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What my father, RFK, means today
我的父親RFK：不朽的豐碑
By Kerry Kennedy
文/克里·肯尼迪
Kennedy is the president of the nonprofit Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
克里·肯尼迪是以前總統羅伯特·F·肯尼迪的名義成立的非盈利人權組織主席
and author of the new book Robert F. Kennedy: Ripples of Hope, from which this essay is adapted.
也是新書《羅伯特·F.肯尼迪：希望的漣漪》的作者，本文即摘選自此書。
THINK OF JOHN F. KENNEDY, LYNDON B. JOHNSON OR Richard Nixon.
約翰·F.肯尼迪、林登·B. 約翰遜，理查德·尼克松，
Each, in his own way, is firmly set in a certain era of American history.
三人無不以獨特的方式牢牢奠定了自己在美國歷史上的地位。
Yet as vibrant as they were at the peak of their power and influence,
然而，即便位于權利和影響力巔峰之際的他們個個都燦若星辰，
none of these men could easily slip into the contemporary political world.
他們還是無法輕易登上當今的政治舞臺。
Their leadership was unique to their time and place.
他們的領導能力只屬于他們那個時代的美國。
That does not ring true for my father, Robert F. Kennedy, who was killed 50 years ago.
我的父親，50年前遇難的羅伯特·F.肯尼迪卻要另當別論。
His appearance is ever modern: the shaggy hair, the skinny ties, the suit jacket off, the shirt sleeves rolled.
他的外表總是那么時髦：蓬松的發型，窄窄的領帶，脫下西裝后卷起的襯衫袖口。
Beyond appearances, what is striking about RFK are the themes he returned to again and again—
除了外表，RFK最引人注目的是他反復提到了一些話題——
themes that still energize the debate and resonate in our own time.
即便放到我們這個時代，那些話題也依然能激發人們的討論和共鳴。
Think of the headlines over the past few years
回想過去幾年的頭條新聞，
and it is easy to hear Robert Kennedy’s voice and imagine him speaking out in our country—
我們不禁會想起羅伯特·肯尼迪的聲音，想象他為已經陷入瘋狂的槍支暴力，
on the madness of gun violence, the shame of police brutality, the need for compassion in welcoming immigrants and refugees,
可恥的警察暴行，接納移民和難民時缺乏同情心，反抗戰爭呼吁的迫切需要，
the urgent need to defy the call to war and, where war has broken out, the moral necessity of seeking peace.
以及在戰爭已經爆發的地方尋求和平，因為這一從道義上將十分必要等問題東奔西走，大聲疾呼的模樣。
One imagines him urging us to focus not only on stopping terrorism but also on understanding and addressing its root causes.
想象他敦促我們不能把注意力只放在遏止恐怖主義上，還要考慮從根源上研究并解決這一問題。
He would encourage us to focus on the destructive force of hate, the disillusionment of young people,
他會鼓勵我們關注仇恨的破壞力，關注年輕人的幻滅情緒，
the inherent injustice of a criminal-justice system that discriminates based on race and class
關注存在種族歧視和階級歧視問題，
and sends thousands to jail simply because they are too poor to make bail—the new Jim Crow.
成千上萬負擔不起保費的人都已因此遭受牢獄之災——新型種族歧視——的刑事司法系統內在的不公。
And it is easy to think of RFK reminding us of the duty to address the struggles of those who are not in the headlines,
我們也不難回想起那個提醒我們，我們有義務解決那些未能登上頭版頭條，
the most vulnerable among us: farmworkers, small farmers, factoryworkers,
但依然是我們當中最脆弱的群體——農場工人、小農、工廠工人等
people who have seen the jobs that once supported them replaced by cheap labor or technology.
只能無奈地看著養家糊口的工作被更加廉價的勞動力或技術取代的人群——的困境的RFK。
He would also remember our duty to Native Americans
他會記得我們對印第安人的責任，
and those suffering in the hollows of Appalachia, on the Mississippi Delta and in the most destitute slums of our great cities.
記得我們對那些生活在阿巴拉契亞山谷、密西西比三角洲以及我們大城市中最貧困的貧民窟里的人群的責任。
譯文由可可原創，僅供學習交流使用，未經許可請勿轉載。
