James A. White Sr.: The little problem I had renting a house

Translator: Helen Shuang Reviewer: 杏儀 歐陽

An 18-year-old, African-American male joined the United States Air Force

一個十八歲、非洲裔美國男仔 加入咗美國空軍

and was assigned to Mountain Home Air Force Base

佢被分配到 Mountain Home 空軍基地 加入空軍警衛中隊

and was a part of the air police squadron.

Upon first arriving there, the first goal that I had

我啱啱到空軍基地時

第一件事情就係要搵屋

was for me to identify an apartment,

so I could bring my wife and my new baby, Melanie,

然後將太太同啱啱出世嘅 Melanie 接嚟愛達荷州度住

out to join me in Idaho.

I immediately went to the personnel office,

我第一時間搵咗人事部

and talking with the guys in personnel,

同佢哋講我嘅情況

人事部話

they said, "Hey, no problem finding an apartment in Mountain Home, Idaho.

喺 Mountain Home 搵間屋冇問題

The people down there love us because they know if they have an airman

呢裡嘅人都幾鍾意我哋

因為佢哋知道空軍租客係會交租嘅

who is coming in to rent one of their apartments,

they'll always get their money."

And that was a really important thing.

收租對於業主嚟講係好重要嘅

人事部話

He said, "So here is a list of people that you can call,

呢裡有一份人名表

你可以打俾呢啲人

and then they will then allow you to select the apartment that you want."

佢哋會俾你揀屋

So I got the list; I made the call.

我由人事部嗰度攞咗份名單

打第一個電話

The lady answered on the other end and I told her what I wanted.

接電話嘅係一個女人

我同佢講咗我要間屋

She said, "Oh, great you called.

佢話：「你打嚟啱啦，

We have four or five apartments available right now."

我哋宜家有四、五間屋出租。」

佢問：「你要一間定兩間睡房？」

She said, "Do you want a one-bedroom or two-bedroom?"

佢又話：「我哋唔好喺電話講啦。

Then she said, "Let's not talk about that.

你直接過嚟睇下想要邊間仲好啦。

Just come on down, select the apartment that you want.

We'll sign the contract

睇好咗，我哋就可以簽約。

and you'll have keys in your hand to get your family out here right away."

你就可以攞鎖匙接家人過嚟。」

So I was excited.

我聽咗之後好興奮

I jumped in my car. I went downtown and knocked on the door.

即刻開車去市中心去搵個代理

When I knocked on the door, the woman came to the door,

去到，我敲門啦，一個女士開門

and she looked at me, and she said, "Can I help you?"

佢睇一睇我，問： 「有乜可以幫到你嗎？」

I said, "Yes, I'm the person who called about the apartments.

我答話：「我頭先打嚟話睇屋， 想睇下邊間合適。」

I was just coming down to make my selection."

She said, "You know what? I'm really sorry,

佢話：「真係唔好意思，

but my husband rented those apartments and didn't tell me about them."

我先生將嗰啲屋都租出啦， 但係冇同我講佢租曬出去。」

I said, "You mean he rented all five of them in one hour?"

我話：「你係話一個小時內 佢將五間屋都租出去？」

佢冇答我

She didn't give me a response, and what she said was this:

只係話：「要唔要噉樣，你留低電話，

She said, "Why don't you leave your number,

and if we have some openings, I'll give you a call?"

如果到時有人出租，我通知你？」

Needless to say, I did not get a call from her.

唔使講，佢之後當然係冇打電話俾我

Nor did I get any responses from the other people

嗰份名單上面其他業主我都打過

that they gave me on the list where I could get apartments.

但係都冇回音

So as a result of that, and feeling rejected,

我就好似俾人拒絕咁

I went back to the base, and I talked to the squadron commander.

我返到空軍基地，搵到中隊嘅指揮官

His name was McDow, Major McDow.

McDow 少校

I said, "Major McDow, I need your help."

我話：「McDow 少校， 我需要你嘅幫忙。」

I told him what happened, and here's what he said to me:

我話俾佢聽我嘅遭遇

佢話：「James，我好樂意幫你。

He said, "James, I would love to help you.

But you know the problem:

但問題係，

We can't make people rent to folks that they don't want to rent to.

我哋唔能夠迫人 將屋租俾佢哋唔鍾意嘅人。

And besides, we have a great relationship with people in the community

而且我哋同呢個社區嘅關係幾好，

and we really don't want to damage that."

