What it takes to be racially literate | Priya Vulchi and Winona Guo

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: nr chan

Priya Vulchi: Four years ago, we really thought we understood racism.

普莉雅伍爾奇：四年前， 我們真的以為我們了解種族主義。

Just like many of you here today, we had experienced and heard stories

就像今天在座許多人一樣， 我們都經歷過也聽過

about race, about prejudice, discrimination and stereotyping

關於種族、偏見、歧視， 及刻板印象的故事，

and we were like, "We get it, racism, we got it, we got it."

我們心想：「我們懂啦， 種族主義嘛，我們懂的。」

But we weren't even close.

但其實我們離「懂」還差得遠呢。

Winona Guo: So we decided that we had to listen and learn more.

薇諾娜郭：所以，我們決定 我們得要再多聽多學。

We talked to as many random people as we could

我們盡可能與很多 隨機選中的人交談，

and collected hundreds of personal stories about race,

收集了數百個個人的種族相關故事，

stories that revealed how racial injustice is a nationwide epidemic

這些故事揭露出種族不公平 是全國都在流行的狀況，

that we ourselves spread

且是我們自己散播出去的，

and now can't seem to recognize or get rid of.

現在似乎卻無法承認或擺脫它。

PV: We're not there yet.

普：我們還沒達到目標。

Today, we are here to raise our standards of racial literacy,

今天，我們來這裡是要提高 我們對於種族識能的標準，

to redefine what it means to be racially literate.

重新定義具有種族識能的意義。

WG: We want everywhere across the United States

薇：我們希望在美國各地，

for our youngest and future generations to grow up equipped

我們最年輕的一代 以及未來的世代在成長的過程中，

with the tools to understand, navigate and improve

都能夠有足夠的工具， 來協助了解、指引，和改善

a world structured by racial division.

這個由種族分裂所建構成的世界。

We want us all to imagine the community as a place

我希望所有人能夠把 這個共同社會想為這樣的地方：

where we not only feel proud of our own backgrounds,

在這裡，我們不僅為 我們自己的背景感到驕傲，

but can also invest in others' experiences as if they were our own.

同時也能投資他人的經驗， 彷彿那是我們自己的經驗一樣。

PV: We just graduated from high school this past June.

普：我們去年六月才剛從高中畢業。

WG: And you'd think --

薇：你們可能會認為——

(Applause)

（掌聲）

And you'd think after 12 years

你們可能會認為，經過了十二年，

somebody in or out of the classroom would have helped us understand --

教室內或教室外總會 有人協助我們了解——

PV: At a basic level at least --

普：至少在最基本的層級上——

WG: The society we live in.

薇：了解我們所處的社會。

PV: The truth for almost all our classmates is that they don't.

普：對我們絕大多數的 同學而言，事實是「沒有」。

WG: In communities around our country, so many of which are racially divided,

薇：我們國內有好多的 社區都被種族給分裂，

PV: If you don't go searching for an education about race,

普：如果你不去尋找 關於種族的教育，

for racial literacy --

尋找種族識能，

WG: You won't get it.

薇：你就得不到。

It won't just come to you.

它不會自己來找你。

PV: Even when we did have conversations about race,

普：就算我們已有關於種族的對話，

our understanding was always superficial.

我們的了解仍然是很表面的。

We realized that there are two big gaps

我們發現在我們的種族識能當中

in our racial literacy.

有兩個巨大的隔閡。

WG: First, the heart gap:

薇：第一個是心的隔閡：

an inability to understand each of our experiences,

無法理解我們的每一次經歷，

to fiercely and unapologetically be compassionate beyond lip service.

激烈而毫不抱歉地表達出 超越口頭話的同理心。

PV: And second, the mind gap:

普：第二個是腦的隔閡：

an inability to understand the larger, systemic ways in which racism operates.

無法了解種族主義所採用的 更大、系統化的運作方式。

WG: First, the heart gap.

薇：首先，心的隔閡。

To be fair, race did pop up a few times in school, growing up.

老實說，在成長過程中， 種族的確有在學校中出現幾次。

We all defend our social justice education

我們都會守護我們的社會正義教育，

because we learned about Martin Luther King Jr.

