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编辑：甲申翻译

套用中国网络新流行语，近期在美国社交媒体最火的两场演讲，是美国版的“前浪”致辞“后浪”。

当地时间5月16日，美国前总统奥巴马在两场在线毕业典礼上发表讲话中称，新冠大流行暴露出美国政府缺乏领导能力。他说：“最重要的是，新冠疫情戳破了这样一种假象，即认为掌权的人知道他们在做什么……他们中的很多人甚至都不会去假装在负责。

奥巴马在给美国传统黑人大学毕业生毕业寄语时，批评现政府的抗疫不力。他表示，疫情给黑人社区带来了不成比例的影响，凸显了黑人社区长期存在的不平等问题，而这次疫情也让“政府官员知道自己在做什么”的幻想破灭了，“他们甚至连假装负责都做不到”。

而在全美高中生的线上毕业演讲中，奥巴马给高中生提出了三点建议：不要畏惧，做自己认为正确的事，组建自己的社群。和当天针对黑人大学的毕业演说有些类似，但对大统领黑的更猛了。

这不是奥巴马第一次抨击美国政府最近对新冠疫情的应对方式。上周，他曾猛烈抨击特朗普政府，称其对新冠疫情的应对是“一场绝对混乱的灾难”。

5月16日，美国前任总统巴拉克·奥巴马（Barack Obama）参加了传统黑人大学（Historically black colleges and universities，简称HBCUs，指美国1964年前专为黑人而设的高等教育机构。美国现有105所此类大学，包括公立及私立、二年制及四年制、医学院及社区学院。除了六所以外全位于美国前蓄奴州，其中不少因竞争、经济大萧条或其他经济问题已于20世纪关闭。）的虚拟毕业典礼，并发表了演讲。

奥巴马给HBCUs线上毕业演讲

双语演讲稿全文

（向上滑动启阅）

Hi, everybody. Congratulations to H.B.C.U. (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) class of 2020. Michelle and I are so proud of you.

大家好。祝贺传统黑人大学2020届毕业生。我和米歇尔真为你们骄傲。

Graduating from college is a big achievement under any circumstances. And so many of you overcame a lot to get here. You navigated challenging classes, and challenges outside the classroom. Many of you had to stretch to afford tuition. And some of you are the first in your families to reach this milestone.

无论如何，从大学毕业都是一项巨大的成就。而且你们中有很多人是克服了重重困难才走到今天。你们成功完成了充满挑战的课堂学习，妥善应对了课外挑战。你们中的许多人不得不自己赚取学费。还有些人是家族中取得这一重要成就的第一人。

So even if half this semester was spent at Zoom University, you’ve earned this moment. You should be very proud. Everybody who supported you along the way is proud of you — parents, grandparents, professors, mentors, aunties, uncles, brothers, sisters, cousins, second cousins, cousins who you aren’t even sure are cousins. Show them some gratitude today.

因此，即使这个学期有一半是在网上完成的，你们也成功毕业了。你们应该非常自豪。一路支持你们的每个人都以你们为荣——除了父母和祖父母外祖父母，还有教授和导师、姨姑和叔伯、兄弟和姐妹、堂亲和表亲、远房堂亲和表亲，甚至你们自己都不确定是不是亲戚的亲戚们。今天对他们都表示感谢吧。

Now look, I know this isn’t the commencement any of you really imagined. Because while our H.B.C.U.s are mostly known for an education rooted in academic rigor, community, higher purpose — they also know how to turn up. Nobody shines quite like a senior on the yard in springtime. Springfest at schools like Howard and Morehouse, that’s the time when you get to strut your stuff a little bit. And I know that in normal times, rivals like Grambling and Southern, Jackson State and Tennessee State, might raise some eyebrows at sharing a graduation ceremony.

