A creative solution for the water crisis in Flint, Michigan | LaToya Ruby Frazier

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

So, in 2016,

2016 年，

I was commissioned to produce a photo essay

我受委託要製作一本相片特輯，

about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.

內容是密西根州 弗林特的水資源危機。

And that's been going on since 2014.

危機從 2014 年就開始了。

And I accepted the commission

我接下了這個委託，

with the idea that I would photograph three generations of women

因為我認為我可以拍攝 三個世代的女性

dealing with the crisis on a daily basis.

每天都在處理這項危機。

I was fortunate to meet two best friends,

我很幸運能夠遇到兩位最棒的朋友、

artists, activists and poets Amber Hasan and Shea Cobb,

藝術家、活動家，及詩人， 安柏哈山及希亞柯柏，

who took me around Flint.

她們帶我到佛林特各處去看。

As a school bus driver, Shea Cobb became the central figure

希亞柯柏是校車的司機，

她成了這本相片特緝的中心人物，

of the photo essay,

along with her mother, Ms. Renée,

另外還有她的母親，瑞妮女士， 及她的八歲女兒，吉昂。

and her eight-year-old daughter, Zion.

I obsessively followed Shea's school bus routes.

我著魔似地跟著希亞的校車路線。

And when Shea wasn't driving the bus,

當希亞沒有在開車時，

she would be watching over Zion, making sure she was studying.

她會去照顧吉昂， 確保她有在讀書。

I embedded myself in every intimate facet of Shea's life.

我進入了希亞生活中的 每個親密面向。

When Shea took me to Zion's school,

當希亞帶我去吉昂的學校，

and I saw the water fountains covered with signs that said,

我看到飲水器上滿是標牌，寫著：

"Contaminated. Do not drink,"

「受污染。不可飲用。」

I couldn't pick up my camera to photograph it.

我無法拿起相機把它拍下來。

It rocked me to the core to see that in America,

我感到非常震撼， 竟然會在美國看到這種事，

we can go from fountains that say "Whites" or "Blacks only,"

我們過去的飲水器可能會標示 「僅限白人」或「僅限黑人」，

to today seeing fountains that say,

現在竟然會看到飲水器標示著

"Contaminated water. Do not drink."

「受污染。不可飲用。」

And somehow, that's acceptable?

而這竟然是可以接受的？

The residents in Flint have been forced to drink with,

佛林特的居民被迫要拿瓶裝水

cook with and bathe with bottled water,

來飲用、煮菜，和洗澡，

while paying the highest water bills in the country

還要支付全國最貴的水費帳單，

for water that is infected with deadly legionella bacteria.

得到的水卻受到 致命的軍團菌感染。

It was natural for me to go to Flint,

我去佛林特是很自然的事，

because industrial pollution, bacteria-contaminated water

因為工業污染、被細菌污染的水，

were all too familiar for me growing up in my hometown, Braddock, Pennsylvania,

對我這個在賓州布拉多克 長大的人來說實在太熟悉了，

where my mother and I battled cancer

在布拉多克，我母親 和我曾經要對抗癌症

and autoimmune disorders like lupus.

以及自動免疫系統疾病，如狼瘡。

Our 14-year collaboration, "The Notion of Family,"

我們十四年的合作成果， 《家庭的觀念》，

was created out of our struggle to survive environmental racism,

立基在我們的掙扎上，

我們努力求生存， 對抗環境種族主義、

healthcare inequity

健康照護不平等，

and chemical emissions that were being deregulated

以及因為管制解除，

美國鋼鐵公司開始排放化學物質，

and released from the United States Steel Corporation,

making Braddock the town with the highest asthma and infant mortality rates

讓布拉多克成為全國氣喘

和嬰兒死亡率最高的小鎮。

in the country.

From the Monongahela River to the Flint River,

從莫農加希拉河到弗林特河，

in the words of W.E.B. Du Bois,

借用 W.E.B. 杜波依斯的說法：

"The town, the whole valley, has turned its back upon the river.

「小鎮，整個山谷，都背棄了這條河。

It has used it as a sewer, as a drain,

小鎮把河當作下水道、排水溝、

as a place for throwing their waste."

丟棄廢棄物的地方。」

General Motors has been cited for dumping chemicals in the Flint River

數十年來，通用汽車都因為

將化學物質棄置在 弗林特河裡而被傳訊。

for decades.

When my photo essay "Flint is Family" came out in August of 2016,

當我的相片特輯《弗林特是家人》 在 2016 年八月推出時，

it was released to remind America

目的是要提醒美國，

that although Flint was no longer headline news,

雖然弗林特已經不再是頭條新聞，

the water crisis was far from over.

水資源危機卻還沒結束，還差得遠。

And, of course, I knew

當然，我知道

it was going to take more than a series of photographs on my part

光由我這裡推出一系列照片

to bring relief to the people in Vehicle City.

不足以為這個汽車城的人減輕問題。

Shea and I bonded over our mothers and grandmothers.

希亞和我是因為我們的 母親及祖母而產生連結，

Amber and I bonded over our battles with lupus.

