你的朋友，“你们都是朋友，输出：标题：我是一个象征性的黑人朋友

白人群体中的黑人。这个标题根本不是对我人际关系深度的评论；而是对我人际关系深度的评论。我当然很幸运有这样的朋友。但从这个词的所有定义来看，我在很多方面都是它的典型代表。鉴于目前围绕系统性种族主义进行的许多对话，如果不利用我作为众多不同白人社区中受人尊敬的朋友的地位来为当前的对话做出贡献，那就感觉不对了。我相信我的故事直接讲述了新型种族主义的隐蔽本质——它的结构性方面以及隐性偏见——并且可能对我认识的许多寻求更好理解的人有所帮助。

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

问我：“那你呢？”我回答说：“我和他们中的一些人一起在波士顿地区上学。”然后他问道：“那你为什么在这里？”我回答说：“在我们都上大学之前，我和他们一起在新罕布什尔州上学了一段时间。”警官接着问：“你为什么离开波士顿？”我回答说：“我在罗克斯伯里上学，当时我的家人住在多切斯特。”警察又问：“那你为什么要走呢？”我回答说：“我通过 METCO 在韦斯顿上学。”军官终于满意地问道：“那你为什么要离开？”我回答说：“我在罗克斯伯里上学，当时我的家人住在多切斯特。”输出

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.

我是一个黑人。我是一个象征性的黑人朋友。我是照片中唯一的黑人孩子。我知道杀手乐队对“布赖特赛德先生”说的所有台词。我已经掌握了适时的黑色笑话，适合让我的白人同龄人发出“你想到了但不能说出来”的内疚笑声。我能够在黑人朋友和白人朋友之间无缝地进行语码转换。我可以轻松地游走两个世界，而且我常常觉得我是唯一一个能够真正理解两个世界的人。

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。我厌倦了成为照片中唯一的黑人孩子。我厌倦了必须向我的白人朋友解释种族主义。我厌倦了在两个不同的世界之间进行代码转换。我厌倦了必须成为为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.

我并不是在寻求怜悯。我并不是要求特殊待遇。我只是请求理解。我请求我的白人朋友在我告诉他们我的经历时愿意倾听我并相信我。我请求他们愿意为我和我的人民挺身而出，即使这让人感到不舒服。

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

我请求我们所有人愿意共同努力，为每个人创造一个更加公正和公平的世界。

Here is my story:

这是我的故事：

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.

我在波士顿市中心的罗克斯伯里长大。我通过一个名为 METCO 的项目在郊区上学，这是该国持续运行时间最长的自愿学校废除种族隔离项目，该项目始于 20 世纪 60 年代末。我和我的两个兄弟姐妹在马萨诸塞州韦斯顿上学，那里是美国最富有的城镇之一。这个地方很快成为我们的第二个家，与波士顿一样，我将它视为我长大的地方。从所有标准来看，我们三个人都做得很好。我们都曾是学校的联席校长，我和我的兄弟都是足球队长，我们三个都考上了顶尖大学。

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.

对于那些想了解系统性种族主义的结构性方面的人，我想请您考虑几个问题。第一：为什么 METCO 仍然存在？种族隔离已于 60 多年前结束，但我们州仍然有一个功能齐全的融合计划。我们还没有走多远。我们的许多学校几乎仍然像 20 世纪 60 年代那样实行种族隔离。

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：重点是什么？韦斯顿提高了其多样性。如果没有我们，韦斯顿的大多数学生这些年来可能会在学校里看到三四个当地的黑人面孔（这就是这个国家许多白人的现实）。至于波士顿的学生，其中大多数是黑人，他们接受了更高质量的教育。财产税是一种旨在允许种族隔离持续存在的结构性种族主义形式，它确保了尽管我们郊区的学校发展得越来越好，但市中心的学校仍然在资源、出勤率和毕业率方面陷入困境。

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.

最后：为什么我能取得如此成功？对 METCO 项目的一个主要批评是，它并没有为学生带来比城市学校更好的成绩，因此它只是城市人才的流失。我是个例外。我在学校担任领导职务，是一名出色的运动员和学生，后来进入了当时全国最好的公立大学。然而，很容易被忽视的是，我的情况与来自城市的普通有色人种学生有何不同。我来自一个双亲家庭。我母亲一生都可以在家工作，所以她可以在我们需要的时候代替我们。与其他黑人家庭相比，我们的经济条件相对富裕，这让我在高中时拥有了一辆车，从而使我能够高度参与其中。我有稳定的教会和家庭生活以及粮食安全。这种组合对于美国的黑人小孩来说并不常见。

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

在我哥哥写的一篇反思当前形势的文章中，他思考了黑人特权是否真实。他和我都考虑过如何