It wasn't the first time I'd been in a fight,

這並不是我第一次打架，

but it was the first time one happened at school.

但這是我第一次在學校裡打架。

It was with a boy who was about a foot taller than me,

和我打架的男孩比我高了將近 1 尺，

who was physically stronger than me

他的體格比我強壯

and who'd been taunting me for weeks.

而且他已經嘲諷我好幾個禮拜了。

One day in PE, he stepped on my shoe and refused to apologize.

有一天我們在上體育課時，他一腳踩在我的鞋上卻不肯跟我道歉。

So, filled with anger, I grabbed him and I threw him to the ground.

當時我憤怒至極，我就把他抓起來往地上摔。

I'd had some previous judo training.

我以前受過一些柔道的訓練。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

Our fight lasted less than two minutes,

雖然我們只打了不到 2 分鐘，

but it was a perfect reflection of the hurricane

但這場架卻真實地映照出

that was building inside of me

我心中日積月累的強大風暴，

as a young survivor of sexual assault

因為我是一位年輕的性侵害倖存者，

and as a girl who was grappling with abandonment

我也是一位努力克服遺棄的女孩，

and exposure to violence in other spaces in my life.

在我的身命中，無論在哪我都是一位奮力抵抗暴力對待的女孩。

I was fighting him,

當時我和他在打架，

but I was also fighting the men and boys that had assaulted my body

同時我也在和猥褻我身體的男人和男孩搏鬥，

and the culture that told me I had to be silent about it.

以及反抗遭受如此對待卻要保持緘默的文化。

A teacher broke up the fight

一位老師制止我們打架

and my principal called me in her office.

接著校長把我叫到她的辦公室。

But she didn't say, "Monique, what's wrong with you?"

但她沒對我說：「Monique 妳是怎麼回事 ？」

She gave me a moment to collect my breath

反而她給了我一點時間讓我平復呼吸

and asked, "What happened?"

然後才問：「發生什麼事？」

The educators working with me led with empathy.

教導我的老師用同理心來引導我。

They knew me.

他們知道我的個性。

They knew I loved to read, they knew I loved to draw,

他們知道我喜愛閱讀，他們知道我很愛畫圖，

they knew I adored Prince.

他們知道我愛慕音樂家王子。

And they used that information to help me understand

並且藉由他們所知道的那些資訊幫助我理解，

why my actions, and those of my classmate, were disruptive

為什麼我和同學的行為是破壞，

to the learning community they were leading.

這會對老師帶領的學習社群造成破壞。

They didn't place me on suspension;

老師並沒有讓我停學，

they didn't call the police.

也沒有報警。

My fight didn't keep me from going to school the next day.

我並沒有因為打架而不能隔天照常上學。

It didn't keep me from graduating; it didn't keep me from teaching.

我沒有因此不能畢業；也沒有因此放棄投身教育。

But unfortunately, that's not a story that's shared by many black girls

然而很不幸地，那並不是多數黑人女孩會分享的故事。

in the US and around the world today.

現今在美國和世界各地，

We're living through a crisis in which black girls

我們正在經歷一場危機，

are being disproportionately pushed away from schools ---

黑人女孩以不正常的比例被學校拒於門外，

not because of an imminent threat they pose to the safety of a school,

這並不是因為她們對學校的安全會造成立即的威脅，

but because they're often experiencing schools

而是因為她們通常認為學校

as locations for punishment and marginalization.

就是她們遭受懲罰及邊緣化的地方。

That's something that I hear from black girls around the country.

那是我從全國各地的黑人女孩口中聽到的故事，

But it's not insurmountable.

但這不是一個無法解決的難題。

We can shift this narrative.

我們能翻轉這個故事。

Let's start with some data.

讓我們先來看一些數據。

According to a National Black Women's Justice Institute analysis

根據一則國家黑人婦女司法協會的分析，

of civil rights data

此分析關於公民權資料

collected by the US Department of Education,

並且由美國教育部搜集而來，

black girls are the only group of girls who are overrepresented

黑人女孩是唯一一群

along the entire continuum of discipline in schools.

在學校所有的懲處辦法中，懲戒比例過高的人。

That doesn't mean that other girls aren't experiencing exclusionary discipline

那並不表示其他女孩沒有受到排他性的懲處，

and it doesn't mean that other girls aren't overrepresented

也不代表其他族裔的女孩，

at other parts along that continuum.

在其他部分的懲處辦法中，接受懲戒的比例不高。

But black girls are the only group of girls

然而黑人女孩卻是唯一一群

who are overrepresented all along the way.

