I'm a human rights lawyer.

我是個人權律師

I've been a human rights lawyer for 30 years,

我做了30年的人權律師。

and this is what I know.

這是我所知道的。

Once there was a man alone in a room.

曾經有一個人獨自在一個房間裡。

And his name was Alton.

他的名字叫Alton

And then seven other men, seven strangers,

然後是另外七個人，七個陌生人。

rushed into his room and dragged him out.

衝進他的房間，把他拖了出來。

And they held him in a horizontal, crucifix position.

他們把他橫抱在十字架的位置。

One on each arm,

每隻手臂上有一個。

two on each leg,

每條腿上有兩個。

and the seventh man held Alton's neck in a vice-like grip

第七個人像鉗子一樣掐住了奧爾頓的脖子。

between his forearms.

他的前臂之間。

And Alton was struggling for breath

而Alton在掙扎著呼吸

and saying, "I can't breathe,"

並說，"我不能呼吸，"

just as George Floyd said, "I can't breathe."

就像喬治-弗洛伊德說的，"我不能呼吸了。"

But they didn't stop.

但他們並沒有停止。

And soon, Alton was dead.

很快，阿爾頓就死了。

When I was asked to represent his mother and his brother and his sister

當我被要求代表他的母親和他的弟弟和妹妹時

in the inquest into his death,

在對他的死亡進行審訊時。

they asked me, "How could it happen?"

他們問我，"怎麼會這樣？"

And I didn't have an answer.

而我沒有回答。

Because Alton had injuries all over his body.

因為奧爾頓全身都有傷。

He had bruising to his neck and his torso.

他的脖子和軀幹都有淤青。

He had injuries to his arms and his legs.

他的胳膊和腿都有傷。

He had blood in his eyes, his ears and his nose.

他的眼睛、耳朵和鼻子裡都有血。

But they claimed no one knew anything.

但他們聲稱沒有人知道任何事情。

They claimed that they couldn't explain how he died.

他們聲稱，他們無法解釋他是怎麼死的。

For Alton had two problems.

因為奧爾頓有兩個問題。

Firstly, the corridor in which he died

第一，他死的那條走廊。

was a prison corridor.

是一條監獄走廊。

And secondly, he was Black.

其次，他是黑人。

So I want to talk to you today

所以我今天想跟你談談

about Alton's mother's question.

關於Alton母親的問題。

How could such a thing happen in our country?

這樣的事情怎麼會發生在我們國家？

How can these things happen

怎麼會有這樣的事情發生呢？

in countries across the world?

在世界各國?

How can they happen still,

怎麼還能發生。

and what could we do to stop it?

我們能做些什麼來阻止它？

For three decades,

三十年來。

I've been representing the families of people of color

我一直在代表有色人種的家庭。

who have been killed in state custody in the United Kingdom.

在聯合王國被國家拘留期間被殺害的人。

And I've done human rights work across four continents.

我的人權工作遍及四大洲。

And what I've learned is this:

而我學到的是：

that if we want to do something about racism,

如果我們想對種族主義有所作為，

we have to first understand what it is.

我們首先要了解它是什麼。

So let's talk about this thing called race.

所以我們來談談這個叫種族的東西。

What exactly is it?

到底是什麼呢？

A fact of our lives?

我們生活中的一個事實？

One of the most powerful forces in the world?

世界上最強大的力量之一？

Something we don't particularly want to talk about?

一些我們不是特別想說的事情？

It is all these things,

就是這些東西。

but it is something else.

但它是另一種東西。

It is a myth.

這是一個神話。

There is no such thing as race.

根本就沒有種族這回事。

Scientific research shows that race is an illusion.

科學研究表明，種族是一種錯覺。

For example,

例如：

someone of European descent

歐裔

might be genetically closer to an Asian person

可能在基因上更接近於亞洲人

than to someone else of European descent.

而不是歐洲人後裔。

So if race isn't a biological fact,

所以，如果種族不是一個生物學事實。

what actually is it?

究竟是什麼？

It is a social construct.

它是一種社會構造。

Which means it's been invented.

這意味著它已經被髮明瞭。

But by whom and for what reason?

但由誰和出於什麼原因？

As a species, we share 99.9 percent of DNA with everybody else.

作為一個物種，我們與其他人共享99.9%的DNA。

But visible external characteristics,

但可見外部特徵。

like hair type and skin color,

比如髮型和膚色。

have been used in order to promote this racist genetic lie

為了宣傳這種種族主義的基因謊言而採取的措施。

about the supposed racial genetic differences.

關於所謂的種族基因差異。

Racism has been endemic for centuries.

種族主義已經流行了幾個世紀。

The Nazis, of course, were very keen to promote the racist lie.

當然，納粹非常熱衷於宣傳種族主義的謊言。

But also, in the United States,

但同時，在美國。

there were eugenic experiments and eugenic laws.

有優生實驗和優生法。

And in Australia,

而在澳洲。

children of dual Aboriginal heritage were confiscated from their parents

雙重土著血統的兒童被從其父母那裡沒收；

in order to create a white Australia.

為了創造一個白色的澳洲。

This kind of thinking is rising again with alt-right groups

這種思想又在右翼組織中興起了

hankering after racially pure homelands.

渴望種族純正的家園。

How does this work?

這怎麼用？

You see, we don't have social inequalities because of race.

你看，我們的社會不平等不是因為種族。

We have social inequalities that are justified by race.

