奧巴馬這場演講正是美國版的“前浪”致辭“后浪”。同樣，此演講在美國社交媒體也正以刷屏級的熱度傳播。
美國前任總統(tǒng)巴拉克·奧巴馬（Barack Obama）參加了傳統(tǒng)黑人大學(xué)（Historically Black Colleges and Universities，簡稱HBCUs，指美國1964年前專為黑人而設(shè)的高等教育機構(gòu)。美國現(xiàn)有105所此類大學(xué)，包括公立及私立、二年制及四年制、醫(yī)學(xué)院及社區(qū)學(xué)院。除6所外全位于美國前蓄奴州，其中不少因競爭、經(jīng)濟(jì)大蕭條或其他經(jīng)濟(jì)問題已于20世紀(jì)關(guān)閉）的虛擬畢業(yè)典禮，并發(fā)表了演講。
套用中國網(wǎng)絡(luò)流行新語，奧巴馬這場演講正是美國版的“前浪”致辭“后浪”。同樣，此演講在美國社交媒體也正以刷屏級的熱度傳播。
#ObamaCommencement2020、#OBAMAGREAT、#ObamaWasBetterAtEverything、#GraduateTogether等相關(guān)標(biāo)簽在推特上都迅速成為熱門話題。
在演講中，奧巴馬表示疫情雖然凸顯了黑人所遭受的不平等，但也是改變現(xiàn)狀的最好時機。面對上層的不負(fù)責(zé)任，未來還是要靠年輕人。在最后，他給了黑人大學(xué)畢業(yè)生三點建議：腳踏實地，團(tuán)結(jié)他人，成為社會的表率。
Hi, everybody. Congratulations to H.B.C.U. (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) class of 2020. Michelle and I are so proud of you.
大家好。祝賀傳統(tǒng)黑人大學(xué)2020屆畢業(yè)生。我和米歇爾真為你們驕傲。
Graduating from college is a big achievement under any circumstances. And so many of you overcame a lot to get here. You navigated challenging classes, and challenges outside the classroom. Many of you had to stretch to afford tuition. And some of you are the first in your families to reach this milestone.
無論如何，從大學(xué)畢業(yè)都是一項巨大的成就。而且你們中有很多人是克服了重重困難才走到今天。你們成功完成了充滿挑戰(zhàn)的課堂學(xué)習(xí)，妥善應(yīng)對了課外挑戰(zhàn)。你們中的許多人不得不自己賺取學(xué)費。還有些人是家族中取得這一重要成就的第一人。
So even if half this semester was spent at Zoom University, you’ve earned this moment. You should be very proud. Everybody who supported you along the way is proud of you — parents, grandparents, professors, mentors, aunties, uncles, brothers, sisters, cousins, second cousins, cousins who you aren’t even sure are cousins. Show them some gratitude today.
因此，即使這個學(xué)期有一半是在網(wǎng)上完成的，你們也成功畢業(yè)了。你們應(yīng)該非常自豪。一路支持你們的每個人都以你們?yōu)闃s——除了父母和祖父母外祖父母，還有教授和導(dǎo)師、姨姑和叔伯、兄弟和姐妹、堂親和表親、遠(yuǎn)房堂親和表親，甚至你們自己都不確定是不是親戚的親戚們。今天對他們都表示感謝吧。
Now look, I know this isn’t the commencement any of you really imagined. Because while our H.B.C.U.s are mostly known for an education rooted in academic rigor, community, higher purpose — they also know how to turn up. Nobody shines quite like a senior on the yard in springtime. Springfest at schools like Howard and Morehouse, that’s the time when you get to strut your stuff a little bit. And I know that in normal times, rivals like Grambling and Southern, Jackson State and Tennessee State, might raise some eyebrows at sharing a graduation ceremony.
我想說，我知道這實在不是你們想象中的畢業(yè)典禮。因為雖然我們傳統(tǒng)黑人大學(xué)主要以學(xué)術(shù)嚴(yán)謹(jǐn)、奉獻(xiàn)社區(qū)、目標(biāo)高遠(yuǎn)的教育理念而聞名，但大家也知道如何讓自己成為耀眼的明星。春日的校園里，沒有人比畢業(yè)班的同學(xué)更閃亮。霍華德和莫爾豪斯等學(xué)校的春季慶典就是讓你們顯露身手的。我知道，正常情況下，像格蘭布林和南方大學(xué)、杰克遜州立大學(xué)和田納西州立大學(xué)這樣的對手，每個的畢業(yè)典禮都會有令人驚喜之處。
But these aren’t normal times. You’re being asked to find your way in a world in the middle of a devastating pandemic and a terrible recession. The timing is not ideal. And let’s be honest — a disease like this just spotlights the underlying inequalities and extra burdens that black communities have historically had to deal with in this country. We see it in the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on our communities, just as we see it when a black man goes for a jog, and some folks feel like they can stop and question and shoot him if he doesn’t submit to their questioning.