因為我們學過金恩博士、

and Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks.

哈莉特塔布曼， 以及羅莎帕克斯的事蹟。

But even in all of those conversations,

但就算是在那些對談當中，

race always felt outdated, like,

感覺起來種族也像是過時的，就像：

"Yes, slavery, that happened once upon a time,

「是的，奴役制度很久以前發生過，

but why does it really matter now?"

但現在為什麼還有重要性？」

As a result, we didn't really care.

結果就是，我們其實不會去在乎。

But what if our teacher introduced a story from the present day,

但如果我們的老師能 介紹一個現今的故事呢？

for example, how Treniya told us in Pittsburgh that --

比如，崔奈雅告訴我們， 在匹茲堡——

PV: "My sister was scrolling through Facebook and typed in our last name.

普：「我姐姐在滑手機看臉書， 輸入了我們的姓氏。

This white guy popped up,

結果跳出了這個白人，

and we found out that his great-great-grandfather owned slaves

我們發現，他的 曾曾曾祖父擁有奴隸，

and my great-great- great-grandmother was one of them.

而我的曾曾曾祖母就是其中之一。

My last name -- it's not who I am.

我的姓氏——並不是我的。

We've been living under a white man's name.

我們一直活在白人的名字之下。

If slavery didn't happen, who would I even be?"

如果奴役沒有發生，我會是誰？」

WG: Now it feels relevant, immediate,

薇：這馬上就讓人感受到重要性了，

because the connection to slavery's lasting legacy today is made clear, right?

因為奴役所遺留至今的 影響就顯而易見，對吧？

Or what would happen is our teacher would throw out these cold statistics.

或，可能會發生的狀況是， 老師會把冰冷的數據丟給我們。

You've probably seen this one before in news headlines.

你可能曾經在新聞頭條看過這個。

PV: African-Americans are incarcerated

普：被監禁的比例

more than five times the rate of white people.

非裔美國人是白人的五倍。

WG: Now consider Ronnie, in Seattle.

薇：現在，來看看西雅圖的朗尼。

PV: "My father means everything to me.

普：「我爸爸是我的一切。

He's all I've got, I don't know my mother.

我也只有他了，我不認識我的媽媽。

My father's currently being wrongly incarcerated for 12 years.

我爸爸被冤枉，目前 已經被監禁了 12 年。

I've got a daughter, and I try to be that same fatherly figure for her:

我有個女兒，我也為她 努力成為同樣的父親典範：

always involved in everything she does, it might even be annoying at some points.

參與所有她做的事， 即使有些時候會很煩人。

But I'm afraid I'll go missing in her life

但我害怕我會從她的人生中消失，

just like my father did in mine."

就像我爸爸從我人生中消失一樣。」

WG: Throwing out just the statistic, just the facts alone,

薇：只丟出統計數字，只有事實，

disconnected from real humans,

沒有和真實的人類連結，

can lead to dangerously incomplete understanding of those facts.

結果可能很危險，會造成 對那些事實的了解不完全。

It fails to recognize that for many people who don't understand racism

這麼做就是沒能夠了解到， 對許多不懂種族主義的人來說，

the problem is not a lack of knowledge

問題並不是缺乏知識

to talk about the pain of white supremacy and oppression,

來談論白人至上和 壓迫所造成的痛苦，

it's that they don't recognize that that pain exists at all.

而是他們根本不知道那痛苦存在。

They don't recognize the human beings that are being affected,

他們無法看出會有人類受到影響，

and they don't feel enough to care.

且他們的低感受度也 不足以讓他們去在乎。

PV: Second, the mind gap.

普：第二，腦的隔閡。

We can't ignore the stats, either.

我們也不能夠忽略統計。

We can't truly grasp Ronnie's situation

我們無法真正領會朗尼的狀況，

without understanding how things like unjust laws and biased policing

如果我們不了解如不公平的 法律、偏見的政策制訂，

systematic racism has created

及有系統的種族主義是如何造成

the disproportionate incarceration rates over time.

監禁比例隨時間變得 越來越不成比例。

Or like how in Honolulu,

或是像在檀香山，

the large prison population of native Hawaiians like Kimmy

監獄中大量的夏威夷 原住民囚犯，像是金米，

is heavily influenced by the island's long history

受到該島過去被美國長期殖民的

with US colonialization,

深遠影響，

its impact passing down through generations to today.

