你的朋友，「你們都是朋友，輸出：標題：我是一個象徵性的黑人朋友

白人群體中的黑人。這個標題根本不是對我人際關係深度的評論；而是對我人際關係深度的評論。我當然很幸運有這樣的朋友。但從這個詞的所有定義來看，我在很多方面都是它的典型代表。鑑於目前圍繞著系統性種族主義進行的許多對話，如果不利用我作為眾多不同白人社區中受人尊敬的朋友的地位來為當前的對話做出貢獻，那就感覺不對了。我相信我的故事直接講述了新型種族主義的隱藏本質——它的結構性方面以及隱性偏見——並且可能對我認識的許多尋求更好理解的人有所幫助。

asked me, "And you?" I answered, "I went to school in the Boston area with some of them." He then asked, "And why are you here?" I answered, "I came up to school with them in New Hampshire for a bit before we all went to college." The officer then asked, "And why did you leave Boston?" I answered, "I went to school in Roxbury, and my family lived in Dorchester at the time." The officer then asked, "And why did you leave?" I answered, "I went to school in Weston through METCO." The officer then asked, finally satisfied, "And why did you leave?" I answered, "I went to school in Roxbury, and my family lived in Dorchester at the time."output

問我：“那你呢？”我回答說：“我和他們中的一些人一起在波士頓地區上學。”然後他問道：“那你為什麼在這裡？”我回答說：“在我們都上大學之前，我和他們一起在新罕布什爾州上學了一段時間。”警官接著問：“你為什麼離開波士頓？”我回答說：“我在羅克斯伯里上學，當時我的家人住在多切斯特。”警察又問：“那你為什麼要走呢？”我回答說：“我通過 METCO 在韋斯頓上學。”軍官終於滿意地問道：“那你為什麼要離開？”我回答說：「我在羅克斯伯里上學，當時我的家人住在多切斯特。」輸出

I am a black man. I am a token black friend. I am the only black kid in the photo. I know all the words to "Mr. Brightside" by the Killers. I have mastered the well-timed black joke, fit to induce a guilty "you thought it but couldn't say it" laugh from my white peers. I am able to code-switch seamlessly between my black friends and my white friends. I can navigate both worlds with ease, and I often feel like I am the only one who can truly understand both sides.

我是一個黑人。我是一個象徵性的黑人朋友。我是照片中唯一的黑人小孩。我知道殺手樂團對「布賴特賽德先生」說的所有台詞。我已經掌握了適時的黑色笑話，適合讓我的白人同齡人發出“你想到了但不能說出來”的內疚笑聲。我能夠在黑人朋友和白人朋友之間無縫地進行語碼轉換。我可以輕鬆地遊走兩個世界，而且我常常覺得自己是唯一一個能夠真正理解兩個世界的人。

But I am also tired. I am tired of being the only black kid in the photo. I am tired of having to be the one to explain racism to my white friends. I am tired of having to code-switch between two different worlds. And I am tired of having to be the one to stand up for myself and my people.

但我也累了。我厭倦了成為照片中唯一的黑人小孩。我厭倦了必須向我的白人朋友解釋種族主義。我厭倦了在兩個不同的世界之間進行程式碼轉換。我厭倦了必須成為為自己和我的人民挺身而出的人。

I am not asking for pity. I am not asking for special treatment. I am simply asking for understanding. I am asking for my white friends to be willing to listen to me and to believe me when I tell them about my experiences. I am asking for them to be willing to stand up for me and for my people, even when it is uncomfortable.

我並不是尋求憐憫。我並不是要求特殊待遇。我只是請求理解。我請求我的白人朋友在我告訴他們我的經歷時願意傾聽我並相信我。我請求他們願意為我和我的人民挺身而出，即使這讓人感到不舒服。

And I am asking for all of us to be willing to work together to create a more just and equitable world for everyone.

