Michael Rain: What it's like to be the child of immigrants | TED

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: 致柔 鄭

I remember one morning when I was in the third grade,

我記得當我三年級的時候，有一天早上，

my mom sent me to school with a Ghanaian staple dish called "fufu."

我媽媽讓我帶著一種迦納的 主食叫做「富富」去上學。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Fufu is this white ball of starch made of cassava,

富富是一種白色澱粉球， 由樹薯粉做成，

and it's served with light soup, which is a dark orange color,

通常會搭配輕淡的湯， 這種湯是暗橘色的，

and contains chicken and/or beef.

內有雞肉和／或牛肉。

It's a savory, flavorful dish

它是種美味可口的菜餚，

that my mom thought would keep me warm on a cold day.

那天很寒冷，我媽媽認為 富富能讓我保持溫暖。

When I got to lunch and I opened my thermos,

要吃午餐時，我打開了保溫盒，

releasing these new smells into the air,

釋放出了一種新的氣味到空氣中，

my friends did not react favorably.

我朋友們的反應並不很友善。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

"What's that?" one of them asked.

其中一個人問：「那是什麼？」

"It's fufu," I responded.

我回答：「那是富富。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

"Ew, that smells funny. What's a fufu?" they asked.

他們問：「噁，它聞起來 好怪。富富是什麼？」

Their reaction made me lose my appetite.

他們的反應讓我也失去了胃口。

I begged my mother to never send me to school with fufu again.

我求我媽媽再也不要 讓我帶富富去上學。

I asked her to make me sandwiches or chicken noodle soup

我請她為我做三明治或雞肉湯麵，

or any of the other foods that my friends were eating.

或我的朋友會吃的任何其他食物。

And this is one of the first times

這是我最早開始注意到

I began to notice the distinction between what was unique to my family

我家跟別人家有顯著的不同，

and what was common for everyone else,

甚麼對別人來說才是「正常的」，

what was Ghanaian and what was African

也開始會注意什麼是迦納的， 什麼是非洲的，

and what was American.

什麼是美國的。

I'm a first-generation American.

我是第一代美國人。

Both of my parents are immigrants.

我的父母都是移民。

In fact, my father, Gabriel, came to the US almost 50 years ago.

事實上，我爸爸，加百列， 在近五十年前來到美國。

He arrived in New York

他抵達紐約，

from a city called Kumasi in a northern region of Ghana,

來自西非迦納北部的一個城市，

in West Africa.

叫庫馬西。

He came for school, earning his bachelor's degree in accounting

他來讀書，取得會計學士學位，

and eventually became an accountant.

最終成為會計師。

My mother, Georgina, joined him years later.

我媽媽，喬吉娜， 幾年後也加入他的行列。

She had a love of fashion

她熱愛時尚，

and worked in a sewing factory in lower Manhattan,

在曼哈頓下城的一間縫製工廠，

until she saved up enough to open her own women's clothing store.

直到她存夠了錢， 開了她自己的女性服飾店。

I consider myself an American

我把我自己視為是美國人，

and an African

以及非洲人，

and a Ghanaian.

以及迦納人。

And there's millions of people around the world

全世界有數百萬人

who are juggling these different classifications.

都屬於這些不同的分類。

They might be Jamaican-Canadians or Korean-Americans or Nigerian-Brits.

可能有牙買加裔加拿大人、韓裔 美國人，或奈及利亞裔英國人。

But what makes our stories and experiences different

但我們的故事和經驗 之所以和別人不同，

is that we were born and raised in a country different than our parents,

是因為我們和我們的父母 是在不同的國家出生和長大的，

and this can cause us to be misunderstood

當別人用比較偏頗的眼光在看

when being viewed through a narrow lens.

這個狀況時，可能會產生誤解。

I grew up in New York, which is home to the largest number of immigrants

我在紐約長大，這是美國最多移民

anywhere in the United States.

居住的地方。

And you would think growing up in a place like New York,

你們可能會認為， 在像紐約這樣的地方長大，

it would be easy for a first-generation person to find their place.

對於第一代美國人來說， 可以很容易找到自己的定位。

But all throughout my childhood,

但在我的整個童年，

there were these moments that formed my understanding

有許多時刻，漸漸讓我了解到

of the different worlds I belonged to.

我屬於不同的世界。

When I was in the fifth grade, a student asked me

當我五年級時，有一個學生問我，

if my family was refugees.

我的家人是不是難民。

I didn't know what that word meant.

我不知道「難民」是什麼意思。

He explained to me that his parents told him

他向我解釋，他的父母告訴他，

that refugees are people from Africa who come to the US

難民就是為了脫離 死亡、飢餓，以及疾病，

to escape death, starvation and disease.

而從非洲逃到美國來的人。

So I asked my parents, and they laughed a bit,

所以，我去問我父母， 他們笑了一下，

not because it was funny but because it was a generalization.

不是因為這件事好笑， 而是因為這就是種一般化。

And they assured me that they had enough to eat in Ghana

他們向我保證，他們 在迦納時食物很充足，

and came to the US willingly.

且是出於自願來美國的。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

These questions became more complex as I got older.

隨著我長大， 這些問題變得更複雜。

Junior high school was the first time

國中是我第一次

I went to school with a large number of black American students,

到一所有大量黑人學生的學校，

and many of them couldn't understand why I sounded differently than they did

許多黑人學生不了解為什麼 我聽起來和他們不一樣，

or why my parents seemed different than theirs.

或是為什麼我的父母 和他們的父母似乎不同。

"Are you even black?" a student asked.

一個學生問： 「你真的是黑人嗎？」

I mean, I thought I was black.

我以為我是黑人。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I thought my skin complexion settled that.

