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

我記得當我三年級的時候，有一天早上，

(Laughter)

我媽媽讓我帶著一種迦納的 主食叫做「富富」去上學。

Fufu is this white ball of starch made of cassava,

（笑聲）

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

富富是一種白色澱粉球， 由樹薯粉做成，

and contains chicken and/or beef.

通常會搭配輕淡的湯， 這種湯是暗橘色的，

It's a savory, flavorful dish

內有雞肉和／或牛肉。

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

它是種美味可口的菜餚，

When I got to lunch and I opened my thermos,

那天很寒冷，我媽媽認為 富富能讓我保持溫暖。

releasing these new smells into the air,

要吃午餐時，我打開了保溫盒，

my friends did not react favorably.

釋放出了一種新的氣味到空氣中，

(Laughter)

我朋友們的反應並不很友善。

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

（笑聲）

"It's fufu," I responded.

其中一個人問：「那是什麼？」

(Laughter)

我回答：「那是富富。」

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

（笑聲）

Their reaction made me lose my appetite.

他們問：「噁，它聞起來 好怪。富富是什麼？」

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

他們的反應讓我也失去了胃口。

I asked her to make me sandwiches or chicken noodle soup

我求我媽媽再也不要 讓我帶富富去上學。

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

我請她為我做三明治或雞肉湯麵，

And this is one of the first times

或我的朋友會吃的任何其他食物。

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

這是我最早開始注意到

and what was common for everyone else,

我家跟別人家有顯著的不同，

what was Ghanaian and what was African

甚麼對別人來說才是「正常的」，

and what was American.

也開始會注意什麼是迦納的， 什麼是非洲的，

I'm a first-generation American.

什麼是美國的。

Both of my parents are immigrants.

我是第一代美國人。

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

我的父母都是移民。

He arrived in New York

事實上，我爸爸，加百列， 在近五十年前來到美國。

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

他抵達紐約，

in West Africa.

來自西非迦納北部的一個城市，

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

叫庫馬西。

and eventually became an accountant.

他來讀書，取得會計學士學位，

My mother, Georgina, joined him years later.

最終成為會計師。

She had a love of fashion

我媽媽，喬吉娜， 幾年後也加入他的行列。

and worked in a sewing factory in lower Manhattan,

她熱愛時尚，

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

在曼哈頓下城的一間縫製工廠，

I consider myself an American

直到她存夠了錢， 開了她自己的女性服飾店。

and an African

我把我自己視為是美國人，

and a Ghanaian.

以及非洲人，

And there's millions of people around the world

以及迦納人。

who are juggling these different classifications.

全世界有數百萬人

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

都屬於這些不同的分類。

But what makes our stories and experiences different

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。

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

但我們的故事和經驗 之所以和別人不同，

and this can cause us to be misunderstood

是因為我們和我們的父母 是在不同的國家出生和長大的，

when being viewed through a narrow lens.

當別人用比較偏頗的眼光在看

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

這個狀況時，可能會產生誤解。

anywhere in the United States.

我在紐約長大，這是美國最多移民

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

居住的地方。

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

你們可能會認為， 在像紐約這樣的地方長大，

But all throughout my childhood,

對於第一代美國人來說， 可以很容易找到自己的定位。

there were these moments that formed my understanding

但在我的整個童年，

of the different worlds I belonged to.

有許多時刻，漸漸讓我了解到

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

我屬於不同的世界。

if my family was refugees.

當我五年級時，有一個學生問我，

I didn't know what that word meant.

我的家人是不是難民。

He explained to me that his parents told him

我不知道「難民」是什麼意思。

that refugees are people from Africa who come to the US

他向我解釋，他的父母告訴他，

to escape death, starvation and disease.

難民就是為了脫離 死亡、飢餓，以及疾病，

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

而從非洲逃到美國來的人。

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

所以，我去問我父母， 他們笑了一下，

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

不是因為這件事好笑， 而是因為這就是種一般化。

and came to the US willingly.

他們向我保證，他們 在迦納時食物很充足，

(Laughter)

且是出於自願來美國的。

These questions became more complex as I got older.

（笑聲）

Junior high school was the first time

隨著我長大， 這些問題變得更複雜。

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

國中是我第一次

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

到一所有大量黑人學生的學校，

or why my parents seemed different than theirs.

許多黑人學生不了解為什麼 我聽起來和他們不一樣，

"Are you even black?" a student asked.

或是為什麼我的父母 和他們的父母似乎不同。

I mean, I thought I was black.

一個學生問： 「你真的是黑人嗎？」

(Laughter)

我以為我是黑人。

I thought my skin complexion settled that.

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

我以為我的皮膚顏色 就能澄清這一點。

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

（笑聲）

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

我拿這件事去問我爸爸， 他分享他的困惑經驗，

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

他說初到美國時 也對這意義感到困惑。

so he never thought about it.