我想说，我知道这实在不是你们想象中的毕业典礼。因为虽然我们传统黑人大学主要以学术严谨、奉献社区、目标高远的教育理念而闻名，但大家也知道如何让自己成为耀眼的明星。春日的校园里，没有人比毕业班的同学更闪亮。霍华德和莫尔豪斯等学校的春季庆典就是让你们显露身手的。我知道，正常情况下，像格兰布林和南方大学、杰克逊州立大学和田纳西州立大学这样的对手，每个的毕业典礼都会有令人惊喜之处。

But these aren’t normal times. You’re being asked to find your way in a world in the middle of a devastating pandemic and a terrible recession. The timing is not ideal. And let’s be honest — a disease like this just spotlights the underlying inequalities and extra burdens that black communities have historically had to deal with in this country. We see it in the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on our communities, just as we see it when a black man goes for a jog, and some folks feel like they can stop and question and shoot him if he doesn’t submit to their questioning.

但是，目前我们处在非正常情况下。这个世界正处于毁灭性的大流行病和可怕的经济衰退中，要你们在这样的世界找到自己的发展道路，时机很不理想。坦白说，这样的疾病恰恰凸显出潜在的不平等和额外的负担——这两者都是黑人群体在这个国家有史以来不得不应对的。我们可以从新冠肺炎对黑人群体的巨大影响中看到这一点，就像一个黑人慢跑时可能发生的情况：有些人觉得，如果他不乖乖配合他们的问询，他们就可以拦住他、质问他、朝他开枪。

Injustice like this isn’t new. What is new is that so much of your generation has woken up to the fact that the status quo needs fixing; that the old ways of doing things don’t work; and that it doesn’t matter how much money you make if everyone around you is hungry and sick;  that our society and democracy only works when we think not just about ourselves, but about each other.像这样的不公正早已不是新鲜事。新鲜的是，你们这一代人中的很多人已经意识到，现状需要改变；意识到，旧的做事方式行不通；意识到，如果身边每个人都饥病交迫，你们赚多少钱都无关紧要；意识到，只有当我们不仅考虑自己还考虑彼此时，我们的社会才会良好运转，民主才会发挥作用。

More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing. A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge.

最重要的是，这场新冠疫情终于完全扯开了那块遮着的幕布——幕布扯开前，人们都以为那许多担负重责的人知道自己在干什么。他们中的很多人甚至都不装装样子，假装自己在负责做着什么。

If the world’s going to get better, it’s going to be up to you. With everything suddenly feeling like it’s up for grabs, this is your time to seize the initiative. Nobody can tell you anymore that you should be waiting your turn. Nobody can tell you anymore “this is how it’s always been done.” More than ever, this is your moment — your generation’s world to shape.

如果世界会变得更好，那将取决于你们。当你们突然觉得一切都可以争取时，你们就该抓住主动权了。没有人能再让你们等着轮到你们的时候。没人能再让你们遵从“这是历来的做法”。比以往任何时候都重要的是，这是你们的时刻——这是你们这一代人要塑造的世界。

In taking on this responsibility, I hope you are bold. I hope you have a vision that isn’t clouded by cynicism or fear. As young African Americans, you’ve been exposed, earlier than some, to the world as it is. But as young H.B.C.U. grads, your education has also shown you the world as it ought to be.

我希望你们勇敢担负起这一责任。我希望你们的视野不要被犬儒或恐惧所蒙蔽。作为年轻的非裔美国人，你们比一些人更早接触到了这个现实世界。但是，作为传统黑人大学的年轻毕业生，你们所受的教育也向你们展示了一个理想世界。

Many of you could have attended any school in this country. But you chose an H.B.CU. — specifically because it would help you sow seeds of change. You chose to follow in the fearless footsteps of people who shook the system to its core — civil rights icons like Thurgood Marshall and Dr. King, storytellers like Toni Morrison and Spike Lee. You chose to study medicine at Meharry, and engineering at NC A&T, because you want to lead and serve.

你们中的许多人本可以选择就读美国任何一所学校上学。但是，你们选择了一所传统黑人大学——就因为它可以帮助你们播下变革的种子。你们选择了追随那些撼动整个体制的人的无畏脚步——瑟古德·马歇尔和金博士那样的民权标杆，托尼·莫里森和斯派克·李那样的故事创作者。你们选择了在梅哈瑞医学院学医，在北卡罗莱纳农工州立大学学工程，因为你们想要领导和服务。

And I’m here to tell you, you made a great choice. Whether you realize it or not, you’ve got more road maps, more role models, more resources than the civil rights generation did. You’ve got more tools, technology, and talents than my generation did. No generation has been better positioned to be warriors for justice and remake the world.

