I am Rosa Parks

I am Rosa Parks BRAD MELTZER illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos

我是罗莎·帕克斯，布拉德·梅尔策，克里斯托弗·埃利奥普洛斯

I am Rosa Parks.

我是罗莎·帕克斯。

Growing up, I was small for my age. I was sick a lot too, since we didn't have money for a doctor. But that didn't mean I was weak. I'M NOT THAT SHORT. LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE. When I was eleven, as I was walking home from school, a boy on roller skates came zipping by and shoved me. He thought I'd be an easy target. To his surprise, I turned around and pushed him back. I knew fighting was wrong. But I didn't want him picking on me again. His mother saw what happened. She was mad that I'd pushed him. DID YOU JUST PUSH MY SON? UH-OH. THIS IS GONNA BE BAD.

在成长过程中，我的个子比我的年龄要小。 我也经常生病，因为我们没有钱请医生。 但这并不意味着我软弱。 我没那么矮。看起来你是。 当我11岁的时候，当我从学校走回家的时候，一个穿旱冰鞋的男孩从我身边呼啸而过，推了我一下。 他觉得我很容易成为目标。 令他吃惊的是，我转过身把他推了回去。 我知道打架是不对的。 但我不想让他再欺负我了。 他的母亲看到了发生的一切。 我推了他，她很生气。 你刚才推了我儿子吗？哦。 这会很糟糕的。

But y'know what made her even madder? I was black and her son was white. She immediately started yelling. I'LL HAVE YOU PUT IN JAIL! YOU'LL NEVER GET OUT AGAIN! No question, it was scary. But my mother and grandfather taught me to respect myself, and to expect respect from others. So instead of backing down... I stood my ground. And calmly, but firmly, I explained... YOUR SON WAS THE ONE WHO PUSHED ME. I DIDN'T BOTHER HIM AT ALL. I wasn't just standing up to that mom. Or even to the boy on roller skates. I was standing up for myself. After that, the boy and his mom never bothered me again. Still, it's hard to change things. Sometimes it can take a long time.

但你知道是什么让她更生气吗？ 我是黑人，她儿子是白人。 她立刻开始大喊大叫。 我要把你关进监狱！你再也出不去了！毫无疑问，这很可怕。 但我的母亲和祖父教我要尊重自己，并期待别人的尊重。 所以与其让步… 我坚持自己的立场。我平静而坚定地解释道…… 是你儿子推我的。 我一点也没打扰他。 我不只是在反抗那个妈妈。 甚至连穿旱冰鞋的男孩也不知道。 我是在维护自己。 从那以后，那个男孩和他妈妈再也没有骚扰过我。 然而，事情很难改变。 有时需要很长时间。

Back then, if you were black, you were treated unfairly just because of the color of your skin. You weren't allowed to live in the same neighborhood as a white person, eat in the same restaurant, ride the same elevator, or use the same bathroom. You couldn't even drink from the same water fountain. One was marked for "Whites"; the other for "Colored." When I was little, I used to wonder if "white" water tasted different from "colored" water. I even wondered if "colored" water came in lots of colors. But it didn't. The only difference was I had to walk outside, or even down the block, to get mine. Of course, it wasn't just about water fountains.

那时候，如果你是黑人，就会因为你的肤色而受到不公平的对待。 你不允许和白人住在同一个社区，在同一家餐馆吃饭，乘坐同一部电梯，或使用同一间浴室。 你甚至不能从同一个饮水机里喝水。 一个标记为“白人”；另一个代表有色人种。" 当我小的时候，我常常想知道“白色”的水和“彩色”的水尝起来是否不同。 我甚至想知道“有色”水是否有很多颜色。 但事实并非如此。唯一不同的是，我必须走到外面，甚至穿过街区，才能拿到我的。 当然，这不仅仅是饮水机的问题。

This was my school, a small, old wooden building with one room and one teacher... for all of us. Everyone from the five-year-olds to the sixth graders were stuffed in that one room. There were no windows, desks, and barely any books, SINCE MOST KIDS HAD TO WORK ON A FARM TO EARN MONEY, WE ONLY WENT TO SCHOOL FIVE MONTHS DURING THE YEAR. LESS SCHOOL! HOORAY! DON'T SAY "HOORAY." THAT'S BAD. We also brought our books home every night. Why? Because we were worried that folks who hated the color of our skin would burn down our school. Now, here's the school for the kids who were white. Notice the difference? It was a new brick building with beautiful windows, new desks, and plenty of books. Plus a playground. THEY WENT TO SCHOOL NINE MONTHS OUT OF THE YEAR, SINCE THEY WEREN'T WORKING IN THE FIELDS LIKE WE WERE. NOW CAN WE SAY "HOORAY"? NO. THERE'S NO HOORAY ABOUT THIS.

这就是我的学校，一座小而旧的木制建筑，只有一个房间和一个老师…… 为了我们所有人。从五岁的孩子到六年级的学生都挤在那个房间里。 学校没有窗户，没有课桌，几乎没有书，因为大多数孩子都要在农场干活挣钱，我们一年只上五个月的课。 少学校!万岁!不要说“万岁”。 这是坏的。我们每天晚上也把我们的书带回家。 为什么?因为我们担心那些讨厌我们肤色的人会烧毁我们的学校。 这是白人孩子的学校。 注意到区别了吗？那是一栋崭新的砖砌建筑，有漂亮的窗户、新桌子和许多书。 加上一个操场。他们一年中有九个月要上学，因为他们不像我们那样下地干活。 现在我们可以说“万岁”了吗？否。 没有什么值得欢呼的。