他向我解釋，當他在迦納時， 人人都是黑人，

But in the US, it's a thing.

所以他從來不會想這件事。

(Laughter)

但到美國，就有差了。

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

（笑聲）

Remember that."

但他會說：「但是你是非洲人。

And he would emphasize this,

記住這點。」

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

他會強調這點，

just an American.

即使在非洲大陸上的 許多人只會把我視為

These misconceptions and complex cultural issues

一個美國人。

are not just the inquiries of children.

這些錯誤觀念以及複雜的文化議題

Adults don't know who immigrants are.

並不只是孩子的好奇詢問。

If we look at current trends,

成人不知道移民是什麼人。

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

如果我們看看目前的趨勢，

immigrant demographic in the United States,

如果我問你們：美國成長

who would you think it was?

最快速的移民是哪一種？

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

你們認為呢？

but it's actually African immigrants.

十個人當中有九個人 會說是拉丁裔，

How about in academics?

但其實是非裔移民。

What's the most educated immigrant demographic?

那麼學歷呢？

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

教育程度最高的移民是哪一種？

Even in matters of policy,

許多人會假設是亞裔， 但其實是非裔移民。

did you know that three out of the eight countries

甚至在政策方面，

in the so-called "travel ban"

你們是否知道，

are African countries?

有所謂「旅行禁令」的國家中，

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

八個有三個是非洲國家？

but a lot of those banned people are Africans.

許多人假設旅行禁令只是 針對住在中東的穆斯林，

So on these issues of education and policy and religion,

但許多被禁的人都是非洲人。

a lot of things we presume about immigrants are incorrect.

所以，在這些教育、政策， 以及宗教的議題方面，

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

我們有許多關於移民的假設不正確。

if I asked you what gender-ethnicity combination

即使我們看看像是工作場所 多樣性和包容這類事情，

is least likely to be promoted to senior managerial positions,

如果我問你們，哪種 「性別—人種」的組合

who would you think it was?

最不可能被提拔升職到 資深經理職位，

The answer is not Africans this time.

你們覺得是哪一樣呢？

(Laughter)

這次答案並不是非洲人。

And it's not black women or men,

（笑聲）

and it's not Latin women or men.

不是黑人女性或男性，

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

不是拉丁裔女性或男性。

Capturing these stories and issues is part of my work

是亞洲女性最不可能升職。

as a digital storyteller

捕捉這些故事和議題， 是我工作的一部分，

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

我是個數位小說作家，

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

我用科技讓大家 更容易找到這些故事。

for a project called Enodi.

今年，我推出了一個線上畫廊， 裡面有畫像以及第一手資料，

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

這個專案計畫叫做「Enodi」。

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

Enodi 的目標是要強調出 像我一樣的第一代移民，

for the countries of origin

我們這類移民和我們 長大的國家以及原生國家

and for this concept called "blackness."

都有著親密的關係存在，

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

我們也帶著這個所謂「黑」的概念。

in our different home countries.

我創造的這個空間是個網路之家， 提供給許多像我們這種

There are millions of Enodis

在不同祖國中被誤解的人。

who use hyphens to connect their countries of origin

有數百萬的 Enodi 人

with their various homes in the US

用連字號把他們的原生國家

or Canada or Britain or Germany.

和他們在美國、加拿大、英國，

In fact, many people you might know are Enodi.

或德國的各種家園連結起來。

Actors Issa Rae and Idris Elba are Enodi.

事實上，許多你認識的人 都是 Enodi 人。

Colin Powell,

演員易沙瑞和伊卓瑞斯艾巴 都是 Enodi 人。

former Attorney General Eric Holder,

科林鮑爾（前美國國務卿和上將）、

former President of the United States, Barack Obama,

前任司法部部長埃里克霍爾德、

are all the children of African or Caribbean immigrants.

前美國總統歐巴馬

But how much do you know about us?

都是非洲的孩子或是加勒比移民。

This complicated navigation

但你們對我們的了解有多少？

is not just the experience of first-generation folks.

這種複雜的系統指引

We're so intertwined

不僅僅是第一代族群的經驗。

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

我們和北美及歐洲人的

that you might be surprised how critical we are

生活與文化密切交織，

to your histories and future.

我們對於你們的歷史 與未來的關鍵程度

So, engage us in conversation;

會讓你大吃一驚。

discover who immigrants actually are,

所以，讓我們參與對談；

and see us apart from characterizations

去發掘移民到底是什麼樣的人，

or limited media narratives

不要用特性描述、受限的媒體敘述，

or even who we might appear to be.

或甚至我們的外表，

We're walking melting pots of culture,

來判斷我們是怎樣的人。

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

我們是活生生的文化融爐，

(Laughter)

如果融爐中有什麼讓你覺得 很新穎或很不同——

don't turn up your nose.

（笑聲）

Ask us to share.

別瞧不起。

Thank you.

而要請我們分享。

(Applause)

謝謝。