安柏和我是因為 對抗狼瘡而產生連結。

Together, we decided to remain in each other's life

我們一起決定要繼續 留在彼此的生命中，

and continue our creative efforts.

繼續做出有創意的貢獻。

In 2017, Shea and Amber cofounded artist collective The Sister Tour,

2017 年，希亞和安柏

共同創辦了藝術家集團「姐妹之旅」，

whose mission is to provide a safe space for Flint artists.

旨在提供安全的空間 給弗林特的藝術家。

One year later,

一年後，

I mounted my solo exhibition, "Flint is Family,"

我舉辦了我的個人展 《弗林特是家人》，

here in New York City at Gavin Brown's Enterprise

地點在紐約市西 127 街上的畫廊

on West 127th Street.

「 Gavin Brown's Enterprise」。

As the audience approaches the facade of the building,

當觀眾接近建築物的正面，

they see a 30-foot billboard.

他們會看到一個 三十英呎的廣告牌。

The 30-foot billboard is made of three large color negatives

這個三十英呎的廣告牌是由 三張大型彩色底片做成的，

with the message "Water Is Life,"

上面訊息是「水就是生命」，

spelled out in Nestle water bottles by The Sister Tour.

姐妹之旅用雀巢的水瓶 把這些字拼出來。

Nestle, the largest water-bottling company in the world,

雀巢是世界上最大的 瓶裝水製造公司，

pumps 400 gallons of water per minute out of aquifers in Lake Michigan,

每分鐘能從密西根湖的地下 蓄水層將四百加侖的水抽出，

nearly free of charge.

幾乎完全不用花錢。

The company also extracts millions of liters of water

該公司也會從原住民保留區內

from First Nation reservations,

抽取數百萬公升的水，

while they have no access to clean water at all.

而這些原住民根本 無法取得乾淨用水。

This is a fundraiser print that I used to raise money

這是個資金籌集的記號， 我用它來募資，

to send The Sister Tour to different venues

讓姐妹之旅能夠前往不同的地點

to educate people on the ongoing crisis.

針對當前危機進行教育。

I also continued to keep it in the public eye

我也讓它持續公開曝光，

by producing countdown flags

製作倒數旗子，

that were raised on institutions across the country.

立在全國各地的機構上。

This past June, Amber emailed me with the news

去年六月，安柏寫信 告訴我一個消息，

that Michigan's attorney general dropped all criminal charges

密西根的首席檢察官

放棄弗林特水資源危機 調查案的所有控告，

in the Flint Water Crisis investigation,

where eight state and city employees

本來有八個州和市的員工

were facing charges as serious as manslaughter.

要面臨控訴，嚴重到殺人罪都有。

I could no longer idly stand by

我不能再袖手旁觀

and wait for the government to do its job.

等著政府盡責了。

Justice has been delayed,

公義已經被拖延，

and justice has been denied.

公義已經被否認。

It's been five years,

已經五年了，

and we're still waiting on justice for the men, women and children in Flint.

我們還在等弗林特的男人、 女人、孩子得到公義的對待。

I asked Amber, "What can I do?"

我問安柏：「我能做什麼？」

She told me about a man named Moses West that she met in Puerto Rico,

她告訴我，她在波多黎各 認識了摩西 · 維斯特，

who invented a 26,000-pound atmospheric water generator.

他發明了兩萬六千磅的

空氣製水機。

Amber took Moses to elected officials in the city of Flint.

安柏帶摩西去見 弗林特市的民選官員。

None of them seemed interested in bringing the machine for relief to Flint at all.

他們似乎對於用這台機器 來解決弗林特的問題不感興趣。

Amber needed to get the machine from a military base in Texas

安柏得要把這台機器 從德州的軍事基地

all the way to Flint.

一路帶到弗林特。

Nobody in Flint had that kind of money lying around.

弗林特沒有人有那樣的閒錢。

And it was at that point that I decided

那時，我下了決定，

to take the proceeds from my solo exhibition "Flint is Family,"

把我從《弗林特是家人》 個人展得到的收益

along with the generous match grant from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation,

和羅伯特 · 勞森伯格基金會的慷慨贊助

and sent it to Moses West.

都交給摩西 · 維斯特。

This past July,

去年七月，

Moses West and his atmospheric water generator arrived to Flint, Michigan,

摩西 · 維斯特和他的空氣製水機 抵達了密西根州的弗林特，

on North Saginaw between Marengo and Pulaski,

設置在北薩吉諾， 馬倫哥和普瓦斯基之間，

and is actually still there right now, operating.

現在它仍然在那裡運作。

This community that sits three miles from downtown

這個社區離鬧區有三英里的距離，

has been stripped of its schools,

已經被剝奪了學校，

access to healthy grocery stores

沒有健康雜貨店，也沒有乾淨用水。

and clean water.

Socially, it's viewed as a violent, poor community.

在社會面上，它被視為 是個暴力、貧窮的社區。

But I see something completely different.

但我看見的完全不同。

Moses, an officer, Ranger, veteran,

摩西是個軍官、騎兵、退伍軍人，

was very clear about his water rescue mission:

他非常清楚他的這項 水資源拯救任務：

Bring relief of free, clean water to the people in Flint.

