like any typical 16-year-old,

在我來到美國四年後，

I went to get my driver's permit.

我就和其他 16 歲小孩沒差，

After I showed the clerk my immigration papers, my green card,

去考學習駕照。

she told me it was fake.

我給那個櫃台人員 移民證件和綠卡之後，

"Don't come back here again," she said.

她跟我講這些證件都是假的。

That's how I found out I was in America illegally.

她接著跟我講： 「別再出現在我的櫃台前面。」

And I'm still here illegally.

這下我發現自己是一個 非法滯留在美國的人。

I'm a journalist and filmmaker.

現在呢，我還是非法留在這裡。

I live in stories.

我是一個新聞記者，也是個製片人。

And what I've learned

我相信人們有自己的過往。

that what most people don't understand about immigration

至今我發現

is what they don't understand about themselves:

許多人不理解「移民」的意義，

their families' old migration stories and the processes they had to go through

也導致他們不了解自己：

before green cards and walls even existed,

不了解自己家族移民的歷程，

or what shaped their understanding of citizenship itself.

家裡拿到綠卡前的歷程 以及面對族群之間的隔閡。

I was born in the Philippines.

或者說這些人如何理解 「公民身份」這個詞。

When I was 12, my mother sent me to live with her parents,

我在菲律賓出生。

my grandparents,

我十二歲的時候， 我媽媽送我來和她爸媽住，

or, as we say in Tagalog, lolo and lola.

也就是我外公外婆，

Lolo's name was Teofilo.

或者按照他加祿語的說法 就是 lolo 和 lola。

When he legally emigrated to America and became a naturalized citizen,

我外公叫 Teofilo（特奧菲洛）。

he changed his name from Teofilo to Ted,

當他合法移民來美國， 並且成為美國公民時，

after Ted Danson from the TV show "Cheers."

他就把名字從 Teofilo 改成 Ted ，

Can't get any more American than that.

Ted 這個名字是他從 「Cheers」電視劇主角

Lolo's favorite song was Frank Sinatra's "My Way,"

Ted Danson 那裡搬來的。

and when it came to figuring out how to get his only grandson, me,

這個名字夠美式了。

to America,

我祖父最喜歡的歌是 法蘭克·辛納屈唱的〈我的方式〉。

he decided to do it his way.

當他想到如何把他唯一的孫子， 也就是我，帶到美國來，

According to Lolo, there was no easy and simple way to get me here,

他便打算用自己的方式這麼做。

so Lolo saved up 4,500 dollars --

根據外公所說，沒有什麼 簡單的辦法把我帶到這裡，

that's a lot of money for a security guard

所以外公存了 4,500 美元，

who made no more than eight dollars an hour --

用來買一張假的綠卡， 讓一位走私者把我帶到美國，

to pay for the fake green card

這對一位時薪不超過 8 美元的 警衛來講是一大筆錢。

and for a smuggler to bring me to the US.

這就是我來美國的經過。

So that's how I got here.

我數不清多少次有人對我說

I can't tell you how many times people tell me that their ancestors

他們的祖先用 「正確的方式」到達美國，

came to America "the right way,"

但我也總提醒他們，

to which I remind them,

美國對「正確的方式」的定義

America's definition of "the right way"

自從第一艘移民船 抵達美國後就一直在改變。

has been changing ever since the first ship of settlers dropped anchor.

我們知道美國不僅是一塊土地，

America as we know it is more than a piece of land,

特別是因為這塊組成 美利堅合眾國的土地

particularly because the land that now makes up the United States of America

曾經屬於其他國家的其他人。

used to belong to other people in other countries.

我們知道美國也不僅是移民者的國度。

America as we know it is also more than a nation of immigrants.

有兩類美國人並非移民者：

There are two groups of Americans who are not immigrants:

美洲原住民，也就是 本來在這塊土地上居住

Native Americans, who were indigenous to this land

並在種族大屠殺中被殺的人。

and who were killed in acts of genocide;

還有非裔美國人，

and African Americans, who were kidnapped, shipped and enslaved

也就是那些被綁架、運送、奴役 來建造這個國家的這群人。

to build this country.

美國最重要的想法，

America is, above all, an idea,

也就是：就算它未實現且不完美，

however unrealized and imperfect,

這個想法之所以存在是因為 第一批定居者自由地來到這裡，

one that only exists because the first settlers came here freely

無需擔憂是否擁有公民身份問題。

without worry of citizenship.

所以，你來自哪裡？

So, where did you come from?

你怎麼到這裡的？

How did you get here?

