by Martin Luther King, Jr

“我無法呼吸”“黑人的命也是命”“沒有正義就沒有和平”“對種族主義說不！”……美國黑人喬治·弗洛伊德在白人警察暴力執(zhí)法后死亡所引發(fā)的抗議活動仍在繼續(xù)?！盁o法呼吸”的弗洛伊德正是當下美國黑人在政治、經(jīng)濟、法律、福利等多重社會不公中掙扎求生的一個象征符號。今天，我們一起重溫美國黑人民權運動領袖馬丁·路德·金的演講。

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check; a check which has come back marked“insufficient funds”. But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are a insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of “now”. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. “Now” is the time to make real the promises of Democracy. “Now”is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. “Now” is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. “Now” is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights.The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protests to degen erate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?”

We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.

We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of traveling, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities.

We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one.

We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating “For Whites Only”.

We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote.

No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

就有色公民而言，今天美國顯然沒有承兌這張本票。美國拒不履行這項神圣的義務，只是退給黑人同胞一張空頭支票，上面蓋著“現(xiàn)金不足”的印戳。但是，我們絕不相信正義的銀行已經(jīng)破產(chǎn)。我們絕不相信，這個國家裝滿機遇的巨大寶庫居然會出現(xiàn)“現(xiàn)金不足”的窘?jīng)r。因此，我們要求兌現(xiàn)這張支票，這張支票一經(jīng)兌現(xiàn)將給予我們寶貴的自由和正義的保障。

此外，我們來到這個神圣之地，也是為了提醒美國，事情的解決已經(jīng)迫在眉睫，再沒時間讓我們奢談冷靜，或拿漸進主義當鎮(zhèn)靜劑了?，F(xiàn)在是實現(xiàn)民主諾言的時候了；現(xiàn)在是走出種族隔離的荒蕪陰暗的深谷，踏上種族平等的光明大道的時候了；現(xiàn)在是向上帝所有的兒女打開機會之門的時候了；現(xiàn)在是把我們的國家從種族不平等的流沙中拯救出來，安放在手足之情鑄就的磐石之上的時候了。

忽視時間的緊迫性，這對美國來講，后果不堪設想的。自由平等的爽朗秋天不到來，黑人義憤填膺的酷暑就不會過去。1963 年并不意味著斗爭的結束，而僅僅是一個開始。如果這個國家依然無動于衷，我行我素，那么，那些希望黑人只要發(fā)泄一下怒火就會心平氣和的人就會猛醒。黑人一天得不到他的公民權利，美國就不可能安寧和平靜?？範幍娘Z風將繼續(xù)動搖這個國家的基石，直至光明璀璨的正義之日浮現(xiàn)眼前。

但是，對于站在通向正義殿堂溫暖的門檻上的同胞們，有些話我是必須要說的。在爭取合法地位的過程中，我們切不可因錯誤之舉而犯罪；我們切不要為了滿足對自由的渴望而捧著敵對和仇恨之杯痛飲。我們在斗爭中必須自尊自重，紀律嚴明。我們不能容忍我們富于創(chuàng)造的抗爭淪為粗野的暴動。我們應該一次次地將自己升華到用靈魂的力量對抗對手的有形暴力的崇高境界。

席卷整個黑人社會的了不起的新戰(zhàn)斗精神，不應該把我們引入不信任所有白人的歧途，因為許多白人兄弟已經(jīng)認識到：我們彼此的命運緊緊相連，我們彼此的自由密不可分。今天，他們來參加我們這個集會就是對此最好的證明。我們不能獨自前行。

而當我們行動時，我們就必須確保勇往直前，我們無路可退。有人問熱衷于民權運動的人：“你們什么時候才能滿足？”

我們絕不會滿足，只要黑人仍然是警察不堪形容的野蠻暴行的犧牲品。

我們絕不會滿足，只要我們在外奔波而疲倦的身軀仍然不能棲身于公路旁的汽車旅館和城市里的旅館。

我們絕不會滿足，只要黑人的基本活動范圍只能從小的貧民區(qū)轉移到稍大的貧民區(qū)。

我們絕不會滿足，只要我們的孩子仍然會看到“白人專用”的告示，那些剝奪了他們的人格、踐踏了他們自尊的告示。

我們絕不會滿足，只要密西西比州的黑人依然不能參加選舉投票，而紐約的黑人依然認為自己的投票毫無意義。

是的，我們并不滿足，也將不會滿足，除非正義和公正猶如江河之波濤，洶涌澎湃，滾滾而來。