We’re not talking honestly about what it really takes to get from poverty to the middle class.
其实 我们要讨论的内容 并不是穷人如何走向中产阶级
So, for example, we know that only four percent of people who are born into poverty will ever
例如，出身在贫苦家庭的只有百分之四能够
make it to the upper middle class or to, you know, have middle class success.
跻身中产阶级，或者说，获得中产阶级般的成功
And so what that means is that 96 percent of people are not making it out.
这也就意味着 另外96%的人依旧停留在了原来的阶级
And I think we’re being dishonest when we say everybody has a fair and equal chance of achieving the American Dream.
我认为人人生而平等这句话 其实是不准确的 特别是当我们谈论到“美国梦”的时候
So it wasn’t until college that I figured out that I was poor.
其实 直到我上了大学 我才意识到自己其实算是个穷人
I hadn’t – before then I had no context for what it meant to have less than other
在此之前 我都没有这个概念 我都不明白 对于
people who lived around me or across town.
还有那些生活在我周围的人 又或者是同住在一个小镇上的人 穷人这个词有什么意义

And I certainly didn’t know that I was outside of what was considered the middle class.
当然 我也不会知道 自己其实被排斥在了中产阶级之外
And the first time that I heard about people living in poverty was in a political science class.
我第一次听到穷人这个词 是在一节政治课上
In there we were talking about welfare policies.
我们在课上讨论了福利问题
And one of the big policies at the time was welfare reform.
因为那个时候 最大的政治问题之一 就是福利政策的改革
And the debate was raging about what should be done and a lot of the conversation was
那时的争论相当激烈 大家都争论着我们应该做什么
up here and really detached from the women and families that were going to be directly impacted by the policy.
我们谈到到了那些 直接受这个政策影响的女人和家庭
So we heard a lot of things about welfare queens, people living off the system, not
我们常常听到一个词叫福利女王（通常指那些通过钻空子获得更多福利的单身女黑人）
wanting to work, women being lazy, having multiple children.
她们分明就不属于这个阶级 却因为不想工作 又有太多的小孩 而能够获得这些福利
And that really wasn’t the reality for the women who were actually impoverished.
一个真正贫穷的女人 并不是这样子的
And so when we look at the kind of policies that result – the kind of policy, the welfare
所以 当我们回看这些福利政策的时候
reform policy that we got on the other end we got a policy that said well, you can’t
我们发现这些政策常常适得其反 所以政策中需要有个规定
– if you don’t work you can’t receive benefits. And you have time limits.
比如 你不工作 就不能享受福利 比如 对你的工作时间也有一定要求
And if you have another child you’re penalized.
比如 如果你又多了一个小孩 那你也会受到惩罚
Those policies and that restrictiveness was counter to the everyday lived experiences
规定中的这些内容 都与女人们每天的生活息息相关
of the women who were actually receiving the benefits.
就是那些享受着福利的女人们
So what was excluded from that policy was a clear pathway out of poverty like education.
所以 这个政策并没有涉及到 贫穷以外的其他问题 比如教育问题
There missing – in the very beginning there was very few provisions for childcare and
从一开始 这个政策就没怎么涉及儿童保育
a lot of other things that we know family and women need to be able to chart a path out of poverty.
和很多 需要女人和家庭共同努力才能摆脱贫困的方式
When people think of poverty they think about money and resources and cash.
每当提及贫困 人们第一想到的就是缺钱 缺资源 缺现金
But a big part of poverty is the lack of social connections and social networks.
但其实 贫困所面临着的最大的困境在于 缺乏社会的交流和社会的关系网
And what we know is that those social networks and connections are really powerful in terms
而我们又知道 所谓的社会交际和社会网络 才是最强大的武器
of helping people to navigate complex institutions and structures.
帮助我们渡过难关和挫折
And for poor people those social networks are often missing.
对于穷人来说 这一方面的东西 是缺失的
And when we talk about bridging from poverty to the middle class social networks and social
所以 当我们讨论到 如何将穷人和中产阶级联系起来的时候
capital that are really important to making that leap.
就会想到 沟通交流 建立社交网络 才是跨越这一障碍的关键
And so when we talk about what can institutions and leaders do to support that it’s really
当我们思考 那些部门和领导者们 应该怎样去支持和改善这个问题的时候
important to make sure that children and people in low income neighborhoods have ample access
就会发现 确保孩子们和低收入家庭之间要有足够的接触和沟通 这一点相当重要
to bridge opportunities meaning opportunities outside of their community, that they’re
这相当于是一种与外界的交流
engaged in programs not only within their community but outside of their community that
他们不仅要和生活周围的人交流 还要和不住在同一社区的人有交流
connect them to people outside of their normal social network.
这样 社交网络的范围才能比往日有些扩大
What we need to do is be working together across class, across race and across all these
我们要做的就是 共同努力 跨越阶级 跨越种族
markers of difference to figure out what are the connections?
忽视我们之间的差异 而探索到底应该怎样交流沟通
How might we support one another?
我们如何 互相帮助
And looking at the richness of what each of us bring to the table as opposed to assuming there’s a deficit coming from one end.
我们应当 取彼此之所长 而避彼此之所短
The poor housing, the poor quality schools, the infrastructure, the lack of libraries
生活条件落后 教育质量低 基础设施不完善 图书馆和有关机构数量少
and institutions in communities and hospitals and high unemployment.
医院不够 又面临着高失业率
We’re not talking about how those things are barriers in and of themselves to people escaping poverty.
我们不会讨论这些事情 这些事实如何阻碍了我们摆脱贫穷
And so when those things are absent from communities people are rightly preoccupied with securing those things.
所以一旦缺乏这方面的沟通 人们就会专注地想着先解决这些（物质上）的事情
And we’re not having that conversation about what does it really look like for a community to be thriving.
我们不会探讨 如何使一个社区看上去是一派兴旺
We know what it looks like. We’ve seen it, you know.
我们知道他的样子 我们见过 你也知道
We know that communities that have great schools, low levels of unemployment, low levels of
那些 有着高端学校 高就业率
crime, high civic engagement, great grocery stores and banks.
低犯罪率 公民参与度高 又有杂货店 和银行 的社区 我们也都知道
Those communities are doing well.
那些社区做的很好
The people and the kids in those communities are doing well.
那里的大人和孩子们 也过得很好
And when those things are absent we know that the communities are not working and that people are struggling.
但一旦失去了交流 那这个社区也会随即崩塌 人们也将陷入挣扎
And so we just need to be honest about what it really takes for everybody to have a fair shot at the American Dream.
所以 说到美国梦 我们就应该直面这个问题 就是如何真正地实现 人人机会均等