唔想因咩事令大家關係緊張。」

He said, "So maybe this is what you should do.

佢又話：「一係噉呀， 你叫屋企人留返喺屋企。

Why don't you let your family stay home,

because you do know that you get a 30-day leave.

一年有三十日嘅假期，

So once a year,

你趁假期返返去，

you can go home to your family, spend 30 days and then come on back."

三十日後再返嚟。」

Needless to say, that didn't resonate for me.

但佢冇說服到我

So after leaving him, I went back to personnel,

我又返去人事部

and talking to the clerk,

同裡面嘅文員解釋我嘅情況

he said, "Jim, I think I have a solution for you.

佢話：「 Jim，我有個辦法。

有個機師要走。

There's an airman who is leaving and he has a trailer.

佢有一架露營車。

If you noticed, in Mountain Home,

如果你有留意嘅話，

there are trailer parks and trailers all over the place.

Mountain Home 好多地方 都有露營車嘅公園。

You can buy his trailer, and you'd probably get a really good deal

如果你買佢架露營車，

趁佢趕著走， 仲可以買得平啲添。

because he wants to get out of town as soon as possible.

And that would take care of your problem,

咁樣嘅話，你嘅問題就可以解決啦。」

and that would provide the solution for you."

So I immediately jumped in my car, went downtown, saw the trailer --

我聽咗之後即刻趕去市中心 去睇嗰架露營車

it was a small trailer,

架車睇落都幾細架咁

but under the circumstances,

但喺當時嘅情況嚟講 呢個係最好嘅辦法

I figured that was the best thing that I could do.

So I bought the trailer.

於是我就買咗架露營車

我問嗰個文員： 「我可唔可以將架露營車擺喺度？

And then I asked him, "Can I just leave the trailer here,

and that would take care of all my problems,

噉樣所有問題就解決曬，

I wouldn't have to find another trailer park?"

噉樣我就唔使搵地方泊。」

He said, "Before I say yes to that, I need to check with management."

佢回答話： 「我要問管理部門，再答你。」

So I get back to the base,

我就返基地先

he called me back and management said,

返到基地，文員打嚟話：

"No, you can't leave the trailer here

「唔得，你唔能夠將露營車泊喺嗰度，

because we had promised that slot to some other people."

因為我哋已經預留嗰位俾人。」

咁我就覺得成件事幾奇怪

And that was strange to me

because there were several other slots that were open,

因為我見到其他車位都係空嘅

but it just so happened that he had promised that slot to someone else.

咁都算啦

就當佢真係將啲位留俾其他人

So, what I did --

我就問個文員

and he said, "You shouldn't worry, Jim, because there are a lot of trailer parks."

佢話：「唔使擔心喎 Jim， 仲有好多地方可以泊露營車。」

So I put out another exhaustive list of going to trailer parks.

佢俾咗一份泊露營車地方嘅名單俾我

I went to one after another, after another.

我逐個逐個搵

And I got the same kind of rejection there

但當我搵到一個車位

that I received when I was looking for the apartment.

同樣都係好似睇屋咁被人拒絕

And as a result, the kind of comments that they made to me,

除咗佢哋回覆話泊車嘅地方滿咗之外

in addition to saying that they didn't have any slots open,

one person said, "Jim, the reason why we can't rent to you,

一個人仲同我講： 「 Jim，我哋唔租俾你，

we already have a Negro family in the trailer park."

因為我哋已經有一個黑人家庭 住喺呢個露營車停車場。」

He said, "And it's not me, because I like you people."

佢話：「呢個決定唔係我落， 因為我都鍾意你哋架。」

（笑聲）

(Laughs)

And that's what I did, too. I chuckled, too.

我同你哋一樣，我當時都笑咗

He said, "But here's the problem:

佢話：「宜家問題係，

If I let you in, the other tenants will move out

如果我俾你搬入嚟， 其他租客會搬走。

and I can't afford to take that kind of a hit."

我只係唔咁樣揹鑊啫，

He said, "I just can't rent to you."

所以我冇辦法租俾你。」

Even though that was discouraging, it didn't stop me.

呢件事雖然幾灰

但係冇停止我繼續搵嘅決心

I kept looking,

and I looked at the far end of the town in Mountain Home,

我搵到 Mountain Home 偏遠地區

and there was a small trailer park.

嗰度有一個小型露營車停車場

I mean, a really small trailer park.