經過世世代代，它的 衝擊力一路傳到現今。

For us, sometimes we would talk

對我們來說，有時我們會

about people's personal, unique experiences in the classroom.

在教室裡別人的個人獨特經驗。

Stuff like, how Justin once told us --

像是，賈斯汀有次告訴我們——

WG: "I've been working on psychologically reclaiming my place in this city.

薇：「我一直努力，想在心理 層面上在這城市中取回我的位置。

Because for me, my Chicago isn't the nice architecture downtown,

因為，對我來說，我的芝加哥 並不是有著漂亮建築物的鬧區，

it's not the North Side.

並不是北區。

My Chicago is the orange line, the pink line, the working immigrant class

我的芝加哥是橘線和粉紅線， （註：地鐵線）

搭地鐵的移民勞工階級。」

going on the train."

PV: And while we might have acknowledged his personal experience,

普：雖然我們也許可以 了解他的個人經驗，

we wouldn't have talked about how redlining

但我們不會去談拒絕提供貸款

and the legalized segregation of our past

以及我們過去的合法種族隔離

created the racially divided neighborhoods we live in today.

如何造成現今我們居住的 街坊中的種族分裂。

We wouldn't have completely understood

我們不會完全了解

how racism is embedded in the framework of everything around us,

種族主義如何深植在我們 周圍所有事物的架構當中，

because we would stay narrowly focused on people's isolated experiences.

因為我們的焦點很狹隘， 只放在人的個別經驗上。

Another example, Sandra in DC once told us:

另一個例子，華盛頓 特區的珊卓告訴我們：

WG: "When I'm with my Korean family, I know how to move with them.

薇：「當我和我的韓國家庭 在一起時，我知道如何配合他們。

I know what to do in order to have them feel like I care about them.

我知道該做什麼就能 讓他們感受到我在乎他們。

And making and sharing food

做菜和分享食物

is one of the most fundamental ways of showing love.

是用來展現愛的最基本方式之一。

When I'm with my partner who's not Korean, however,

但，我的另一半不是韓國人， 和他在一起時，

we've had to grapple with the fact

我們得要努力解決的問題是

that I'm very food-centric and he's just not.

我是以食物為中心的人，但他不是。

One time he said that he didn't want to be expected

有一次，他說他不希望我期待

to make food for me,

他會為我下廚，

and I got really upset."

而我就非常沮喪。」

PV: That might seem like a weird reaction,

普：那似乎是個很怪異的反應，

but only if we don't recognize how it's emblematic of something larger,

但會這麼覺得，只是因為我們 沒看出它其實象徵某種更大、

something deeper.

更深的東西。

Intragenerational trauma.

世代內的創傷。

How in Sandra's family, widespread hunger and poverty

在珊卓的家庭中，飢餓和貧困都還

existed as recently as Sandra's parents' generation

存在於在她父母親那一代， 這麼近期的世代，

and therefore impacts Sandra today.

因此會影響到現今的珊卓。

She experiences someone saying --

她遇到有人說 薇：「我不想弄食物給你。」

WG: "I don't want to feed you."

PV: As --

普：感覺就會像 薇：「我不想擁抱你。」

WG: "I don't want to hug you."

普：若她和她的另一半沒細部了解

PV: And without her and her partner having that nuanced understanding

of her reaction and the historical context behind it,

她的反應和這反應背後的來龍去脈，

it could easily lead to unnecessary fighting.

就很容易會造成不必要的吵架。

That's why it's so important that we proactively --

所以，很重要的是我們要能主動地

(Both speaking): Co-create --

（兩人齊聲）：共同創造

PV: A shared American culture

普：一種共享的美國文化，

that identifies and embraces the different values and norms

能夠認同並擁抱我們多樣化社區中的

within our diverse communities.

不同價值觀和標準。

WG: To be racially literate --

薇：要具有種族識能，

PV: To understand who we are so that we can heal together --

普：要了解我們是誰， 才能夠一起療癒，

WG: We cannot neglect the heart --

薇：我們不能夠忽視心 普：或是腦。

PV: Or the mind.

