公眾人物畢業(yè)演講(MP3+字幕)第81期:米歇爾奧巴馬迪拉德大學(xué)(7)

He said and these are his words he said

我引用他的原話 他說(shuō)

For twenty years I was a slave on these streets

我在這些街道上當(dāng)了二十年奴隸

It was a penitentiary offense to educate a Negro

為黑人提供教育曾是應(yīng)處監(jiān)禁的罪行

I have seen my fellow-servants whipped for trying to learn

我親眼見(jiàn)到過(guò)嘗試學(xué)習(xí)的奴隸同胞受到鞭刑

but today here I am

而今天我站在這里

speaking where a building is to be erected for the education of the children of my people

為一座黑人兒童教育建筑的奠基發(fā)表講話

He goes on to say, I wonder

他繼續(xù)說(shuō)道 我想知道

if this is the world I was born in

這個(gè)世界是否不同于我所生在的世界

See, in the course of his short lifetime

在他短暫的一生中

Emperor saw education go from being a crime for black folks

皇帝見(jiàn)證了黑人教育從不被允許的犯罪行為

to being a real possibility for his kids and grandkids

轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)榱四軌驗(yàn)槠渥訉O提供的正當(dāng)行為

So no wonder he

毫不奇怪

was asking whether this was the same world he'd been born into

他會(huì)問(wèn) 這個(gè)世界是否不同于他所生在的世界

See, for a man like Emperor getting an education

對(duì)于皇帝這樣的人 獲得教育

could open up a whole new world of opportunity

讓充滿機(jī)會(huì)的全新世界得以開啟

An education meant having real power

教育意味著真正的力量

It meant you could manage your own money

意味著你可以掌控自己的錢

It meant you couldn't get swindled out of land or possessions

意味著別人不能再忽悠你在虛線上簽名

when somebody told you to just sign on the dotted line

借此騙取你的土地或財(cái)產(chǎn)

sometimes even determined whether or not you could vote

教育甚至決定了你能否投票

So most folks back then saw education as the key to real and lasting freedom

當(dāng)時(shí) 很多人都將教育看成是真正持久自由的關(guān)鍵

That's why

正是因?yàn)檫@些

when New Orleans University

新奧爾良大學(xué)

and the other African American college in town

和鎮(zhèn)上另一所非裔美國(guó)人大學(xué)

Straight University, first opened their doors

正直大學(xué) 首次開啟大門時(shí)

one of the biggest problems they faced was too many students

它們碰到的最大問(wèn)題之一便是學(xué)生太多

That's right too many students

真的 學(xué)生太多

Many of these students barely spoke English

很多學(xué)生英語(yǔ)都說(shuō)不好

they'd grown up speaking Creole or French

很多人說(shuō)克里奧爾語(yǔ)或法語(yǔ)

Few had ever seen the inside of a classroom or even been taught their ABCs

有些人甚至沒(méi)見(jiàn)過(guò)教室 連ABC都沒(méi)人教過(guò)他們

But let me tell you, those students were hungry

不過(guò)我可以告訴你們 這些學(xué)生非?？释?/p>

you hear me Hungry

他們非?？释?/p>

They studied like their lives depended on it

他們拼了命地學(xué)習(xí)

They blazed through their lessons

激昂奮進(jìn)

And that hunger for education

這種學(xué)習(xí)的渴望

lasted for generations in the African American community here in New Orleans

在新奧爾良非裔美國(guó)人群體中持續(xù)了好多代人