細到冇人有嘅停車場

It didn't have any paved roads in it,

裡面仲未鋪路、冇水泥平板

it didn't have the concrete slabs,

it didn't have fencing

冇欄杆用嚟劃分泊位

to portion off your trailer slot from other trailer slots.

It didn't have a laundry facility.

冇可以洗衫嘅設施

But the conclusion I reached at that moment

但當時我明白我冇太多其他選擇

was that I didn't have a lot of other options.

So I called my wife, and I said, "We're going to make this one work."

我打俾太太 話：「我哋就噉樣樣啦。」

And we moved into it

我哋成家就噉樣搬咗過去

and we became homeowners in Mountain Home, Idaho.

喺愛達華州 Mountain Home 呢個城市 我哋終於有咗自己嘅家

And of course, eventually things settled down.

當然，事情最後都安定落嚟

Four years after that, I received papers to move from Mountain Home, Idaho

四年後，我批准咗

由愛達華州嘅 Mountain Home 搬到 Labrador 嘅 Goose Bay

to a place called Goose Bay, Labrador.

We won't even talk about that. It was another great location. (Laughter)

我就唔喺度多講啦

不過嗰度環境都唔錯

（笑聲）

So my challenge then was to get my family from Mountain Home, Idaho

我嗰時面對嘅問題係

將屋企由愛達華州嘅 Mountain Home 搬到賓夕法尼亞州嘅 Sharon

to Sharon, Pennsylvania.

That wasn't a problem because we had just purchased a brand-new automobile.

其實問題都唔大 因為我哋啱啱買咗一架車

My mother called and said she'll fly out.

我媽咪電話裏面話佢會飛過嚟

She'll be with us as we drive, she'll help us manage the children.

佢會喺開車嗰陣幫我哋照顧細路

So she came out, her and Alice put a lot of food together for the trip.

所以媽咪就嚟咗

佢同我太太為成個路程準備咗好多食物

That morning, we left at about 5 a.m.

嗰日上晝，我哋五點就出發

Great trip, having a great time, good conversation.

成個旅程都好好，大家都好鍾意

傾得都幾開心

Somewhere around 6:30, 7 o'clock, we got a little bit tired,

到咗夜晚大概六點半、七點 我哋開始有啲攰

and we said, "Why don't we get a motel so that we can rest

我哋就話：「不如搵一間汽車旅館， 先住宿一晚，聽日一早再上路？」

and then have an early start in the morning?"

我哋開始物色路上嘅汽車旅館

So we were looking at a number of the motels as we drove down the road,

and we saw one, it was a great big, bright flashing light that said,

我哋睇到一間，用紅色光管寫著：

"Vacancies, Vacancies, Vacanies."

「有空房，有空房，有空房」

So we stopped in.

我哋就停低

They were in the parking lot, I went inside.

佢哋留喺停車場

我入去個旅館

When I walked inside,

當我入去嘅時候

the lady was just finishing up one contract with some folks,

前台嘅一位女職員 啱啱辦埋完幾個人嘅入住手續

some other people were coming in behind me.

另一啲人嚟到前台，企喺我後面

And so I walked to the counter,

我嚟到前台

佢問：「有乜可以幫你？」

and she said, "How can I help you?"

I said, "I would like to get a motel for the evening for my family."

我話：「我想租一晚房間。」

She said, "You know, I'm really sorry, I just rented the last one.

佢話：「真係唔好意思， 最後一間啱啱租咗。

We will not have any more until the morning."

聽日上晝至有房。」

She said, "But if you go down the road about an hour, 45 minutes,

佢話：「如果你向前走 大概 45 到 60 分鐘，

there's another trailer park down there."

會有一個露營車停車場。」

I said, "Yeah, but you still have the 'Vacancies' light on, and it's flashing."

我話：「但係空房燈仲著住喎。」

She said, "Oh, I forgot."

佢話：「哎呀，我唔記得咗熄。」

And she reached over and turned the light off.

然後佢伸手熄咗佢

She looked at me and I looked at her.

佢望一望我，我望一望佢

There were other people in the room.

大堂裡面仲有其他人

She kind of looked at them. No one said anything.

佢望一望佢哋，冇人敢出聲

So I just got the hint and I left, and went outside to the parking lot.

我明白意思

我離開汽車酒店，返到停車場

And I told my mother and I told my wife and also Melanie, and I said,

我同我媽、太太同囡囡講︰

"It looks like we're going to have to drive a little bit further down the road

睇嚟我哋要渣遠少少，先至有地方瞓

to be able to sleep tonight."