我們的社會不平等是以種族為理由的。

I started to understand this

我開始明白這一點

when I was representing anti-apartheid activists.

當我代表反種族隔離活動家的時候，

And they showed me how apartheid was a system of social exploitation

他們向我展示了種族隔離制度是怎樣的一種社會剝削制度。

and discrimination

歧視

that was justified by race.

這是由種族所證明的。

By the supposed superiority of white people

以白人的所謂優越性

and the supposed inferiority of Black people.

和所謂的黑人的劣根性。

The apartheid regime said it was nature

種族隔離政權說這是自然

and so it was inevitable

於是乎

and there was nothing you could do about it.

而你卻無能為力。

The Mother Nature lie gives discrimination and injustice a pass.

母性謊言給歧視和不公正提供了機會。

I've also found it in cases

我也發現它在案例中

where people suffer from the legacy of colonization and empire.

在那裡，人們遭受著殖民化和帝國的遺留問題。

I've seen similar effects amongst people of the same color in Africa.

我在非洲的同色系人群中也看到過類似的效果。

And how people of certain castes are looked down upon in India.

以及某些種姓的人在印度是如何被看不起的。

The victims may be different,

受害者可能不同。

but the mechanism --

但該機制 -- --

the labeling and the lies --

標籤和謊言 -- --

is exactly the same.

是完全一樣的。

And so you can see why people are so keen to embrace the race thing.

所以你可以看到為什麼人們如此熱衷於接受種族的事情。

Because it gives the privileged,

因為它給了特權。

people like us,

像我們這樣的人。

a get out of jail free card.

一張免費出獄卡。

The simple truth is that race is a system.

簡單的道理是，種族是一種制度。

It's like oxygen, like an atmosphere.

它就像氧氣，像大氣。

It flows everywhere in our society.

它在我們的社會中到處流動。

It infects everybody it touches.

它感染了它所接觸的每一個人。

It protects power and privilege.

它保護權力和特權。

Whose?

誰的？

Well, look around you.

那麼，看看你的周圍。

So what is it like for people of color,

那麼，有色人種是怎樣的呢。

people like me,

像我這樣的人。

to try to speak to white people

試圖與白人對話

about racism?

關於種族主義？

Many, many white people find it extremely difficult to do.

很多很多白叟都覺得極度困難。

Some white people say they know nothing about it.

有的白叟說，他們對此一無所知。

Others say that our societies

還有人說，我們的社會

may not even suffer from racism at all.

甚至可能根本沒有受到種族主義的影響。

So if you are a white person who is wondering about all of this,

所以，如果你是一個小白，對這些都很好奇。

there is a thought experiment that you can do.

有一個思想實驗，你可以做。

Because here's the truth.

因為這就是事實。

You know.

你知道的

You already know.

你已經知道了

So ask yourself this:

所以，你要問自己這個問題。

Would you, would you really want your son or your daughter,

你，你真的會想要你的兒子或者女兒嗎。

your brother or your sister,

你的哥哥或妹妹。

to marry a practicing Muslim from the Middle East?

嫁給一個來自中東的穆斯林教徒？

Or someone recently arrived from South Asia, who is a Hindu?

或者最近從南亞來的人，他是印度教徒？

Or an asylum seeker from Sub-Saharan Africa?

還是來自撒哈拉以南非洲的尋求庇護者？

Or someone who's recently crossed the US-Mexican border?

或者是最近越過美墨邊境的人？

You may not have a total objection,

你可能不會完全反對。

but you may have a concern.

但你可能有一個擔心。

A qualm that scratches at the back of your brain.

一個在你腦後抓撓的顧慮。

It's not because of the color of their skin.

這不是因為他們的膚色。

But because you know that in countries like ours,

但因為你知道，在我們這樣的國家。

as things stand now,

就目前的情況來看。

their life prospects are likely to be affected by this union.

他們的生活前景可能會受到這種結合的影響。

And you realize that you do know,

而你意識到你確實知道。

you do understand that people will judge them.

你知道人們會評判他們。

And in a hundred ways,

而在一百個方面。

those judgments will impact their lives

這些判斷將影響他們的生活

and the lives of their children.

及其子女的生活。

At that moment,

在那一刻。

you are connecting with a powerful truth.

你正在與一個強大的真理連接。

Which is that you know systemic racism is real.

也就是說，你知道系統性的種族主義是真實存在的。

So why do you not want to talk about race?

那你為什麼不想談種族問題？

Because it's uncomfortable, certainly.

因為不舒服，當然。

But that's only part of the answer.

但這只是答案的一部分。

The bigger truth is far more damaging.

更大的真相是更大的傷害。

Your bristling isn't just defensiveness.

你的暴躁不只是防衛。

It is a defense mechanism.

這是一種防禦機制。

It defends the system of privilege

它捍衛了特權制度

and the unequal division of wealth and power.

以及財富和權力的不平等分配。

Fragility gives racial inequality a pass.

脆弱給了種族不平等的機會。

Who are the winners and losers?

誰是贏家，誰是輸家？

Well look at the data.

好吧，看看數據。

In income.

在收入方面：

In health inequalities.

在健康不平等方面：

In school exclusion.

在學校被開除；

In career prospects.

在職業前景方面。

In stop and search.

在攔截和搜查。

Look at how people of color

看看有色人種如何

have been disproportionately dying of COVID.

死於COVID的比例過高；

So if the racial myth invisibilizes

所以，如果種族神話無形化了。