誰付錢讓你來這兒的？

Who paid?

在美國各地，各種各樣的觀眾面前

All across America, in front of diverse audiences --

——保守派和進步派、 高中生和老年人——

conservatives and progressives,

我問過他們那些問題。

high school students and senior citizens --

作為一個有色人種， 我總是被問到我來自哪裡，

I've asked those questions.

但他們都是問： 「你原本是從哪裡來？」

As a person of color, I always get asked where I'm from,

所以我也問白人 他們原本是從哪裡來的。

as in, "Where are you from from?"

我問喬治亞大學的一名學生

So I've asked white people where they're from from, too.

他來自哪裡之後，

After asking a student at the University of Georgia

他說：「我是美國人。」

where he was from,

我說：「我知道，但是你來自哪裡？」

he said, "I'm American."

他回答：「我是白人。」

"I know," I said, "but where are you from?"

我說：「但是白人不是一個國家。」

"I'm white," he replied.

「你的祖先來自哪裡？」

"But white is not a country," I said.

他聳了聳肩，

"Where are your ancestors from?"

我說：

When he replied with a shrug,

「那麼，你以前從哪裡來的？

I said,

「你怎麼來的？誰付錢讓你來的？」

"Well, where did you come from?

他無法回答。

How did you get here? Who paid?"

我認為大家在認真談論美國時，

He couldn't answer.

無法避開那三個核心問題。

I don't think you can talk about America as America

移民是美國的生命線，

without answering those three core questions.

幾個世紀以來， 這個國家一直在壯大，

Immigration is America's lifeline,

從最初 13 個殖民地的 移民和革命者

how this country has replenished itself for centuries,

到數百萬主要來自歐洲的移民者，

from the settlers and the revolutionaries who populated the original 13 colonies

持續殖民這片土地。

to the millions of immigrants, predominantly from Europe,

儘管美國原住民已經在這裡，

who relentlessly colonized this land.

並有自己的部落身份 和公民身份的概念，

Even though Native Americans were already here

但直到 1924 年「印地安人公民法案」 他們才被認為是美國公民。

and had their own tribal identities and ideas about citizenship,

美國黑人為之奮鬥、具有里程碑 意義的 1964 年「民權法案」

they were not considered US citizens until the 1924 Indian Citizenship Act.

激發了 1965 年 「移民和國籍法」的誕生。

The landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act that Black Americans fought for

該法案結束了美國長達 40 年

inspired the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act,

以種族排斥為基礎的制度。

which ended America's race-based exclusionary system

這些例子舉不完。

that had lasted for 40 years.

但我的觀點，更重要的觀點是：

I could go on and on here,

我們之中的任何人，

but my point, my larger point, is this:

不管是過去還是現在的移民

How much do any of us,

對美國歷史的這些關鍵部分了解多少？

whether immigrants of the past or the present,

美國公民公民測驗試題中 有多少這段歷史相關的試題？

know of these crucial parts of American history?

你看過嗎？

How much of this history makes up the actual US citizenship test?

這基本上是一個口試，

Have you ever seen it?

政府官員會從 100 個問題中 最多選擇 10 個來提問。

It's a mostly oral test,

要通過考試，申請者必須 至少要答對 6 題。

and government officers ask applicants up to 10 of the 100 questions.

最近我看了試卷，

To pass, applicants must get at least six answers right.

我對所提的問題感到驚訝，

I looked at the test recently,

也被這些明顯有遺漏的 正確答案所震驚。

and I was aghast at the questions posed

有一個關於自由女神像 和它的地理位置的問題。

and what constitutes acceptable answers to the glaring omissions.

沒有問題是關於埃利斯島， （註：曾為移民管理局的所在地）

There's a question about the Statue of Liberty and where it is.

或關於美國作為一個移民國家

There's no question about Ellis Island,

以及通過的無數反移民法律。

about the United States as an immigrant nation

沒有關於美國原住民歷史的問題。

and the countless anti-immigrant laws that were passed.

有一個問題是關於 馬丁·路德·金恩做了什麼，

There's nothing about Native American history.

但在很大程度上， 關於非裔美國人的背景問題

There's a question about what Martin Luther King, Jr. did,

是不充分且不負責任的。

but largely, there's inadequate and irresponsible contexts

舉個例子。

about African Americans.

美國歷史部分的第 74 題，

Here's an example.

要求申請者「說出一個 導致美國內戰的問題。」

Question number 74 under the American history section

有三個可接受的答案：

asks applicants to "name one problem that led to the Civil War."