我在这里告诉你们，你们的选择非常棒。不管你们是否意识到，与民权运动那一代相比，你们拥有更多的指导、更多的榜样和更多的资源。与我们这一代相比，你们拥有更多的工具、技术和天赋。没有哪一代人比你们这一代更有能力成为伸张正义、重塑世界的斗士。

Now, I’m not going to tell you what to do with all that power that’s in your hands. Many of you are already using it so well to create change. But let me offer three pieces of advice as you continue on your journey.

现在，我不会告诉你们如何使用手中的权力。你们中的许多人已经很好地利用它来做出改变。但是，在你们继续旅程之际，我想给你们三点建议。

First, make sure you ground yourself in actual communities with real people — working whenever you can at the grass-roots level. The fight for equality and justice begins with awareness, empathy, passion, even righteous anger. Don’t just activate yourself online. Change requires strategy, action, organizing, marching, and voting in the real world like never before. No one is better positioned than this class of graduates to take that activism to the next level. And from tackling health disparities to fighting for criminal justice and voting rights, so many of you are already doing this. Keep on going.

第一，只要能在基层工作，就一定要让自己接触真正的大众、融入实实在在的社群。争取平等和正义的斗争始于意识、同情、激情，甚至义愤。不要只在网上表现活跃。现实世界的变革比以往任何时候都需要策略、行动、组织、游行和投票。没有人比你们这届毕业生更有能力将这种行动主义带到下一个阶段。从解决健康差距到争取刑事正义和投票权，你们中的许多人已经在这样做。请继续。

Second, you can’t do it alone. Meaningful change requires allies in common cause. As African Americans, we are particularly attuned to injustice, inequality, and struggle. But that also should make us more alive to the experiences of others who’ve been left out and discriminated against.

第二，你们不能孤军奋战。有意义的变革需要志同道合的盟友。作为非裔美国人，我们特别关注不公正、不平等和斗争。但我们也应该因此更加关注那些被忽视和被歧视之人的经历。

So rather than say, “What’s in it for me?” or “What’s in it for my community? And to heck with everyone else,” stand up for and join up with everyone who’s struggling — whether immigrants, refugees, the rural poor, the L.G.B.T. community, low-income workers of every background, women who so often are subject to their own discrimination and burdens and not getting equal pay for equal work; look out for folks whether they are white or black or Asian or Latino or Native American. As Fannie Lou Hamer once said, “nobody’s free until everybody’s free.”

所以，不要说“这对我有什么好处？”或“这对我们黑人有什么好处？让其他人见鬼去吧。”这样的话，而要站出来支持每一个正在艰苦奋斗的人，跟他们站在一起——无论他们是移民、难民、乡村穷人、L.G.B.T.人群，还是各种背景的低收入工人和妇女，他们常常由于自身遭受的歧视和背负的种种包袱而无法得到同工同酬的待遇；无论他们是白人、黑人、亚裔、拉丁裔还是原住民，都要为他们着想。正如范妮·卢·哈默曾经说过的：“没有人是真正自由的，除非所有人都获得了自由。”

And on the big unfinished goals in this country, like economic and environmental justice and health care for everybody, broad majorities agree on the ends. That’s why folks with power will keep trying to divide you over the means. That’s how nothing changes. You get a system that looks out for the rich and powerful and nobody else. So expand your moral imaginations, build bridges, and grow your allies in the process of bringing about a better world.

美国还有未完成的宏伟目标，比如经济和环境正义，比如全民医保，在这些目标上，大多数人达成了一致。这就是为什么那些有权有势之人会不断用手段分化你们。这就是一切都没有改变的原因所在。你会看到一个除了权贵不关心其他任何人的体制。所以，在让世界变得更加美好的过程中，你们要扩展道德想象，建立沟通桥梁，发展自己的盟友。

And finally, as H.B.C.U. graduates, you have to remember that you are inheritors of one of America’s proudest traditions. Which means you’re all role models now — whether you like it or not. Your participation in this democracy, your courage to stand up for what’s right, your willingness to forge coalitions — these actions will speak volumes. And if you are inactive, that will also speak volumes. Not just to the young folks coming up behind you — but to your parents, your peers, and the rest of the country. They need to see your leadership — you’re the folks we’ve been waiting for to come along.

