Am I not human? A call for criminal justice reform | Marlon Peterson

譯者: Szu-Wen Kung 審譯者: Yanyan Hong

She wrote:

她寫道：

"When I become famous, I will tell everyone

「當我成名後，我將四處宣傳，

that I know a hero named Marlon Peterson."

我認識一位名叫 馬龍·彼得森的英雄。」

Heroes rarely look like me.

我一點也不像英雄，

In fact,

事實上，

I'm what garbage looks like.

我比較像垃圾。

No, not the most appealing way to open a talk

這種說法不適合演講開場，

or start a conversation,

或是用來開啟對話。

and perhaps you have some questions going through your head about that.

你們腦海中可能也想說，

Why would this man say such a thing about himself?

這個人為何會這樣描述自己？

What does he mean?

他到底想說甚麼？

How can someone view him as a hero when he sees himself as garbage?

一個被視為英雄的人物， 為何自稱垃圾？

I believe we learn more from questions than we do from answers.

我相信從問題學到的東西， 比從答案來得多，

Because when we're questioning something,

因為當我們提出質疑時，

we're invested in taking in some sort of new information,

我們會成長，吸收更多新資訊，

or grappling with some sort of ignorance that makes us feel uncomfortable.

或者跟讓我們難受的無知奮戰，

And that's why I'm here:

這也是我站在這裡的原因，

to push us to question,

鼓勵大家提出疑慮，

even when it makes us uncomfortable.

就算因此感到不愉快。

My parents are from Trinidad and Tobago,

我的雙親來自千里達共和國，

the southernmost island in the Caribbean.

一個位於加勒比海最南端的島國，

Trinidad is also home to the only acoustic instrument

千里達也是鋼鼓的發源地，

invented in the 20th century:

鋼鼓是唯一

the steel pan.

發明於 20 世紀的樂器。

Deriving from the African drums

發源自非洲鼓，

and evolving from the genius of one of the ghettos in Trinidad,

住在千里達拉芬蒂市的貧窮居民，

a city called Laventille,

將它改良，

and the disregard of the American military ...

加上美國軍隊的輕忽──

Well, I should tell you,

這樣說吧，

America, during WWII, had military bases set up in Trinidad,

美國於二戰期間在千里達駐兵，

and when the war ended,

戰爭結束後，

they left the island littered with empty oil drums --

空燃料油桶被隨意棄置島上，

their trash.

也就是美軍的垃圾。

So people from Laventille repurposed the old drums left behind

拉芬蒂市的居民把舊油桶重新再造，

into the full chromatic scale:

變成具有完整半音音階的

the steel pan.

鋼鼓，

Playing music now from Beethoven to Bob Marley to 50 Cent,

從貝多芬、雷鬼音樂 演奏到饒舌歌曲，

those people literally made music out of garbage.

當地居民基本上用垃圾玩出音樂。

Twelve days before my 20th birthday,

在我 20 歲生日的 12 天前，

I was arrested for my role in a violent robbery attempt

我因為涉嫌暴力搶劫，

in lower Manhattan.

在下曼哈頓區遭到逮捕。

While people were sitting in a coffee shop,

當時人們坐在咖啡店內，

four people were shot.

有四個人中槍，

Two were killed.

其中兩個死亡。

Five of us were arrested.

我和同夥共五人被捕，

We were all the products of Trinidad and Tobago.

我們正是千里達共和國的產物，

We were the "bad immigrants,"

人們口中的不良移民，

or the "anchor babies" that Trump and millions of Americans easily malign.

或是讓川普和上百萬美國人 任意中傷的「錨嬰。」

I was discarded, like waste material --

我就像廢物般被丟棄，

and justifiably so to many.

對很多人而言，聽起來很合理，

之後我坐了 10 年 2 個月 又 7 天的牢。

I eventually served 10 years, two months and seven days of a prison sentence.

I was sentenced to a decade of punishment in a correctional institution.

我被判入監接受 10 年的牢獄懲罰，

I was sentenced to irrelevance --

我也因此被判定為無足輕重的廢物，

the opposite of humanity.

沒有生為人的價值。

Interestingly,

有趣的是，

it was during those years in prison that a series of letters redeemed me,

在獄中的這幾年裡， 不斷收到的信件救贖了我，

helped me move beyond the darkness and the guilt

幫助我從黑暗中與罪惡感裡走出來，

associated with the worst moment of my young life.

擺脫我年少無知時， 如影隨形的暗黑面。

It gave me a sense that I was useful.

這些信件， 讓我覺得自己並非一無是處。

She was 13 years old.

有個 13 歲的小女孩來信，

She had wrote that she saw me as a hero.

她信裡提到，她視我為英雄。

I remember reading that,

我還記得閱讀這封信，

and I remember crying when I read those words.

看到那句話時，我潸然淚下。

She was one of over 50 students

她是通信師友計畫期間的 50 多名學生之一，

and 150 letters that I wrote during a mentoring correspondence program

在那期間我書寫了 150 封信，

that I co-designed with a friend

是我和朋友共同發起的計畫，

who was a teacher at a middle school in Brooklyn,

這位朋友是布魯克林區的中學老師，

my hometown.

我的故鄉。

We called it the Young Scholars Program.

我們稱此計畫為「年輕學者計畫。」

Every time those young people shared their stories with me,

每當這群年輕朋友分享他們的故事，

their struggles,

分享他們的掙扎，

every time they drew a picture of their favorite cartoon character

每當他們畫上最愛的卡通人物，

and sent it to me,

然後寄來給我，

every time they said they depended on my letters or my words of advice,

每當他們說，我信中的 隻字片語令人獲益良多，

it boosted my sense of worthiness.

這都大大提升我存在的價值感。

It gave me a sense of what I could contribute to this planet.