我以為我的皮膚顏色 就能澄清這一點。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I asked my father about it, and he shared his own confusion

我拿這件事去問我爸爸， 他分享他的困惑經驗，

over the significance of that when he first came to the US.

他說初到美國時 也對這意義感到困惑。

He explained to me that, when he was in Ghana, everyone was black,

他向我解釋，當他在迦納時， 人人都是黑人，

so he never thought about it.

所以他從來不會想這件事。

But in the US, it's a thing.

但到美國，就有差了。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But he would say, "But you're African.

但他會說：「但是你是非洲人。

Remember that."

記住這點。」

And he would emphasize this,

他會強調這點，

even though many Africans in the continent would only consider me to be

即使在非洲大陸上的 許多人只會把我視為

just an American.

一個美國人。

These misconceptions and complex cultural issues

這些錯誤觀念以及複雜的文化議題

are not just the inquiries of children.

並不只是孩子的好奇詢問。

Adults don't know who immigrants are.

成人不知道移民是什麼人。

If we look at current trends,

如果我們看看目前的趨勢，

if I asked you: What's the fastest-growing

如果我問你們：美國成長

immigrant demographic in the United States,

最快速的移民是哪一種？

who would you think it was?

你們認為呢？

Nine out of 10 people tell me it's Latinos,

十個人當中有九個人 會說是拉丁裔，

but it's actually African immigrants.

但其實是非裔移民。

How about in academics?

那麼學歷呢？

What's the most educated immigrant demographic?

教育程度最高的移民是哪一種？

A lot of people presume it to be Asians, but it's actually African immigrants.

許多人會假設是亞裔， 但其實是非裔移民。

Even in matters of policy,

甚至在政策方面，

did you know that three out of the eight countries

你們是否知道，

有所謂「旅行禁令」的國家中，

in the so-called "travel ban"

八個有三個是非洲國家？

are African countries?

A lot of people assume those targeted Muslims only live in the Middle East,

許多人假設旅行禁令只是 針對住在中東的穆斯林，

but a lot of those banned people are Africans.

但許多被禁的人都是非洲人。

So on these issues of education and policy and religion,

所以，在這些教育、政策， 以及宗教的議題方面，

a lot of things we presume about immigrants are incorrect.

我們有許多關於移民的假設不正確。

Even if we look at something like workplace diversity and inclusion,

即使我們看看像是工作場所 多樣性和包容這類事情，

if I asked you what gender-ethnicity combination

如果我問你們，哪種 「性別—人種」的組合

is least likely to be promoted to senior managerial positions,

最不可能被提拔升職到 資深經理職位，

who would you think it was?

你們覺得是哪一樣呢？

The answer is not Africans this time.

這次答案並不是非洲人。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And it's not black women or men,

不是黑人女性或男性，

and it's not Latin women or men.

不是拉丁裔女性或男性。

It's Asian women who are least likely to be promoted.

是亞洲女性最不可能升職。

Capturing these stories and issues is part of my work

捕捉這些故事和議題， 是我工作的一部分，

as a digital storyteller

我是個數位小說作家，

that uses tech to make it easier for people to find these stories.

我用科技讓大家 更容易找到這些故事。

This year, I launched an online gallery of portraits and firsthand accounts

今年，我推出了一個線上畫廊， 裡面有畫像以及第一手資料，

for a project called Enodi.

這個專案計畫叫做「Enodi」。

The goal of Enodi is to highlight first-generation immigrants just like me

Enodi 的目標是要強調出 像我一樣的第一代移民，

who carry this kinship for the countries we grew up in,

我們這類移民和我們 長大的國家以及原生國家

for the countries of origin

都有著親密的關係存在，

and for this concept called "blackness."

我們也帶著這個所謂「黑」的概念。

I created this space to be a cyberhome for many of us who are misunderstood

我創造的這個空間是個網路之家， 提供給許多像我們這種

in our different home countries.

在不同祖國中被誤解的人。

There are millions of Enodis

有數百萬的 Enodi 人

who use hyphens to connect their countries of origin

用連字號把他們的原生國家

with their various homes in the US

和他們在美國、加拿大、英國，

or Canada or Britain or Germany.

或德國的各種家園連結起來。

In fact, many people you might know are Enodi.

事實上，許多你認識的人 都是 Enodi 人。

Actors Issa Rae and Idris Elba are Enodi.

演員易沙瑞和伊卓瑞斯艾巴 都是 Enodi 人。

Colin Powell,

科林鮑爾（前美國國務卿和上將）、

former Attorney General Eric Holder,

前任司法部部長埃里克霍爾德、

former President of the United States, Barack Obama,

前美國總統歐巴馬

are all the children of African or Caribbean immigrants.

都是非洲的孩子或是加勒比移民。

But how much do you know about us?

但你們對我們的了解有多少？

This complicated navigation

這種複雜的系統指引

is not just the experience of first-generation folks.

不僅僅是第一代族群的經驗。

We're so intertwined

我們和北美及歐洲人的

in the lives and culture of people in North America and Europe,

生活與文化密切交織，

that you might be surprised how critical we are

我們對於你們的歷史 與未來的關鍵程度

to your histories and future.

會讓你大吃一驚。

So, engage us in conversation;

所以，讓我們參與對談；

discover who immigrants actually are,

去發掘移民到底是什麼樣的人，

and see us apart from characterizations

不要用特性描述、受限的媒體敘述，

or limited media narratives

或甚至我們的外表，

or even who we might appear to be.

來判斷我們是怎樣的人。

We're walking melting pots of culture,

我們是活生生的文化融爐，

and if something in that pot smells new or different to you --

如果融爐中有什麼讓你覺得 很新穎或很不同——

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

don't turn up your nose.

別瞧不起。

Ask us to share.

而要請我們分享。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）