最后，作为传统黑人大学的毕业生，你们一定要记住，你们是美国最值得骄傲的一项传统的继承者。这意味着，不管你们是否乐意，你们如今都是榜样。你们对这个国家民主政治的参与，你们为正义挺身而出的勇气，你们结成联盟的意愿——这些行动都将意义重大。而如果你们表现消极，那同样意义重大——不仅仅对你们身后的年轻人，还有你们的父母、同龄人和其他所有美国人。他们需要看到你们的领导力——你们是我们一直以来都在等待的人。

That’s the power you hold. The power to shine brightly for justice, and for equality, and for joy. You’ve earned your degree. And it’s up to you to use it. So many of us believe in you. I’m so proud of you. And as you set out to change the world, we’ll be the wind at your back.

这就是你们所拥有的力量。为正义、为平等、为快乐而闪耀的力量。你们已经获得了学位，现在就看你们如何利用了。我们很多人都对你们充满信心。我真为你们骄傲！当你们踏上改变世界的征程，我们将是你们身后那股助力的风，祝愿你们一路顺风。

Congratulations Class of 2020, and God bless all of you.

恭喜2020届的同学们，上帝保佑所有人。

奥巴马2020第二个线上毕业演讲，他在由智囊团XQ Institute与勒布朗·詹姆斯(LeBron James)基金会和慈善组织娱乐产业基金会(Entertainment Industry Foundation)合作举办的线上毕业典礼《一起毕业：2020年高中毕业生》直播节目中担任毕业演讲嘉宾。

奥巴马寄语美国年轻人。他提出了三点建议：不要害怕、做认为正确的事、团结他人。奥巴马表示，现在的形势让这代人不得不更快速成长，自己已老，让世界变得更好就靠你们这一代了！

套用中国网络流行新语，奥巴马这场演讲，正是美国版的“前浪”致辞“后浪”。同样，这个演讲在美国社交媒体也以刷屏级的热度正在热传。

#ObamaCommencement2020、#OBAMAGREAT、#ObamaWasBetterAtEverything、#GraduateTogether）等相关标签在推特上都迅速成为热门话题。

奥巴马说：“你不会每次都做对。” “你会像我们所有人一样犯错误。但是，即使很困难，很不方便，如果你听从自己的内心，人们也会注意到。他们会欣赏你。你将成为解决方案中的一部分，而不是成为问题中的一部分。”

奥巴马的全美高中生毕业演讲

双语演讲稿全文

（向上滑动启阅）

Hi, everybody. Aniyah, thank you for that beautiful introduction. I could not be prouder of everything you’ve done in your time with the Obama Foundation.

大家好。Aniyah，感谢您的精彩介绍。我为您在奥巴马基金会期间所做的一切感到自豪。

And of course, I couldn't be prouder of all of you and be graduating class of 2020, as well as the teachers and the coaches and most of all, the parents and families who guided you all the way. 

当然，对即将毕业的2020级，你们所有人感到无比的骄傲，还有为你们的老师和教练，尤其是一直指导你们的父母和家人，感到自豪。

Now, graduating is a big achievement under any circumstances. Some of you had to overcome serious obstacles along the way, whether it was an illness or a parent losing a job, we're living in a neighborhood where people too often count you out. 

在任何情况下，毕业都是个人人生的一项重大成就。你们当中有些人必须克服一些严重的障碍，这可能包括面对疾病或者父母失业带来的困难，有的可能生活在一个常被人拒之门外的社区中。

Along with the usual challenges of growing up, all of you have had to deal with the added pressures of social media, reports of school shootings, and the specter of climate change. And then, just as you're about to celebrate having made it through, just as you've been looking forward to proms and senior nights, graduation ceremonies, and let's face it, a whole bunch of parties, the world was turned upside down by global pandemic. 