把救濟用的免費、 乾淨用水帶給弗林特的人。

Teach them how to use the machine,

教導他們如何使用這台機器，

teach them how to take care of it,

教導他們如何照顧它，

and most importantly, take ownership of the machine.

最重要的，是為它負責。

Tell everybody across the city to bring all their containers

告訴全市各地的人， 把他們的容器帶來，

and come and take as much water as they can stock up on,

能帶走多少水就帶走多少水，

especially before the winter season hits;

特別是在冬季到來之前；

the machine doesn't extract moisture in freezing temperatures.

在冰凍的氣溫下， 這台機器無法取得濕氣。

This technology pulls air through a high-volume air filter.

這項技術是從高量 空氣過濾器取得空氣，

It mechanically creates condensation,

它會用機械式的方法造成凝結，

which produces 2,000 gallons of water per day.

每天能產出兩千加侖的水。

Residents are free to walk up to the machine

每天早上九點到晚上八點，

anywhere between 9am and 8pm daily

居民可以免費去用這台機器，

and take as much as they want,

想要多少水就拿多少，

alleviating them from standing in long lines for bottled water.

讓他們不用大排長龍 去取得瓶裝水。

I've been at the machine, interviewing people, asking them,

我在那台機器旁 進行訪談，我問他們：

"What does it mean to see Moses and his machine in [your] community?"

「在你的社區看到摩西 和他的機器，有什麼意涵？」

And, "What has it been like living without access to clean water?"

及「無法取得乾淨用水的 生活是什麼樣子的？」

Alita told me,

艾莉塔告訴我：

"It's a miracle that God gave Moses the knowledge and technology

「這是個奇蹟，神給予 摩西這些知識和技術，

to provide us with pure drinking water."

來提供我們純淨的飲用水。」

She also told me that prior to the machine coming,

她還告訴我， 在這台機器到來之前，

she had severe headaches,

她有嚴重的頭痛，

and the water made her so sick to her stomach,

水讓她連胃都很難過，

she couldn't eat.

到無法進食的程度。

Tina told me that the lead-contaminated water

蒂娜告訴我，被鉛污染的水

made her hair fall out.

讓她的頭髮掉光。

Usually, she's weak and very light-headed.

通常，她都很虛弱且會頭昏眼花。

Since using the machine, she's had energy and strength.

從開始用那台機器之後， 她便有了能量和力氣。

David, he was overwhelmed with joy that someone from Texas cared.

大衛，他實在太高興 德州會有人會在乎這件事。

When he tasted the water, he thought to himself,

當他嚐到水時，他心想：

"Now, this is the way God intended water to be."

「神創造的水應該是這樣子的。」

He brings three seven-gallon containers to refill

他帶了三個七加侖的容器來裝水，

to use at his barbecue stand.

要用在他的烤肉攤上。

Through creativity and solidarity,

透過創意和團結，

Amber Hasan, Shea Cobb,

安柏 · 哈山、希亞 · 柯柏、

Tuklor Senegal, The Sister Tour,

圖克勒 · 山尼葛、姐妹之旅、

myself, the people of Flint,

我自己、弗林特人、

Dexter Moon, Moses West and his atmospheric water generator

戴克斯特 · 慕恩、摩西 · 維斯特，

以及他的空氣製水機

have been able to provide 120,000 gallons

得以提供出十二萬加侖的

of free, clean water.

免費乾淨用水。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

The people in Flint deserve access to clean water.

弗林特的人本來就應該 要能取得乾淨用水。

Water is life.

水就是生命。

It is the spirit that binds us

這個精神連結著我們，

from sickness, death and destruction.

對抗疾病、死亡，和摧毀。

Imagine how many millions of lives we could save

想像一下，我們還能拯救多少生命，

if Moses's machine were in places like Newark, New Jersey,

只要我們能把摩西的機器 安裝在新澤西州的紐華克、

South Africa

南非，和印度，

and India,

with compassion instead of profit motives.

且動機是同情而不是利潤。

I loaded my camera,

我準備好我的相機，鎖定焦點，

I locked my focus,

and I placed my finger over the shutter release,

我把我的手指放在快門按鈕上，

as Shea and Zion went to take their first sip of clean water.

等著希亞和吉昂 去品嚐第一口乾淨水。

When the shutter released,

按下快門時，

I was overcome with a deep sense of joy and righteousness.

我充滿了深刻的喜悅和正直感。

When I sent Shea some of the photographs,

我把一些照片寄給希亞，她寫道：

she wrote,

"Thank you again for the light that you bring to my city."

「再次謝謝你把光帶到我的城市。」

I immediately replied,

我馬上回覆：

"The light was already there within you."

「光早就在你的內心了。」

It's been four years since I've been photographing in Flint,

我在弗林特拍照是四年前的事，

and finally, I've been able to render a poetic justice.

終於，我讓正義得以伸張。

No matter how dark a situation may be,

不論情況有多黑暗，

a camera can extract the light and turn a negative into a positive.

相機能都取得光線， 把底片（負面）變成正面。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）