他們讓我覺得， 我對這個地球還有貢獻，

It transformed my life.

也因此改變我的人生，

Because of those letters and what they shared with me,

因為他們的信件與分享，

their stories of teen life,

他們的青春故事，

they gave me the permission,

這群年輕人給我認同，

they gave me the courage to admit to myself

也給了我勇氣自我坦承，

that there were reasons -- not excuses --

一切事出有因，這不是藉口。

but that there were reasons for that fateful day in October of 1999;

1999 年 10 月 那天會出事，是有因可循，

that the trauma associated with living in a community

一個擁有集體創傷的社區，

where guns are easier to get than sneakers;

在社區裡，槍枝的取得 比球鞋來得容易，

that the trauma associated with being raped at gunpoint at the age of 14;

14 歲在槍口脅持下 遭到性侵的創傷，

that those are reasons for me

這些原因讓我覺得，

why making that decision,

當時會做出那樣的決定，

that fatal decision,

做出致命的決定，

was not an unlikely proposition.

並不是沒有可能的。

Because those letters mattered so much to me,

因為那些信對我意義重大。

because writing and receiving

因為寫信、收信，

and having that communication with those folks

因為與那群年輕人溝通，

so hugely impacted my life,

對我的人生影響深遠，

I decided to share the opportunity with some friends of mine

我決定將機會分享給我的朋友，

who were also inside with me.

我總是惦記著他們，

My friends Bill and Cory and Arocks,

我的朋友比爾、柯瑞和阿羅克斯，

all in prison for violent crimes also,

也因暴力犯罪入獄，

shared their words of wisdom with the young people as well,

他們曾透過書信， 與年輕朋友分享他們的智慧，

and received the sense of relevancy in return.

也從回信裡，重拾自我價值感，

We are now published writers and youth program innovators

我們現在是作家、 青少年計畫創始人，

and trauma experts

創傷諮商專家，

and gun violence prevention advocates,

槍枝暴力防治宣導人，

and TED talkers and --

也是 TED 的講者。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

and good daddies.

也是好爸爸。

That's what I call a positive return of investment.

我們就是正向投資報酬的最佳範例。

Above all else,

更重要的是，

what building that program taught me was that when we sow,

我從創建這些計畫中學到， 當我們播種時，

when we invest in the humanity of people no matter where they're at,

當我們不分良莠、 用心灌溉培育人性的價值，

we can reap amazing rewards.

就會滿載而歸。

In this latest era of criminal justice reform,

處在犯罪司法改革的新年代，

I often question and wonder why --

我常想說為什麼，

why is it that so many believe

為什麼這麼多人相信，

that only those who have been convicted of nonviolent drug offenses

只有那些被定罪於非暴力販毒者，

merit empathy and recognized humanity?

才有資格受到同情、不被放棄？

Criminal justice reform is human justice.

犯罪司法改革就是人性正義，

Am I not human?

難道我不是人嗎？

When we invest in resources that amplify the relevancy of people

當我們在社區注入資源， 以彰顯人相依相存的價值，

in communities like Laventille

像是拉芬蒂市，

or parts of Brooklyn or a ghetto near you,

或是布魯克林某些區域， 或你家附近的貧民區，

we can literally create the communities that we want.

我們基本上能創造願景中的社區，

We can do better.

我們可以做得更好。

We can do better than investing solely in law enforcement as a resource,

我們能做的， 不單只是提升法律執行力，

because they don't give us a sense of relevancy

因為這方式， 無法凸顯人性相互扶持的價值，

that is at the core of why so many of us do so many harmful things

這也是造成這麼多人為了追求認同，

in the pursuit of mattering.

而犯罪的主要原因，

See, gun violence is just a visible display of a lot of underlying traumas.

槍枝暴力，不過就是 許多潛藏創傷的明顯表徵，

When we invest in the redemptive value of relevancy,

當我們著眼人性 互相依存的救贖價值，

we can render a return of both personal responsibility and healing.

就能相對獲得 責任感與療癒的回報。

That's the people work I care about,

我在乎的是人，

because people work.

只有這樣才會起效果，

Family, I'm asking you to do the hard work,

請各位也一起參與， 這項困難的任務，

the difficult work,

這並不簡單，

the churning work of bestowing undeserved kindness

需耗費心神，把大家 原本吝於付出的關愛，

upon those who we can relegate as garbage,

給予被我們歸類為垃圾的邊緣人，

who we can disregard and discard easily.

那群被我們輕易忽視和放棄的人們。

I'm asking myself.

我問我自己，

Over the past two months,

在過去兩個月，

I've lost two friends to gun violence,

我兩個朋友喪命於槍枝犯罪，

both innocent bystanders.

他們都只是無辜的過路人，

One was caught in a drive-by while walking home.

一個在回家的路上， 被路過的車開槍擊中，

The other was sitting in a café while eating breakfast,

另一個則是坐在咖啡店內享用早餐，

while on vacation in Miami.

他當時正在邁阿密度假。

I'm asking myself to see the redemptive value of relevancy

我要求自己在 謀殺我朋友的人們身上，

in the people that murdered them,

看到人相依相存的救贖價值。

because of the hard work of seeing the value in me.

因為大家曾費勁在我身上看到過，

I'm pushing us to challenge our own capacity

我呼籲大家挑戰自己的極限，

to fully experience our humanity,

來完全體驗人性，

by understanding the full biography

透過理解他們完整的人生故事，

of people who we can easily choose not to see,

那些被我們不願重視人們的故事。

because heroes are waiting to be recognized,

因為英雄等待著伯樂的出現，

and music is waiting to be made.

而音樂等待被創作問世。

Thank you.

謝謝各位。

(Applause)

（掌聲）