And we did drive down the road,

我哋嗰晚渣到去遠啲嘅地方

but just before we took off and pulled out of the parking lot,

但當我哋倒車準備要走嘅時候 估下發生乜嘢？

guess what happened?

The light came back on.

吉房嘅招牌光管竟然又著咗！

And it said, "Vacancies, Vacancies, Vacancies."

依然著住「有空房，有空房，有空房」

We were able to find a nice place.

最後我哋搵到一個唔錯嘅地方

It wasn't our preference, but it was secure and it was clean.

雖然唔係我哋想要嘅地方 但總算安全乾淨

And so we had a great sleep that night.

我哋嗰晚瞓得好好

The piece that's important about that

嗰次經歷嘅重點係

is that we had similar kinds of experiences

我哋無論喺愛達華州定係賓夕法尼亞州

from Idaho all the way through to Pennsylvania,

where we were rejected from hotels, motels and restaurants.

都俾人酒店、汽車旅館同酒樓拒絕

But we made it to Pennsylvania.

但我哋最後仍然能夠嚟到賓夕法尼亞州

We got the family settled. Everyone was glad to see the kids.

我哋成家人安定落嚟

大家都好高興見到細路

I jumped on a plane and shot off to Goose Bay, Labrador,

今次另一個故仔係當我坐飛機趕去 Labrador Goose Bay 嘅時候

which is another story, right?

唔係咩？

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Here it is, 53 years later,

即係 53 年後嘅今日

I now have nine grandchildren, two great-grandchildren.

我有九個孫，兩個曾孫

Five of the grandchildren are boys.

五個孫係男丁

I have master's, Ph.D., undergrad, one in medical school.

有讀學士、碩士、博士，其中一個讀醫

I have a couple that are trending.

有幾個孫都幾時髦

佢哋都好新潮， 但未係最入潮流嗰個

They're almost there but not quite. (Laughter)

（笑聲）

I have one who has been in college now for eight years.

我仲有一個孫讀咗八年嘅大專

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

He doesn't have a degree yet, but he wants to be a comedian.

佢仲未攞到學位

但因為佢諗住成為一位喜劇演員

So we're just trying to get him to stay in school.

所以我哋盡可能俾佢繼續留喺學校讀

Because you never know,

因為喺屋企搞笑 唔代表出面可以做到一個喜劇演員

just because you're funny at home, does not make you a comedian, right?

(Laughter)

啱唔啱？

（笑聲）

But the thing about it, they're all good kids --

唔理點樣，佢哋都係好嘅細路嚟

no drugs, no babies in high school, no crime.

佢哋冇吸毒、高中冇大肚、冇犯罪

So with that being the backdrop,

呢個係我少少背景

I was sitting in my TV room watching TV,

噉有一日我喺度睇電視

and they were talking about Ferguson and all the hullabaloo that was going on.

電視播梗 Ferguson 同埋相關嘅騷動

And all of a sudden, one of the news commentators got on the air and she said,

突然，一個新聞評論員話：

「喺過去三個月內，

"In the last three months,

eight unarmed African-American males

有八名身上冇武器嘅非洲裔美國藉男性

have been killed by police, white homeowners, or white citizens."

俾警察、白人業主同白人市民殺害。」

For some reason, at that moment it just all hit me.

唔知道做乜嘢，當時我呆咗

I said, "What is it? It is so insane.

我話：「咩事？太癲啦。

What is the hatred that's causing people to do these kinds of things?"

點解仇恨可以令人做出噉樣嘅嘢？」

Just then, one of my grandsons called.

跟著，我一個孫打俾我

佢話：「爺爺，你有冇睇咗新聞？」

He said, "Granddad, did you hear what they said on TV?"

I said, "Yes, I did."

我話有

He said, "I'm just so confused.

佢話：「呢單嘢好困擾我。

We do everything we do, but it seems that driving while black,

我哋只係做緊自己嘅嘢。

但喺我哋黑人

無論開車、行路、抑或講嘢都好危險。

walking while black, talking while black, it's just dangerous.

What can we do? We do everything that you told us to do.

我哋可以做啲乜？

你教我哋嘅嘢我哋都做咗。

When stopped by the police,

警察截停我哋嘅時候，

we place both hands on the steering wheel at the 12 o'clock position.

我哋將雙手放喺駄盤最高嘅地方。

If asked to get identification,

如果佢哋要查身份證，

we tell them, 'I am slowly reaching over into the glove compartment to get my I.D.'