So, with our hundreds of stories,

所以，我們收集了數百個故事後，

we decided to publish a racial literacy textbook

我們決定要出版一本 種族識能的教科書，

to bridge that gap between our hearts and minds.

搭起橋樑，跨越我們的 心和腦的隔閡。

WG: Our last book, "The Classroom Index,"

薇：我們最新的書《教室索引》

shares deeply personal stories.

分享了非常個人化的故事。

PV: And pairs those personal stories

普：並將那些個人的故事

to the brilliant research of statisticians and scholars.

與統計學家和學者的 出色研究搭配連結起來。

WG: Every day, we are still blown away by people's experiences,

薇：每天，我們都還是會 受到別人經驗的衝擊，

by the complexity of our collective racial reality.

受到我們集體種族現實的 複雜度所衝擊。

PV: So today, we ask you --

普：所以，我們今天想請問各位

WG: Are you racially literate?

薇：你們有種族識能嗎？

Are you there yet?

你們做到了嗎？

PV: Do you really understand the people around you,

普：你們真的了解你們周遭的人、

their stories, stories like these?

他們的故事，像這些例子的故事？

It's not just knowing that Louise from Seattle

並不只是知道路易絲來自西雅圖，

survived Japanese American internment camps.

待過日裔美國人拘留營且存活下來。

It's knowing that, meanwhile,

重要的是，同時也知道

her husband was one of an estimated 33,000 Japanese Americans

估計有 33,000 名日裔美國人， 在戰爭時為美國打仗，

who fought for our country during the war,

而她的丈夫就是其中之一，

a country that was simultaneously interning their families.

這個國家同時也是 拘留他們家人的國家。

For most of us, those Japanese Americans both in camps and in service,

對大部分人而言，在拘留營中 及在為美國服勤的那些日裔美國人，

now see their bravery, their resilience, their history forgotten.

現在看著他們的英勇、他們的 恢復力、他們的歷史都被遺忘了。

They've become only victims.

他們變成僅是受害者。

PV: It's not just knowing that interracial marriages

普：不只是要了解到 跨種族婚姻是存在的，

like Shermaine and Paul in DC exist,

就像華盛頓特區的夏嫚和保羅，

it's acknowledging that our society has been programmed for them to fail.

同時也要知道，我們的社會 注定會讓他們失敗。

That on their very first date someone shouted,

在他們的第一次約會，有人大喊：

"Why are you with that black whore?"

「你幹嘛和那個黑人妓女在一起？」

That according to a Columbia study on cis straight relationships

根據一份哥倫比亞的研究， 在順性別的異性戀關係當中，

black is often equated with masculinity

黑人通常被視為是陽剛的，

and Asian with femininity,

而亞洲人則是陰柔的，

leading more men to not value black women and to fetishize Asian women.

導致更多男人不重視黑人女性， 反而盲目崇拜亞洲女性。

Among black-white marriages in the year 2000,

在 2000 年，黑人與 白人結合的婚姻中，

73 percent had a black husband and a white wife.

73% 是丈夫為黑人，妻子為白人。

Paul and Shermaine defy that statistic.

保羅和夏嫚拒絕服從那統計數字。

Black is beautiful,

黑人是美好的，

but it takes a lot to believe so once society says otherwise.

但當社會不這麼認為時， 要花很多心力才能相信這一點。

WG: It's not just knowing that white people like Lisa in Chicago

薇：不只要知道芝加哥的 白人，比如麗莎，

have white privilege,

有白人的特權，

it's reflecting consciously on the term whiteness and its history,

也要有意識地反思白人 這個詞以及它的歷史，

knowing that whiteness can't be equated with American.

要知道白人並不等於美國人。

It's knowing that Lisa can't forget her own personal family's history

重要的是能了解麗莎無法 忘記她個人家庭的歷史，

of Jewish oppression.

關於猶太人被壓迫的歷史。

That she can't forget how, growing up,

她無法忘記，在長大過程，

she was called a dirty Jew with horns and tails.