在所有懲戒辦法中，懲戒比例都是過高的。

Black girls are seven times more likely than their white counterparts

黑人女孩和同齡的白人女孩比較，多了 7 倍的可能性

to experience one or more out-of-school suspensions

受到 1 次或多次的停學處分，

and they're nearly three times more likely than their white and Latinx counterparts

黑人女孩和同齡的白人及拉丁裔女孩比較，多了將近 3 倍的可能性

to be referred to the juvenile court.

受到青少年法庭的審判。

A recent study by the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality

最近由喬治城大學中心針對貧窮及社會不平等所做的一項研究，

partially explained why this disparity is taking place

部分地解釋了為什麼會存在這種差異，

when they confirmed that black girls experience

他們證實黑人女孩會經歷

a specific type of age compression,

一種特別形式的年齡壓縮，

where they're seen as more adult-like than their white peers.

黑人女孩和同齡白人女孩相比之下看起來比較成熟。

Among other things, the study found

在其他方面，此研究發現

that people perceive black girls to need less nurturing,

人們認為黑人女孩較不需要受到培育，

less protection, to know more about sex

較不需受到保護且較知道什麼是性愛，

and to be more independent than their white peers.

和同齡的白人女孩相比之下較獨立。

The study also found

此研究還發現

that the perception disparity begins when girls are as young as five years old.

在黑人女孩滿 5 歲時，這種認知差異就已經開始了。

And that this perception and the disparity increases over time

而且這種觀念和差異將隨著時間增加，

and peaks when girls are between the ages of 10 and 14.

在黑人女孩年齡介於 10 到 14 歲時達到高峰。

This is not without consequence.

這是會有後果的。

Believing that a girl is older than she is can lead to harsher treatment,

認為一個女孩看起來比實際年齡大，可能讓她受到較嚴厲的處罰，

immediate censure when she makes a mistake

當她犯錯時會遭到立即地斥責，

and victim blaming when she's harmed.

當她受傷時卻遭受責怪。

It can also lead a girl to think that something is wrong with her,

這也可能導致女孩認為是自己出了問題，

rather than the conditions in which she finds herself.

而非發現問題出在她所處的情況當中。

Black girls are routinely seen as too loud, too aggressive,

黑人女孩通常被認為太聒噪、太具攻擊性、

too angry, too visible.

太易怒和太顯眼。

Qualities that are often measured in relation to nonblack girls

這些特徵通常都用來與非黑人女孩比較，

and which don't take into consideration what's going on in this girl's life

但卻不考慮這個女孩經歷了什麼事，

or her cultural norms.

也不考慮她的文化常態。

And it's not just in the US.

這樣的事情不只發生在美國。

In South Africa,

在南非，

black girls at the Pretoria Girls High School

就讀普利托利亞女子高中的黑人女孩，

were discouraged from attending school with their hair in its natural state,

被學校規勸不要頂著一頭自然的頭髮上學，

without chemical processing.

頭髮必須經過化學染燙才行。

What did those girls do?

那這些女孩怎麼做呢？

They protested.

她們抗議。

And it was a beautiful thing to see the global community for the most part

這是多麽美好的一件事，能夠看到全球大眾在大多數的情況下，

wrap its arms around girls as they stood in their truths.

都支持著女孩們堅守自己的信念。

But there were those who saw them as disruptive,

但有些人認為她們在搞破壞，

largely because they dared to ask the question,

就只因為她們勇敢地問出：

"Where can we be black if we can't be black in Africa?"

「如果黑人女孩在非洲不能保有黑人的樣貌，那還能在哪裡？」

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

(Applause)

(掌聲)

It's a good question.

這是個很好的問題。

Around the world,

在全球各地，

black girls are grappling with this question.

黑人女孩正努力解決這個問題。

And around the world,

在全球各地，

black girls are struggling to be seen, working to be free

黑人女孩奮力地想被重視，努力爭取自由

and fighting to be included

且奮力地爭取被包含在

in the landscape of promise that a safe space to learn provides.

希望的藍圖裡，這樣她們才能在一個安全的空間裡學習給予。

In the US, little girls, just past their toddler years,

在美國，剛過幼兒時期的小女孩，

are being arrested in classrooms for having a tantrum.

只因鬧脾氣就在教室遭到逮補。

Middle school girls are being turned away from school

女中學生不得進入學校，

because of the way they wear their hair naturally

就只因為她們那一頭自然的頭髮，

or because of the way the clothes fit their bodies.

或因為她們的衣著太過合身。

High school girls are experiencing violence

女高中生遭受暴力對待，

at the hands of police officers in schools.

而且是受到駐校警員的暴力對待。

Where can black girls be black without reprimand or punishment?

黑人女孩在哪裡才可以不因為保有黑人的樣貌而受到斥責或懲罰？

And it's not just these incidents.

這些事件並非全部。

In my work as a researcher and educator,

因為身為一位研究員和教師，

I've had an opportunity to work with girls like Stacy,

我才有機會教導像 Stacy 這樣的女孩，

a girl who I profile in my book "Pushout,"

在我的書中 "Pushout" 裡我提到了她，

who struggles with her participation in violence.