就話俾佢哋知，

我會慢慢喺我嘅儲物箱裏邊 攞我嘅身份證出嚟。

When pulled out of the car to be searched,

佢哋要我哋離開架車俾佢哋搜，

when laid on the ground to be searched,

要我哋趴喺地下俾佢哋搜，

when our trunks are opened to be searched,

要我哋打開車尾箱俾佢哋睇，

we don't push back, we don't challenge because we know, you've told us,

我哋都唔反抗， 因為我哋記得你講過

'Don't you challenge the police.

『唔好挑戰警察。等一切結束，

After it's over, call us and we'll be the ones to challenge."

打俾我哋，等我哋同警察理論。』」

He said, "And this is the piece that really bugs me:

佢話：「呢件事令我好困擾。

Our white friends, our buddies, we kind of hang together.

我同白人朋友經常一齊。

When they hear about these kinds of things happening to us, they say,

佢哋聽到呢個消息嘅時候，

佢哋話『你仲點可以忍呢？

'Why do you take it?

You need to push back. You need to challenge.

你應該要反抗，你應該要理論，

You need to ask them for their identification.'"

你應該叫佢哋出示證件。』」

And here's what the boys have been taught to tell them:

我嘅孫會用我教嗰套答返佢哋︰

"We know that you can do that, but please do not do that

「我知道你可以噉樣做，

但係當我哋喺車裏邊嘅時候，

while we're in the car

請唔好噉做。

because the consequences for you are significantly different

因為我同你嘅後果會好唔一樣。」

than the consequences for us."

And so as a grandparent, what do I tell my grandsons?

所以，身為爺爺 我應該點同啲孫講呢？

How do I keep them safe? How do I keep them alive?

我點先能夠保護佢哋嘅安全 俾佢哋繼續好好咁活著呢？

As a result of this, people have come to me and said,

呢一則報導之後，好多人問我

"Jim, are you angry?"

「 Jim，乜你唔嬲嗎？」

And my response to that is this:

我答返佢哋︰

"I don't have the luxury of being angry,

「我冇權去嬲，

and I also know the consequences of being enraged."

因為我知道嬲係會後果嘅。」

所以，我唯一可以做嘅係

So therefore, the only thing that I can do

is take my collective intellect and my energy and my ideas and my experiences

用我嘅知識、精力、諗法、經驗

and dedicate myself to challenge, at any point in time,

隨時貢獻自己嘅力量

anything that looks like it might be racist.

去對抗任何潛在嘅種族歧視

So the first thing I have to do is to educate,

我首先要做嘅係教育

the second thing I have to do is to unveil racism,

其次係向人帶出種族歧視嘅存在

and the last thing I need to do is do everything within my power

最後係盡我一生人最大嘅力量

to eradicate racism in my lifetime by any means necessary.

用盡一切辦法消除種族歧視

The second thing I do is this:

我要做嘅第二件事係︰

I want to appeal to Americans.

我要呼籲所有美國人

I want to appeal to their humanity, to their dignity,

喚醒佢哋嘅人性同尊嚴

to their civic pride and ownership

呼喚佢哋作為市民 為到市民嘅身份而自豪時

to be able to not react to these heinous crimes in an adverse manner.

唔好消極咁面對呢啲醜惡嘅罪行

But instead, to elevate your level of societal knowledge,

而係應該提升自己對社會嘅認識

your level of societal awareness and societal consciousness

增加對社會嘅觸覺同認知

to then collectively come together, all of us come together,

然後大家一齊聯合起嚟

to make sure that we speak out against and we challenge any kind of insanity,

聲討同挑戰所有不公義嘅嘢 包括殺手無寸鐵嘅人

any kind of insanity that makes it okay to kill unarmed people,

regardless of their ethnicity,

無論被殺嘅人係乜種族、係乜血統

regardless of their race,

regardless of their diversity makeup.

無論文化上點咁唔同

We have to challenge that. It doesn't make any sense.

我哋必須推翻呢啲唔合理嘅啲事

The only way I think we can do that is through a collective.

只有我哋團結一致 至能夠達成呢一個目標

We need to have black and white and Asian and Hispanic

我哋需要黑人、白人、亞洲裔同拉丁裔

just to step forward and say,

一齊講︰

"We are not going to accept that kind of behavior anymore."

我哋唔能夠再接受同類事情繼續發生