见自己的想法。

They needed to turn down their “thug” music.

他们需要调低 他们的“暴徒” 音乐的音量。

He called them “gang bangers and thugs.”

他称他们为“帮派狂徒和暴徒”。

And in those three and a half minutes

然后在那三分半钟内，

that man pulled a gun out of his glove box

那个人从手套箱里拿出一把枪，

and he shot ten rounds

开了十枪，

into that car.

射向那辆车。

Three of those rounds hitting and killing my only son.

其中三发子弹击中 并杀害了我的独生子。

And that's when I got the phone call.

那一刻，我接到那一通电话，

The phone call that is the worst nightmare of every parent.

这通电话是每个父母 最糟糕的噩梦。

And I remember Jordan's father telling me that Jordan had been shot

我记得乔丹的父亲告诉我， 乔丹被枪杀了，

and my whole world went black.

然后我整个世界都黯淡了。

I had ...

我一直……

defined my whole life as being Jordan’s mom.

将我的一生定义为乔丹的妈妈。

And in that single moment,

就在那一刻，

being Jordan’s mom would take on entirely new meaning for me.

成为乔丹的妈妈对我来说 将具有全新的意义。

Grief, it traps you in the prison of your own despair.

悲伤会把你困在 自己的绝望构成的监狱里。

And if we let grief take control,

而且，如果我们被悲伤掌控，

we risk losing not only our present but our future as well.

我们就不仅会失去现在， 还会失去未来。

If I had succumbed to that loss,

如果我屈服于那次损失，

I would be enduring not only one tragedy, but two.

我将经受的不仅 是一场悲剧，而是两场。

So I made a decision.

所以我做了一个决定，

I made the decision that Jordan's legacy would not be one of loss,

我认定乔丹留给我们的不是丧失，

but one of hope.

而是希望。

I chose to channel my pain into purpose.

我选择将痛苦转化为决心，

So I began my second career as an activist

因此，我开始了作为 一名活动家的第二个职业生涯，

for Moms Demand Action,

为“理性用枪在美国， 妈妈们要求行动”

for Gun Sense in America and Everytown for Gun Safety.

和“枪支安全每一城”工作，

While learning the unmistakable truth that every single one of us is at risk

同时意识到一个不容错误的事实， 那就是我们每一个人都有着

to falling victim to gun violence.

成为枪支暴力受害者的危险。

We all remember.

我们都记得，

Just a little over five months ago.

就在五个多月前，

A woman was killed and four others were injured,

一名女性被枪杀， 还有另外四个人受伤，

just visiting the doctor's office,

他们仅仅只是去看医生，

only about three and a half blocks from here in midtown Atlanta.

事发地就在亚特兰大中城， 离这里仅有约三个半街区远。

And a year ago,

同时，一年前，

two were killed and three were injured just down the street.

就在街上，两人被枪杀， 另有三人受伤。

Statistically, today, 120 Americans will be shot and killed

据统计，今天将有 120 名美国人被枪杀，

and 200 more will be wounded.

同时另有 200 人会受伤。

Per capita, the United States has more gun violence

按人均计，美国的枪支暴力

than any other developed nation in the world.

比世界上其他的发达国家都要多。

And polling shows it.

民意调查也显示了

Over 80 percent of Americans agree

超过 80％ 的美国人同意

that there needs to be some kind of common-sense gun safety legislation,

需要有某种常识性的 枪支安全立法，

like universal background checks for all gun sales.

例如对所有枪支销售 进行普遍的背景调查。

But why didn't I know about any of this

但是为什么在失去儿子之前，

before losing my son?

我对此一无所知？

Why was this country not screaming at the top of its lungs

为什么这个国家

for gun safety legislation?

不为枪支安全立法大声疾呼？

So I traveled this country advocating for common sense laws,

因此，我周游这个国家， 倡导常识性法律，

such as “red flag” laws

比如“危险信号”法，

that enable law enforcement, along with our loved ones,

这个法律使执法部门和我们的亲人

to be able to take the guns out of hands of people

能够从对自己或他人

that are posing a risk to themselves or to others.

构成风险的人的手中夺走枪支。

I've advocated for universal background checks

我主张进行普遍的背景调查，

to keep firearms out of the hands of convicted abusers.

以防止枪支落入 被定罪的滥用者手中。

But by telling my story,

但是通过讲述我的故事，

I’ve been able to do something that so many people talk about

我得以做一些很多人都在谈论，

but they’re never able to achieve in our politics:

但他们在我们的政治中 永远无法实现的事情：

bridge the political divide.