她和自己的暴力傾向對抗，

She bypasses the neuroscientific and structural analyses

她未經過神經科學和結構分析，

that science has to offer

用科學的方法解釋

about how her adverse childhood experiences inform

她那負面的童年經驗如何

why she's participating in violence

及為何導致她參與暴力，

and goes straight to describing herself as a "problem child"

卻直接就稱自己是「問題兒童」，

largely because that's the language that educators were using

這大部分正是因為老師就是如此稱呼她的，

as they routinely suspended her.

原因則是因為她時常受到停學處分。

But here's the thing.

重點來了。

Disconnection and the internalization of harm grow stronger in isolation.

當一個人受到孤立時，傷害的脫節和內化只會更加嚴重，

So when girls get in trouble, we shouldn't be pushing them away,

所以當女孩有麻煩時，我們不應該推開她們，

we should be bringing them in closer.

我們應該拉近她們與我們的關係。

Education is a critical protective factor

教育是一個關鍵的保護因素，

against contact with the criminal legal system.

用來防止接觸刑事法律制度，

So we should be building out policies and practices

所以我們必須建立方針及常規，

that keep girls connected to their learning,

讓女孩的學習不中斷，

rather than pushing them away from it.

而不是推開她們中斷學習。

It's one of the reasons I like to say that education is freedom work.

這就是我喜歡說教育是自由工作的其中一個原因。

When girls feel safe, they can learn.

當女孩感到安全時就可以學習，

When they don't feel safe, they fight,

當她們覺得不安全時就戰鬥，

they protest, they argue, they flee, they freeze.

她們會抗議、她們會辯論、她們會逃跑、她們會不知所措。

The human brain is wired to protect us when we feel a threat.

人類的大腦天生就能在我們感到威脅時啟動保護機制。

And so long as school feels like a threat,

只要女孩覺得學校是一種威脅，

or part of the tapestry of harm in a girl's life,

或是女孩的一生中曾受到輾轉來自學校的傷害，

she'll be inclined to resist.

她就會傾向抵抗。

But when schools become locations for healing,

但當學校變成療育所，

they can also become locations for learning.

學校也能變成學習的地方。

So what does this mean for a school to become a location for healing?

所以對於一間變成療癒所的學校來說有什麼意義？

Well, for one thing, it means that we have to immediately discontinue

這代表一件事，那就是我們必須馬上撤除

the policies and practices that target black girls for their hairstyles or dress.

一再針對黑人女孩髮型和衣著的規定和常規。

(Applause)

(掌聲)

Let's focus on how and what a girl learns

讓我們著重一個女孩如何學習及學習什麼，

rather than policing her body in ways that facilitate rape culture

而不是管束她的身體進而增長強暴文化，

or punish children for the conditions in which they were born.

或是因孩童的原生家庭情況而處罰他們。

This is where parents and the community of concerned adults can enter this work.

關注此議題的社會大眾及父母親可以從這點下手。

Start a conversation with the school

從和學校對話開始，

and encourage them to address their dress code

且鼓勵學校將服裝儀容

and other conduct-related policies as a collaborative project,

和其他執行相關的規定作為一個合作計畫，

with parents and students,

讓家長和學生共同參與，

so as to intentionally avoid bias and discrimination.

就能有意地避開偏見和歧視。

Keep in mind, though,

但要記住，

that some of the practices that harm black girls most are unwritten.

有些最傷害黑人女孩的常規並沒有文字記載，

So we have to continue to do the deep, internal work to address the biases

所以我們必須持續進行，徹底地處理這些已經內化的偏見，

that inform how, when and whether we see black girls for who they actually are,

那讓我們知道，我們看待黑人女孩時是否看見了她真實的樣子，

or what we've been told they are.

又或者我們看見的只是一直被灌輸的觀念。

Volunteer at a school

在學校當志工，

and establish culturally competent and gender responsive discussion groups

成立具文化能力及性別敏感的討論團，

with black girls, Latinas, indigenous girls

團員包含黑人女孩、拉丁裔女孩、原住民女孩

and other students who experience marginalization in schools

以及其他在學校遭受邊緣化的學生，

to give them a safe space

提供他們一個安全的空間，

to process their identities and experiences in schools.

讓他們能夠認識自我和分享在校經驗。

And if schools are to become locations for healing,

如果學校變成療癒所，

we have to remove police officers

我們就可以減少駐校警員

and increase the number of counselors in schools.

且增加駐校的咨詢師。

(Applause)

(掌聲)

Education is freedom work.

教育是自由工作。

And whatever our point of entry is, we all have to be freedom fighters.

