A reading of the Letters for Black Lives translated into
Chinese Cantonese. Written and edited by the Letters For Black Lives Team. Translated by the #Translation-Burmese Team. Read by
Joann Wu.Video available on:
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/dearasianamericans Facebook:
www.facebook.com/dearasianamericans YouTube:
www.youtube.com/dearasianamericans Transcripts of the letter below and also available at:
https://lettersforblacklives.com/ //
這是「為黑人生命致信」（Letters for Black Lives）公開信的繁體中文版（简体版在此）。義工團隊為聲援黑人維權運動，對抗反黑，正在翻譯成多國語言，鼓勵多方的社群與 #黑人的命也是命（#BlackLivesMatter）、 #BLM 團結。這封信是由數百人協作撰寫和翻譯的，參予者希望和他們的家人朋友就此切身的議題深入討論。
親愛的爸爸媽媽、叔叔阿姨、爺爺奶奶、公公婆婆、家人們：我有件要緊的事情需要跟您談談。在您認識的人當中，黑人可能很少，但我身邊的卻不少。他們是我生活中重要的一部分：是我尊敬的師長，是和我同甘共苦的朋友，也是跟我一起成長的同學和同事。我為他們的處境感到很害怕。最近，在美國明尼蘇達州，一名白人
警察殺害了一名叫喬治．弗洛伊德（George Floyd）的黑人。在將近九分鐘的暴行中，警察用膝蓋跪壓在弗洛伊德的頸部，完全不理他反覆的求救聲「我不能呼吸」。在場的其他三位警察當中，有兩位加入將他強壓在地。還有一位亞裔警察站崗，袖手旁觀。弗洛伊德的悲劇並非單一案例，光是今年就已經發生數起：警察五月在印第安納州殺害了
德里肖恩．里德（Dreasjon Reed）、五月在佛羅里達州殺害了
托尼．麥克達德（Tony McDade）、三月在肯塔基州殺害了
布里安娜．泰勒（Breonna Taylor）。一位已被罷職的警探二月在喬治亞州殺害了
艾哈邁德．阿爾伯里（Ahmaud Arbery）。媒體雖然有廣泛報導，但大多數殺害黑人的警察
卻沒有受到應得的懲罰。我們難以想像，還有多少類似的事件沒被拍下來，或沒被人看到的？我身邊的黑人，每天都得面對這樣的殘酷現實。您或許在想：我們也是少數民族，我們也曾一無所有來到美國，儘管受到歧視，還是能為自己建立一個美好的未來。他們為什麼做不到呢？我想誠懇地與您分享我的看法，因為我希望我們彼此都能夠多盡一份心力。我們走在街上時，別人通常不會把我們視為威脅。我們出門時，不用擔心因為自己的膚色而再也回不了家。被警察攔檢時，我們也不會擔心有生命危險。但對於我的黑人朋友們而言，現實卻截然不同。絕大多數黑人的祖先是被販賣當奴隸，強迫帶到美國的。幾百年來，他們的家園與身體被別人當成財產來剝削利用。即使奴隸制度廢除了，政府並沒有改善黑人的生活。當時的黑人無權投票，不得受教育，更不能置產或創業。實行這不平等制度的左右手，就是警察和監獄。這可追溯到當初由
白人組成的奴隸巡邏隊和白人業主的種植園。長年至今，黑人仍舊受暴力威脅。壓迫他們的行為並沒有終止，只是換了一種方式。在這種環境下，黑人仍然堅強的克服了無數困難。黑人從發起民權運動至今，長期被毆打、關押、甚至失去性命，才爭取到我們今天共同享有的權益。在這個「鶴蚌相爭、漁翁得利」的
不公正體制下，我們不能、也不該與他們對立。我們應該感謝黑人民權鬥士幫所有人
終止不平等的移民法和種族隔離的制度。幾百年來，雖然社會進展了許多，但這不平等的制度依舊存在。我們的政府仍然不斷殺害黑人並且逃脫罪責。我想最近的暴亂和打劫一定讓您非常緊張、害怕，但請您將心比心：如果別人把壞了可以替換的東西，看得比您所失去親人的命還重要，您會多麼傷心？只有錐心刺骨的痛才會讓這麼多人在疫情肆虐時，還走上街頭抗議。再請您設身處地，要是您祖宗世世代代所對抗的國家暴力，到了您這一代依然持續，您會多麼的無助？因此，我支持Black Lives Matter「黑人的命也是命」維權運動。我支持的方式之一就是勇敢發聲，當我身邊的人說出貶低黑人的話，或做出歧視黑人的事，即使是我自己的家人，我也一定會阻止。我們必須打破沉默，因為我們的沈默等同默許，是要付出代價的。我由衷感激您，在一個人生地不熟的地方為我千辛萬苦地奮鬥。雖然這個國家並不總是那麼友善，有些人還把疾病、貧窮、犯罪等國家管理不當的問題都怪到華人身上，但為了栽培我讓我過更好的生活，您在充滿偏見的美國承受了許多不為人知的辛苦。相信以您過去所經歷過的苦，更能讓您明白我們為何必須與黑人站在同一陣線。直到我們身邊的黑人親友與鄰居都能安全生活在社會上，我們才能安心。人人平等，大家毫無恐懼地一起生活，這是我所嚮往的未來，我相信這也是您想要的。滿懷希望的我 敬上
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Mom, Dad, Uncle, Auntie, Grandfather, Grandmother, Family:
We need to talk.