除了成长过程中常见的挑战，你们所有人都必须应对社交媒体带来的更大压力，诸如校园枪击事件的报道以及气候变化的阴影。然后，就在你们即将庆祝成功的时候，就在你们一直期待的毕业典礼、舞会、毕业生之夜和一大堆派对到来之际，我们不得不面对现实，整个世界都被全球瘟疫的大流行颠覆。

And as much as I'm sure you love your parents, I'll bet the big stuck at home with him playing board games or watching Tiger King on TV is not exactly how you envisioned the last few months of your senior year.

我敢肯定你们都深爱自己的父母，但我打赌，你们对毕业季最后几个月的生活的设想，一定不是与父母在家一起玩棋盘游戏或跟他们一起看《老虎王》电视剧这类方式。

Now, I'll be honest with you, the disappointments of missing, a live graduation, those will pass pretty quick. I don't remember much of my own high school graduation. I know that not having to sit there and listen to a commencement speaker isn't all that bad. Mine usually go on way too long. Also, not that many people look great in those caps, especially if you have big ears like me. 

不过我也可以诚实地告诉你们，大家对打破常规的毕业季和现场毕业典礼缺失的失望，这些很快就会过去。我对自己高中毕业的大部分过程就不记得。我知道不必坐在那里听人做毕业致辞，并不是一件坏事。我自己的演讲就经常太长。而且，也没有多少人戴着毕业生帽子会看起来多好看，尤其是像我这样有一对大耳朵的人。

You'll have plenty of time to catch up with your friends once the immediate public health crisis is over. But what remains true is that your graduation marks your passage into adulthood. The time when you begin to take charge of your own life. It's when you get to decide what's important to you, the kind of career you want to pursue, who you want to build a family with, the values you want to live by. And given the current state of the world, that may be kind of scary.

一旦当下的公共卫生危机结束，你们将有足够的时间与你的朋友们聚会。但一个事实是，毕业标志着你们步入成年。开始掌管自己的未来人生。你将开始尝试决定一些未来的重要事情，包括，思考以后从事的职业，想与谁建立家庭，要追求的人生价值。鉴于目前的世界状况，这可能有点吓人。

If you planned on going away for college, getting dropped off at campus in the fall, that's no longer a given. If you were planning to work while going to school, finding that first job is going to be tough. Even families that are relatively well off, they're dealing with massive uncertainty. Those who were struggling before, they're hanging on by a thread. All of which means that you're going to have to grow up faster than some generations. 

如果您打算去上大学，在这个秋天被家长送到校园，那一切将不再是天经地义了。如果您打算在上学的同时工作，那么找到第一份工作将很困难。即使是相对优越的家庭，他们也面临着巨大的不确定性。那些曾在挣扎的人们，现在更加命运未卜。所有这些都意味着你们将不得不比前浪们更快地成长。

This pandemic has shaken up the status quo, laid bare a lot of our country's, deep-seated problems, from massive economic inequality, to ongoing racial disparities, to a lack of basic healthcare for people who need it. It's woken a lot of young people up to the fact that the old ways of doing things just don't work. That it doesn't matter how much money you make if everyone around you is hungry and sick, and that our society are not democracy only work when we think not just about ourselves but about each other. It's also pull the curtain back on another hard truth, something that we all have to eventually accept once our childhood comes to an end. 

这场大流行动摇了现状，暴露了我国许多深层次的问题，从严重的经济不平等，持续的种族差距到缺乏全民基本医疗保健。许多年轻人意识到，旧的做事方式根本行不通。如果你们身边的人都贫困交加，那么你们挣多少钱都意义不大。我们的社会和民主制度，只有当我们不仅考虑自己，而且考虑彼此时，才能有意义地运作。

You know all those adults that used to think [they were] in charge or knew what they were doing? Turns out they don't have all the answers. A lot of them aren't even asking the right questions. So if the world's going to get better, it's going to be up to you.

这也开启了另一个残酷事实，一旦少年时代结束，我们都必须最终接受这个事实。所有那些你们曾认为负责任的成年人，都知道他们在做什么吗?事实证明，他们并不知道一切的答案。他们中的很多人甚至没有提出正确的问题。所以，世界能否变得更好，取决于你们。

That realization may be kind of intimidating, but I hope it's also inspiring. With all the challenges this country faces right now, nobody can tell you, "No you're too young to understand," or "This is how it's always been done." Because with so much uncertainty, with everything suddenly up for grabs, this is your generation's world to shape. 