不論我們的出發點是什麼，我們都必須是自由鬥士。

The good news is that there are schools

有些學校已傳出好消息，

that are actively working to establish themselves

校方已經積極地轉變校園，

as locations for girls to see themselves as sacred and loved.

讓女孩在校園裡看見自己是神聖且被愛的。

The Columbus City Prep School for Girls in Columbus, Ohio, is an example of this.

位於俄亥俄州的哥倫布市女子預備學校就是一個範例。

They became an example the moment their principal declared

在該校校長宣布改變的同時，這間學校就變成了一個典範，

that they were no longer going to punish girls for having "a bad attitude."

校長宣佈以後女孩不會因為「不良態度」而受到處罰。

In addition to building --

除了建立了不可或缺的方針外，

Essentially, what they did is they built out a robust continuum

學校也建立了一系列的健全章程，

of alternatives to suspension, expulsion and arrest.

用來替代停學、退學、逮補的懲處辦法。

In addition to establishing a restorative justice program,

除了建構一個修復式正義方案之外，

they improved their student and teacher relationships

校方還改善老師和學生的關係，

by ensuring that every girl has at least one adult on campus

藉由確保每位女孩在校區都至少有一位老師可以求助，

that she can go to when she's in a moment of crisis.

當她遇到危機時可以向老師尋求協助。

They built out spaces along the corridors of the school and in classrooms

校方沿著學校的走廊和教室建構空間，

for girls to regroup, if they need a minute to do so.

讓女孩在需要的時候，有個地方可以讓自己重新振作起來。

And they established an advisory program that provides girls with an opportunity

而且校方還建立了一個諮詢計畫為女孩提供機會，

to start every single day with the promotion of self-worth,

讓她們每天都以提倡自我價值、

communication skills and goal setting.

溝通技巧及目標設定作為一天的開始。

At this school,

在這間學校，

they're trying to respond to a girl's adverse childhood experiences

校方嘗試幫助受負面童年經驗影響的女孩，

rather than ignore them.

而非忽略她們的過去。

They bring them in closer; they don't push them away.

校方將她們拉近關懷，而不是將她們推開。

And as a result, their truancy and suspension rates have improved,

校方的付出讓曠課及停學的比率下降了，

and girls are arriving at school increasingly ready to learn

而且有越來越多的女孩到校，做好了學習的準備，

because they know the teachers there care about them.

因為她們知道學校老師在乎她們。

That matters.

這很重要。

Schools that integrate the arts and sports into their curriculum

校方將藝術和運動結合納入課程，

or that are building out tranformative programming,

或建立顛覆性的學程，

such as restorative justice, mindfulness and meditation,

例如修復式的正義、正念認知及冥想，

are providing an opportunity for girls to repair their relationships with others,

如此一來學校提供了女孩修復和他人關係的機會，

but also with themselves.

同時也修復與自己的關係。

Responding to the lived, complex and historical trauma

我們的學生面對持續存在且複雜的歷史創傷，

that our students face

為了幫助他們，

requires all of us who believe in the promise of children and adolescents

需要我們所有相信兒童及青少年潛能的人，

to build relationships, learning materials,

去建立關係、學習素材、

human and financial resources and other tools

人力及金融資源和其他工具，

that provide children with an opportunity to heal, so that they can learn.

這些提供孩童療癒的機會，如此他們才能夠學習。

Our schools should be places where we respond to our most vulnerable girls

我們的校園應該是一個提供弱勢女孩協助的地方，

as essential to the creation of a positive school culture.

為了創造一個正面的校園文化這是不可或缺的。

Our ability to see her promise should be at its sharpest

我們應當能最敏銳地預見女孩的無窮潛力，

when she's in the throws of poverty and addiction;

當她面臨貧窮和沈溺癮疾；

when she's reeling from having been sex-trafficked

當她被迫從事性交易掙扎時

or survived other forms of violence;

或成為其他暴力形式的倖存者時；

when she's at her loudest,

當她用盡全力大聲呼喊時，

or her quietest.

或當她閉口不言保持沈默時。

We should be able to support her intellectual

我們必須能夠維持女孩在智力

and social-emotional well-being

和社交情感上的健全，

whether her shorts reach her knees or stop mid-thigh or higher.

不論她穿的短褲是否及膝或過短。

It might seem like a tall order in a world

這看似是一個艱鉅的任務，

so deeply entrenched in the politics of fear

要在一個恐懼政治已根深蒂固的世界裡，

to radically imagine schools as locations where girls can heal and thrive,

將學校想成是一個提供女孩療癒且茁壯的地方相當困難，

but we have to be bold enough to set this as our intention.

但我們必須夠勇敢才能將這定為我們的企圖。

If we commit to this notion of education as freedom work,

教育是自由工作，若我們能致力守護這個理念，

we can shift educational conditions