我請求我們所有人願意共同努力，為每個人創造一個更公正和公平的世界。

Here is my story:

這是我的故事：

I grew up in the inner city of Boston, in Roxbury. I attended school in the suburbs through a program called METCO — the longest continuously running voluntary school desegregation program in the country, which began in the late 1960s. My two siblings and I attended school in Weston, Massachusetts, one of the nation's wealthiest towns. The place quickly became our second home, and alongside Boston, I would count it equally as the place I was raised. All three of us did very well by all standards. We had all been co-presidents of the school, my brother and I were both football captains, and all three of us went on to top-end universities.

我在波士頓市中心的羅克斯伯里長大。我透過一個名為 METCO 的計畫在郊區上學，這是全國持續運作時間最長的自願學校廢除種族隔離項目，該計畫始於 20 世紀 60 年代末。我和我的兩個兄弟姐妹在馬薩諸塞州韋斯頓上學，那裡是美國最富有的城鎮之一。這個地方很快就成為我們的第二個家，就像波士頓一樣，我將它視為我長大的地方。從所有標準來看，我們三個人都做得很好。我們都曾是學校的共同校長，我和我的兄弟都是足球隊長，我們三個都考上了頂尖大學。

For those wondering about the structural side of systemic racism, I'd ask you to consider a few questions. First: Why does METCO still exist? Segregation ended more than 60 years ago, yet there is a still a fully functioning integration program in our state. We haven't come very far at all. Many of our schools remain nearly as segregated as they were in the 1960s.

對於那些想了解系統性種族主義的結構性方面的人，我想請您考慮幾個問題。第一：為什麼 METCO 仍然存在？種族隔離已於 60 多年前結束，但我們州仍然有一個功能齊全的融合計劃。我們還沒有走多遠。我們的許多學校幾乎仍然像 20 世紀 60 年代那樣實行種族隔離。

Second: What is the point? Weston improves its diversity. Without us, most of Weston's students would go through all those years seeing possibly three or four local black faces in their schools (and that's the reality for many white people in this country). As for the Boston students, most of whom are black, they receive a much higher-quality education. Property taxes, a structural form of racism meant to allow segregation to endure, have ensured that while schools have grown increasingly better in our suburbs, the inner-city schools continue to struggle with resources, attendance, and graduation rates.

第二：重點是什麼？韋斯頓提高了其多樣性。如果沒有我們，韋斯頓的大多數學生這些年來可能會在學校裡看到三到四個當地的黑人面孔（這就是這個國家許多白人的現實）。至於波士頓的學生，其中大多數是黑人，他們接受了更高品質的教育。財產稅是一種旨在允許種族隔離持續存在的結構性種族主義形式，它確保了儘管我們郊區的學校發展得越來越好，但市中心的學校仍然在資源、出勤率和畢業率方面陷入困境。

Lastly: Why was I able to be so successful? A major criticism of the METCO program is that it doesn't produce better outcomes for its students than the city schools, so it just acts as a brain drain from the city. I am an exception. I held leadership roles in the school, was an accomplished athlete and student, and went on to what was, at the time, the best public university in the country. What's easily overlooked, though, is how my circumstances differed from the average student of color coming from the city. I came from a two-parent household. My mother was able to work from home our entire life, so she could take us places when we needed. Compared to other black families, we were relatively well-off financially, which afforded me a car in high school and thus allowed me to be highly involved. I had a stable church and home life and food security. This combination is uncommon for a young black kid in America.

最後：為什麼我能如此成功？對 METCO 計畫的一個主要批評是，它並沒有為學生帶來比城市學校更好的成績，因此它只是城市人才的流失。我是個例外。我在學校擔任領導職務，是一名出色的運動員和學生，後來進入了當時全國最好的公立大學。然而，很容易被忽略的是，我的情況與來自城市的普通有色人種學生有何不同。我來自一個雙親家庭。我母親一生都可以在家工作，所以她可以在我們需要的時候代替我們。與其他黑人家庭相比，我們的經濟條件相對富裕，這讓我在高中時擁有了一輛車，從而使我能夠高度參與其中。我有穩定的教會和家庭生活以及糧食安全。這種組合對於美國的黑人小孩來說並不常見。

In a piece my brother wrote reflecting on the current situation, he considered whether black privilege was real. He and I have both considered how

在我哥哥寫的一篇反思當前局勢的文章中，他思考了黑人特權是否真實。他和我都考慮過如何