意识到这一点可能有点吓人，但是我希望这也能激励人心。面对我们国家现在所面临的各种挑战，没有人能够告诉你们“不，你们还太年轻，不能理解”或者“以前也是如此”。这么多的不确定性，一切问题突然都近在眼前，这是需要你们这代人去改变的世界。

Since I'm one of the old guys, I won't tell you what to do with this power that rests in your hands, but I'll leave you with three quick pieces of advice.

作为前浪，我不会告诉你们如何使用你们手中的能量，但我将为你们提供三个简单的建议。

First, don't be afraid. America's gone through tough times before. Slavery, civil war, famine, disease, the Great Depression, and 9/11, and each time we came out strong. Usually because a new generation, young people like you, learned from past mistakes and figured out how to make things better.

首先，不要害怕。美国经历过各种艰难的时期。奴隶制，内战，饥荒，疾病，大萧条和9·11，每次我们坚强地走出来了。根本原因之一，就是因为新一代，像你们这样的年轻人，从过去的错误中学到了经验教训，并想出了更好的解决方法。

Second, do what you think is right. Doing what feels good, what's convenient, what's easy, that's [how kids] think. Unfortunately, a lot of so-called grownups, including some with fancy titles and important jobs, still think that way, which is why things are so screwed up. I hope that instead you decide to ground yourself in values that last like honesty, hard work, responsibility, fairness, generosity, respect for others. You won't get it right every time. You'll make mistakes like we all do. But if you listen to the truth that's inside yourself, even when it's hard, even when it's inconvenient, people will notice. They'll gravitate towards you and you'll be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

第二，做你认为正确的事。做感觉良好、方便、容易的事情，这就是[孩子们的想法]。不幸的是，许多所谓的大人，包括一些拥有花哨头衔和重要工作的大人，仍然这样想，这就是为什么事情如此混乱。我希望你们改为以诚实，勤奋，责任，公平，慷慨，尊重他人的价值观为基础。你不会每次都正确。会像我们所有人一样犯错误。但是，如果你愿意倾听事实的真相，即使很难，即使不便，人们也会注意到。他们会吸引你们，你将成为解决方案的一部分，而不是问题的一部分。

And finally, build a community. No one does big things by themselves. Right now, when people are scared, it's easy to be cynical and say, "Let me just look out for myself or my family or people who look or think or pray like me." But if we're going to get through these difficult times, if we're going to create a world where everybody has opportunity to find a job and afford college, and we're going to save the environment and defeat future pandemics, then we're going to have to do it together. So be alive to one another's struggles. Stand up for one another's rights. Leave behind all the old ways of thinking, the bias, sexism, racial prejudice, status, greed, and set the world on a different path.

最后，要有建设社区的意识。没有人能独自做成大事。现在，当人们感到害怕时，很容易愤世嫉俗地说：“让我只关心自己，我的家人或那些跟我想法、做事、信仰一致的人。”但是，如果我们要度过这些艰难的时期，如果我们要创建一个每个人都有机会找到工作并负担大学学费的世界，要拯救环境并战胜未来的流行病，那么我们将不得团结起来一起做。因此，要对别人的困境有同理心。捍卫彼此的权利。抛开所有旧的思维方式、偏见、性别歧视、种族偏见、地位、贪婪，开创不同的未来道路。

When you need help, Michelle and I have made it the mission of our foundation to give young people like you the skills and support to lead in your own communities and to connect you with other young leaders around the country, and around the globe. But, the truth is, you don't need us to tell you what to do because there's so many ways you've already started to lead. 

当您需要帮助时，我和米歇尔已经成立了基金会，我们的使命就是旨在为像您这样的年轻人提供技能和支持，帮助你们领导自己的社区，并与全国以及全球的其他青年领袖建立联系。事实是，你们不需要我们告诉你该怎么做，因为你们已经开始展现了自己各具特色的领导能力。

Congratulations, class of 2020. Keep making us proud.

恭喜，2020年高中毕业生，让我们感到骄傲!

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