You may not have many Black friends, colleagues, or acquaintances, but I do. Black people are a fundamental part of my life: they are my friends, my neighbors, my family. I am scared for them.
Recently, in Minnesota, a white police officer killed a Black man named
George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for almost 9 minutes—ignoring his repeated cries that he was unable to breathe. Two more police officers helped pin Floyd down, while a fourth, Asian officer stood guard and didn't intervene. Floyd is not alone: Already this year, police officers killed
Dreasjon Reed in Indiana and
Tony McDade in Florida in May, and
Breonna Taylor in Kentucky in March. An ex-detective killed
Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia in February.
Overwhelmingly,
the police haven’t faced consequences for murdering Black people, even when there’s been extensive media coverage. Imagine how many more incidents go unrecorded or unseen.
This is a terrifying reality that the Black people I care about live with every day.
You might be thinking: We are also a minority. We’ve managed to come to America with nothing and built good lives for ourselves despite discrimination, so why can’t they?
I want to share with you how I see things. I am telling you this out of love, because I want all of us, including myself, to do better.
For the most part, when we walk down the street, people do not view us as a threat. We do not leave our homes, wondering whether or not we will return that day. We don't fear that we may die if we're pulled over by the police.
This is not the case for our Black friends.
The vast majority of Black Americans are descendants of people who were sold into slavery and brought here against their will. For centuries, their communities, families, and bodies were abused as property for profit. Even after slavery, the government has not allowed them to build their lives—it has legally denied them the right to vote, get an education, or own homes and businesses. These inequalities are enforced by police and prisons—which can be directly traced back to
white slave patrols and plantations. Black people are under a constant threat of violence that continues today. Their oppression has not ended; it has only changed form.
Black people have not only persisted but also persevered against all odds. They’ve been beaten by police, jailed, and killed while fighting for many of the rights that we all enjoy today. Even in an unfair system that
pits us against each other, Black organizers helped to
end unfair immigration laws and racial segregation for us all.
Though there has been progress, this unfair system is still winning. Throughout these hundreds of years, our government is still killing Black people and getting away with it.
I understand that you’re worried and scared about the looting and property destruction that you are seeing. But imagine how hurt you would be to see other people express more care for replaceable material objects than for the lives of your loved ones. How hurt you must be to protest like this in the middle of a pandemic. Imagine the exhaustion of fighting against the same state violence that your ancestors fought against.
This is why I support the Black Lives Matter movement.
Part of that support means speaking up when I see people in my community—even my own family—say or do things that diminish the humanity of Black people. Our silence has a cost and we need to talk about it.
I am eternally grateful for the struggles you have endured in a country that has not always been kind to you. We have been blamed for bringing poverty, disease, terrorism, and crime. You’ve suffered through a prejudiced America so that I could have a better life.
But these struggles also make it clearer than ever that we are all in this together, and we cannot feel safe until our Black friends, loved ones, and neighbors are safe. The world that we seek is a place where we can all live without fear. This is the future that I want—and I hope you want it, too.
With love and hope,
Your children