奴隸制，

There are three acceptable answers:

國家的權利，

slavery,

經濟原因。

states' rights,

我外公外婆知道這個問題要問什麼嗎？

economic reasons.

如果他們知道，

Did my Lola and Lolo get that question?

他們了解這背後的歷史嗎？

If they did get the question,

那我的叔叔、阿姨、堂兄弟姊妹

do they even understand the history behind it?

以及其他數百萬 不得不參加這項考試

How about my uncles and aunties and cousins

才能成為美國人的移民呢？

and millions of other immigrants who had to take that test

在我們來到美國之前， 移民們對美國了解多少？

to become Americans?

我們要申請的公民身份 真正的含意是什麼？

What do immigrants know about America before we get here?

這和我們想要的 公民身份是一樣的嗎?

What kind of citizenship are we applying for?

想想看——這個我想了很多——

And is that the same kind of citizenship we actually want to be a part of?

有尊嚴的公民是什麼樣子？

Come to think of it -- I've been thinking a lot about this --

我該如何要求這樣的公民身份呢？

what does dignified citizenship look like?

我 26 年前剛來到這裡，

How can I ask for it when I just arrived here 26 years ago,

但黑人和原住民

when Black and Native people

早在美國住了數百年

who have been here in America for hundreds of years

卻仍在等待有尊嚴的公民身份。

are still waiting for theirs?

我最喜歡的作家之一是托妮·莫里森。

One of my favorite writers is Toni Morrison.

1996 年，也就是我發現自己 非法入境的前一年，

In 1996, a year before I found out I was in the country illegally,

八年級時，我們要讀《最藍的眼睛》 (The Bluest Eye)

my eighth-grade class was assigned to read "The Bluest Eye,"

那是莫里森的第一本書。

Morrison's first book.

突然間，這本書挑戰我 去問一些棘手的問題。

Instantly, the book challenged me to ask hard questions.

為什麼皮科拉·布里德洛瓦

Why does Pecola Breedlove,

這個書中的年輕黑人女孩，

this young Black girl at the center of the book,

為什麼她想要藍色的眼睛？

why did she want blue eyes?

誰讓她想要這個？

Who told her to want it?

為什麼她相信他們？

Why did she believe them?

莫里森說，她寫這本書是為了說明

Morrison said she wrote the book to illustrate what happens

當一個人屈服於她所說的 「主軸敘事」時會發生什麼。

when a person surrenders to what she called "the master narrative."

莫里森說：「定義屬於定義者， 而不是被定義者。」

"Definitions," Morrison said, "belong to the definers, not the defined."

當我意識到我在這裡是非法的，

Once I realized that I was here illegally,

我說服自己，如果我從出生 或法律上都不是合法公民，

I convinced myself that if I was not a legal citizen by birth or by law,

另一種公民身份是可能的。

another kind of citizenship was possible.

以參與行動來定義公民身份：

Citizenship as participation:

我有參與。

I engage.

我和各種美國人打交道，甚至包括 那些不希望我在這裡的美國人。

I engage with all kinds of Americans, even Americans who don't want me here.

以貢獻來定義公民身份：

Citizenship as contribution:

我盡我所能回饋社會。

I give back to my community in whatever ways I can.

我作為一位無合法身份的企業家， 是的，有這樣一件事 ：

As an undocumented entrepreneur -- and yes, there is such a thing --

我已經僱用了許多美國公民。

I've employed many US citizens.

以教育來定義公民身份：

Citizenship as education:

我們不能等著別人 來教我們過去的事情

We can't wait for others to educate us about the past

以及我們是如何走到今天的，

and how we got to this present.

我們必須教育自己和我們的圈子。

We have to educate ourselves and our circles.

以超越自身的角度來定義公民身份：

Citizenship as something greater than myself:

我認為無論是個人還是集體，

We are, I think, individually and collectively,

都在改寫美國的主軸敘事。

rewriting the master narrative of America.

曾經被定義的人 正在重新定義公民身份。

The people who were once defined are now doing the defining.

他們在提出需要問的問題。

They're asking the questions that need to be asked.

重新定義的核心部分是

A core part of that redefinition

我們如何定義誰是美國人，

is how we define not only who is an American

以及什麼構成了公民身份。

but what constitutes citizenship.

對我來說，構成公民身份的 是我們對彼此的責任。

Which, to me, is our responsibility to each other.

考慮一下你自己的陳述的方式，

So consider your own personal narrative

問你自己：

and ask yourself:

你來自哪裡？

Where did you come from?

你怎麼到這裡的？

How did you get here?

誰付錢讓你來這裡？

Who paid?