但是，目前我們處在非正常情況下。這個世界正處于毀滅性的大流行病和可怕的經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退中，要你們在這樣的世界找到自己的發(fā)展道路，時機很不理想。坦白說，這樣的疾病恰恰凸顯出潛在的不平等和額外的負(fù)擔(dān)——這兩者都是黑人群體在這個國家有史以來不得不應(yīng)對的。我們可以從新冠肺炎對黑人群體的巨大影響中看到這一點，就像一個黑人慢跑時可能發(fā)生的情況：有些人覺得，如果他不乖乖配合他們的問詢，他們就可以攔住他、質(zhì)問他、朝他開槍。
Injustice like this isn’t new. What is new is that so much of your generation has woken up to the fact that the status quo needs fixing; that the old ways of doing things don’t work; and that it doesn’t matter how much money you make if everyone around you is hungry and sick; that our society and democracy only works when we think not just about ourselves, but about each other.
像這樣的不公正早已不是新鮮事。新鮮的是，你們這一代人中的很多人已經(jīng)意識到，現(xiàn)狀需要改變；意識到，舊的做事方式行不通；意識到，如果身邊每個人都饑病交迫，你們賺多少錢都無關(guān)緊要；意識到，只有當(dāng)我們不僅考慮自己還考慮彼此時，我們的社會才會良好運轉(zhuǎn)，民主才會發(fā)揮作用。
More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing. A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge.
最重要的是，這場新冠疫情終于完全扯開了那塊遮著的幕布——幕布扯開前，人們都以為那許多擔(dān)負(fù)重責(zé)的人知道自己在干什么。他們中的很多人甚至都不裝裝樣子，假裝自己在負(fù)責(zé)做著什么。
If the world’s going to get better, it’s going to be up to you. With everything suddenly feeling like it’s up for grabs, this is your time to seize the initiative. Nobody can tell you anymore that you should be waiting your turn. Nobody can tell you anymore “this is how it’s always been done.” More than ever, this is your moment — your generation’s world to shape.
如果世界會變得更好，那將取決于你們。當(dāng)你們突然覺得一切都可以爭取時，你們就該抓住主動權(quán)了。沒有人能再讓你們等著輪到你們的時候。沒人能再讓你們遵從“這是歷來的做法”。比以往任何時候都重要的是，這是你們的時刻——這是你們這一代人要塑造的世界。
In taking on this responsibility, I hope you are bold. I hope you have a vision that isn’t clouded by cynicism or fear. As young African Americans, you’ve been exposed, earlier than some, to the world as it is. But as young H.B.C.U. grads, your education has also shown you the world as it ought to be.
我希望你們勇敢擔(dān)負(fù)起這一責(zé)任。我希望你們的視野不要被犬儒或恐懼所蒙蔽。作為年輕的非裔美國人，你們比一些人更早接觸到了這個現(xiàn)實世界。但是，作為傳統(tǒng)黑人大學(xué)的年輕畢業(yè)生，你們所受的教育也向你們展示了一個理想世界。
Many of you could have attended any school in this country. But you chose an H.B.CU. — specifically because it would help you sow seeds of change. You chose to follow in the fearless footsteps of people who shook the system to its core — civil rights icons like Thurgood Marshall and Dr. King, storytellers like Toni Morrison and Spike Lee. You chose to study medicine at Meharry, and engineering at NC A&T, because you want to lead and serve.
你們中的許多人本可以選擇就讀美國任何一所學(xué)校。但是，你們選擇了一所傳統(tǒng)黑人大學(xué)——就因為它可以幫助你們播下變革的種子。你們選擇了追隨那些撼動整個體制的人的無畏腳步——瑟古德·馬歇爾和金博士那樣的民權(quán)標(biāo)桿，托尼·莫里森和斯派克·李那樣的故事創(chuàng)作者。你們選擇了在梅哈瑞醫(yī)學(xué)院學(xué)醫(yī)，在北卡羅萊納農(nóng)工州立大學(xué)學(xué)工程，因為你們想要領(lǐng)導(dǎo)和服務(wù)。
And I’m here to tell you, you made a great choice. Whether you realize it or not, you’ve got more road maps, more role models, more resources than the civil rights generation did. You’ve got more tools, technology, and talents than my generation did. No generation has been better positioned to be warriors for justice and remake the world.
我在這里告訴你們，你們的選擇非常棒。不管你們是否意識到，與民權(quán)運動那一代相比，你們擁有更多的指導(dǎo)、更多的榜樣和更多的資源。與我們這一代相比，你們擁有更多的工具、技術(shù)和天賦。沒有哪一代人比你們這一代更有能力成為伸張正義、重塑世界的斗士。
Now, I’m not going to tell you what to do with all that power that’s in your hands. Many of you are already using it so well to create change. But let me offer three pieces of advice as you continue on your journey.
現(xiàn)在，我不會告訴你們?nèi)绾问褂檬种械臋?quán)力。你們中的許多人已經(jīng)很好地利用它來做出改變。但是，在你們繼續(xù)旅程之際，我想給你們?nèi)c建議。
First, make sure you ground yourself in actual communities with real people — working whenever you can at the grass-roots level. The fight for equality and justice begins with awareness, empathy, passion, even righteous anger. Don’t just activate yourself online. Change requires strategy, action, organizing, marching, and voting in the real world like never before. No one is better positioned than this class of graduates to take that activism to the next level. And from tackling health disparities to fighting for criminal justice and voting rights, so many of you are already doing this. Keep on going.