弥合政治分歧。

I'll never forget meeting a man by the name of Reverend Rob Schenck.

我永远不会忘记会见 一位名叫罗布·申克的牧师。

As an evangelical minister,

作为一名福音派牧师，

he was the most prolific and leading voice

他是 20 世纪 90 年代

in the fight against abortion rights

反对堕胎权的斗争当中

through the 1990s.

最高产、最前沿的发声者。

And as we begin building our friendship,

当我们开始建立友谊时，

I spoke with him at length about my need

我与他详细谈了我需要

to save as many people's lives as possible.

拯救尽可能多的人的生命。

We began to challenge one another,

我们开始互相挑战，

and slowly but surely,

然后缓慢但肯定地，

at great risk, personally and professionally.

冒着巨大的个人和职业风险。

he began to stand up.

他开始站了出来，

He began to stand up as an activist for gun safety

他开始以枪支安全活动家 的身份挺身而出。

and, as importantly, also speaking out

同样重要的是，

on pro choice policy.

他还为支持堕胎合法的政策发声。

Our stories are bigger than our politics.

我们的故事比我们的政治更重要。

And then in 2018,

然后在 2018 年，

we all watched the horror at a Parkland, Florida high school.

我们目睹了佛罗里达州帕克兰 高中枪击案里的恐怖。

And I heard all of our elected officials

我听到所有民选官员都在说：

talk about, "Oh, we need to make sure that we change our dangerous gun laws.

“哦，我们一定要 修改危险的枪支法律，

We need to make sure that we prevent these mass shootings."

我们一定要阻止 这些大规模的枪击事件。”

But they did absolutely nothing.

但是他们一点事情都没做。

And so I made the decision

因此，我决定，

that if Congress was not willing to change our gun laws,

如果国会不愿意 修改我们的枪支法律，

I was going to work to change Congress.

那我将努力改变国会。

So I ran for a seat that nobody thought I was going to win.

所以我竞选了一个 没人想到我会赢下的席位。

One of the incumbents in that seat voted against the Voting Rights Act.

该席位上的一位现任议员 投票反对《投票权法》。

I ran for a seat that was once held by Newt Gingrich,

我竞选了一个曾经 由纽特·金里奇占据的席位。

and I heard all the reasons why I could never win.

我听到了 我永远无法获胜的所有理由。

I heard all the reasons, such as, "Oh, it was too political,"

我听到了所有理由，比如， “哦，这太政治化了”，

and that I would never win because it was unprecedented.

而且我永远赢不了， 因为那是前所未有的。

And I even heard that I couldn't win because I was a Black woman.

我甚至听说我赢不了， 因为我是非裔女性。

So I took my story directly to the voters,

因此，我直接向选民 讲述了我的故事，

and I told my story at their doorsteps,

在他们家门口讲述了我的故事，

I told my story at their mailboxes,

在他们的邮箱里讲述了我的故事，

and I told my story by their telephones,

在他们的电话讲述了我的故事，

and I won that election by one percent of the vote.

我以百分之一的选票 赢得了那次选举。

And in Congress I've heard all the stories of why we can't address gun safety.

在国会我听过所有关于为什么我们 无法解决枪支安全问题的故事。

They're pretty much the same reasons

它们几乎与人们告诉我

why people told me I would never win my election.

我永远不会赢得大选的原因相同。

But I did what I've done time and time again since I lost my son.

但是自从我失去儿子以来， 我一次又一次地做了我所做的事情：

I told my story.

讲述我的故事。

But in Congress, I told my story to my colleagues

而在国会，我向过道两边的同事

on both sides of the aisle.

讲述我的故事。

To date, I have passed legislation such as “red flag” laws.

迄今为止，我已经通过了诸如 “危险信号” 法之类的立法。

I've supported legislation

我支持诸如对所有枪支销售

such as background checks for all gun sales.

进行背景调查之类的立法。

And yes, I even had a hand

是的，我甚至参与

in helping to encourage this administration

鼓励本届政府成立

to create an Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

枪支暴力预防办公室。

Telling my story has helped me find meaning in my life again

讲述我的故事帮助我 在失去儿子乔丹后

after losing my son Jordan.

重新找到了人生的意义。

It's helped me find a way to Congress

它帮助我进入了国会，

and to pass meaningful gun safety legislation.

并通过了有意义的枪支安全立法。

The power of our stories is universal.

我们故事的力量是普遍的。

And it lies within each and every one of us.

它存在于我们每个人的内心。

Never ever be afraid

永远不要害怕

to tell yours.

讲述你的故事。