她被稱為骯髒的猶太人， 有角和尾巴（魔鬼的樣子）。

But Lisa knows she can pass as white

但麗莎知道她可以用 白人的身份走下去，

so she benefits from huge systemic and interpersonal privileges,

所以她能受惠於大量的 體制特權與人際特權，

and so she spends every day

所以她把每一天都花在

grappling with ways that she can leverage that white privilege

努力想辦法盡可能 發揮白人的特權，

for social justice.

用在社會正義上。

For example, starting conversations with other people of privilege about race.

比如，和有特權的人 展開關於種族的談話。

Or shifting the power in her classroom to her students

或是把她教室內的權力 轉移給她的學生，

by learning to listen to their experiences of racism and poverty.

做法是學習傾聽他們關於 種族主義和貧困的經驗。

PV: It's not just knowing that native languages are dying.

普：重點不只是要知道 原住民語言正在消失中。

It's appreciating how fluency in the Cherokee language,

還要能體會到，能流利地說現今只有

which really only less than 12,000 people speak today,

不到 12,000 人會說的切羅基語，

is an act of survival, of preservation of culture and history.

其實是一種生存行為， 保存文化和歷史的行為。

It's knowing how the nongendered Cherokee language

重點是要知道， 切羅基語當中沒有性別之分，

enabled Ahyoka's acceptance as a trans woman

這個特性讓艾尤卡的變性女人身份

in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

能在俄克拉荷馬的塔勒闊被接受。

Her grandmother told her firmly a saying in Cherokee,

她的祖母很堅定地告訴她 一段切羅基的格言：

"I don't tell me who you are,

「我不會告訴我你是誰，

you tell me who you are.

你來告訴我你是誰。

And that is who you are."

而那就是你。」

WG: These are just parts of a few stories.

薇：這些只是其中少數幾個故事。

There are approximately 323 million people in the United States.

美國大約有 3 億 2300 萬人。

PV: And 7.4 billion people on the planet.

普：地球上大約有 74 億人。

薇：所以，我們有很多要傾聽的。

WG: So we have a lot to listen to.

PV: And a lot to learn.

普：還有很多要學習的。

WG: We need to raise the bar.

薇：我們得要提高水平。

PV: Elevate our standards for racial literacy.

普：把種族識能的標準提高。

Because without investing in an education that values --

因為，若我們投資的教育不懂得重視

WG: Both the stories -- PV: And statistics --

薇：故事 普：及統計，

WG: The people -- PV: And the numbers --

薇：人 普：及數字，

薇：人際的 普：及體制的，

WG: The interpersonal -- PV: And the systemic --

WG: There will always be a piece missing.

薇：那麼將永遠會缺了一塊。

PV: Today, so few of us understand each other.

普：現今，好少人能夠了解彼此。

WG: We don't know how to communicate --

薇：我們不知道如何溝通、

PV: Live together -- WG: Love one another.

普：住在一起、 薇：相親相愛。

We need to all work together to create a new national community.

我們所有人要同心協力， 創造一個新的全國共同體。

PV: A new shared culture of mutual suffering and celebration.

普：一種新的共享文化， 有著共同的苦難和頌揚。

WG: We need to each begin by learning in our own local communities,

薇：我們每個人都得要從在自己的 地方社區中學習，做為第一步，

bridging the gaps between our own hearts and minds

搭起橋樑，跨越我們的 心和腦之間的隔閡，

to become racially literate.

變成具有種族識能的人。

PV: Once we all do, we will be that much closer

普：等我們都做到了， 我們所身處的空間和體制，

to living in spaces and systems that fight and care equally for all of us.

就會更能在乎所有人的 平等，並為其而戰。

WG: Then, none of us will be able to remain distant.

薇：接著，就不會再有人是疏遠的。

PV: We couldn't -- sorry, mom and dad, college can wait.

普：我們不能—— 抱歉， 老爸、老媽，大學可以等。

WG: We're on a gap year before college, traveling to all 50 states

薇：我們現在正處於大學前的 空檔年，行遍 50 州，

collecting stories for our next book.

為我們的下一本書收集故事。

PV: And we still have 23 states left to interview in.

普：我們還有 23 個州 還沒去做訪談。

(Both) Let's all get to work.

（兩人齊聲）：咱們上工吧。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）