第一，只要能在基層工作，就一定要讓自己接觸真正的大眾、融入實實在在的社群。爭取平等和正義的斗爭始于意識、同情、激情，甚至義憤。不要只在網(wǎng)上表現(xiàn)活躍?，F(xiàn)實世界的變革比以往任何時候都需要策略、行動、組織、游行和投票。沒有人比你們這屆畢業(yè)生更有能力將這種行動主義帶到下一個階段。從解決健康差距到爭取刑事正義和投票權(quán)，你們中的許多人已經(jīng)在這樣做。請繼續(xù)。
Second, you can’t do it alone. Meaningful change requires allies in common cause. As African Americans, we are particularly attuned to injustice, inequality, and struggle. But that also should make us more alive to the experiences of others who’ve been left out and discriminated against.
第二，你們不能孤軍奮戰(zhàn)。有意義的變革需要志同道合的盟友。作為非裔美國人，我們特別關(guān)注不公正、不平等和斗爭。但我們也應(yīng)該因此更加關(guān)注那些被忽視和被歧視之人的經(jīng)歷。
So rather than say, “What’s in it for me?” or “What’s in it for my community? And to heck with everyone else,” stand up for and join up with everyone who’s struggling — whether immigrants, refugees, the rural poor, the L.G.B.T. community, low-income workers of every background, women who so often are subject to their own discrimination and burdens and not getting equal pay for equal work; look out for folks whether they are white or black or Asian or Latino or Native American. As Fannie Lou Hamer once said, “nobody’s free until everybody’s free.”
所以，不要說“這對我有什么好處？”或“這對我們黑人有什么好處？讓其他人見鬼去吧。”這樣的話，而要站出來支持每一個正在艱苦奮斗的人，跟他們站在一起——無論他們是移民、難民、鄉(xiāng)村窮人、L.G.B.T.人群，還是各種背景的低收入工人和婦女，他們常常由于自身遭受的歧視和背負(fù)的種種包袱而無法得到同工同酬的待遇；無論他們是白人、黑人、亞裔、拉丁裔還是原住民，都要為他們著想。正如范妮·盧·哈默曾經(jīng)說過的：“沒有人是真正自由的，除非所有人都獲得了自由。”
And on the big unfinished goals in this country, like economic and environmental justice and health care for everybody, broad majorities agree on the ends. That’s why folks with power will keep trying to divide you over the means. That’s how nothing changes. You get a system that looks out for the rich and powerful and nobody else. So expand your moral imaginations, build bridges, and grow your allies in the process of bringing about a better world.
美國還有未完成的宏偉目標(biāo)，比如經(jīng)濟(jì)和環(huán)境正義，比如全民醫(yī)保，在這些目標(biāo)上，大多數(shù)人達(dá)成了一致。這就是為什么那些有權(quán)有勢之人會不斷用手段分化你們。這就是一切都沒有改變的原因所在。你會看到一個除了權(quán)貴不關(guān)心其他任何人的體制。所以，在讓世界變得更加美好的過程中，你們要擴(kuò)展道德想象，建立溝通橋梁，發(fā)展自己的盟友。
And finally, as H.B.C.U. graduates, you have to remember that you are inheritors of one of America’s proudest traditions. Which means you’re all role models now — whether you like it or not. Your participation in this democracy, your courage to stand up for what’s right, your willingness to forge coalitions — these actions will speak volumes. And if you are inactive, that will also speak volumes. Not just to the young folks coming up behind you — but to your parents, your peers, and the rest of the country. They need to see your leadership — you’re the folks we’ve been waiting for to come along.
最后，作為傳統(tǒng)黑人大學(xué)的畢業(yè)生，你們一定要記住，你們是美國最值得驕傲的一項傳統(tǒng)的繼承者。這意味著，不管你們是否樂意，你們?nèi)缃穸际前駱?。你們對這個國家民主政治的參與，你們?yōu)檎x挺身而出的勇氣，你們結(jié)成聯(lián)盟的意愿——這些都將意義重大。而如果你們表現(xiàn)消極，那同樣意義重大——不僅僅對你們身后的年輕人，還有你們的父母、同齡人和其他所有美國人。他們需要看到你們的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力——你們是我們一直以來都在等待的人。
That’s the power you hold. The power to shine brightly for justice, and for equality, and for joy. You’ve earned your degree. And it’s up to you to use it. So many of us believe in you. I’m so proud of you. And as you set out to change the world, we’ll be the wind at your back.
這就是你們所擁有的力量。為正義、為平等、為快樂而閃耀的力量。你們已經(jīng)獲得了學(xué)位，現(xiàn)在就看你們?nèi)绾卫昧?。我們很多人都對你們充滿信心。我真為你們驕傲！當(dāng)你們踏上改變世界的征程，我們將是你們身后那股助力的風(fēng)，祝愿你們一路順風(fēng)。
Congratulations Class of 2020, and God bless all of you.
恭喜2020屆的同學(xué)們，上帝保佑所有人。
