What would make me quit my job during the pandemic? The short answer: injustice in America. But since I have a little time, let me give you the long version. In May 2020, protests broke out across the United States. George Floyd, a Minnesota man, was killed by a couple of police officers on camera and hundreds of thousands of Americans had had enough.
是什麼讓我在流感大流行期間辭職的？簡而言之：米國的不公正。但既然我有點時間，我就給你一個長版。2020年5月，美國各地爆發抗議活動。喬治弗洛伊德，明尼蘇達州的一名男子，被一對警察在鏡頭下殺害，數十萬米國人已經受夠了。
Like so many others, I watched the protests on the news. I watched as the crowd moved from downtown Atlanta to Buckhead, where I live. The protesters were right outside of my house, so in true millennial fashion, I took out my phone so I could record it and post it to Twitter.
和其他許多人一樣，我在新聞上看到了抗議活動。我看著人群從亞特蘭大市中心搬到我住的巴克黑德。抗議者就在我家門口，所以我拿出手機，把它錄下來放到推特上。
After logging the events, I called my parents, and as I was talking to my snook, which is what I call my mom, I began to get a little worried. The energy of the crowd was growing and snook told me, "Don't worry, baby, when people feel that their voices aren't heard, they have to make it felt." Hm. They have to make it felt.
記錄完這些事件後，我給父母打了電話，當我和媽媽交談時，我開始有點擔心。人群的能量在增長，斯努克告訴我，「別擔心，寶貝，當人們覺得他們的聲音沒有被聽到時，他們必須讓人感覺到。」嗯，他們必須讓人感覺到。
That statement hit me hard because, why weren't people being heard? I mean, if we're all watching the same thing, then why aren't we all upset? And how could I help make a difference? No, better yet, how could I make it felt? That was the moment I began to think about opting out ... opting out of a career I dreamed of my entire life.
那句話對我影響很大，因為，為什麼人們沒有被聽到？我是說，如果我們都在看同一件事，那為什麼我們都不難過呢？我怎麼能幫你改變呢？不，更好的是，我怎麼能讓你有這種感覺？那一刻我開始考慮退出.選擇了我一生夢想的職業。
I've been playing in the WNBA since 2009, most recently as a guard for the Atlanta Dream. Basketball has been one of the biggest parts of my life, and yet I decided to give it up, trying to focus on changing the world for the better. I wanted to make it felt.
我從2009年開始在WNBA踢球，最近一次是作為亞特蘭大夢的後衛。籃球一直是我生活中最重要的部分之一，但我決定放棄它，努力把注意力放在讓世界變得更好上。我想讓你感覺到。
Some people thought I was crazy, but honestly, most people got it, and even though I was filled with fear, I took that leap of faith and did it anyway.
有些人認為我瘋了，但老實說，大多數人都明白了，儘管我充滿了恐懼，但我還是抱著信心去做了。
I opted out not knowing how I was going to pay my bills. I opted out not knowing if I would ever be a professional WNBA player again. I opted out of my comfort zone, and in doing so, I truly opted in. I gained a completely different perspective and the confidence that comes with turning moments into momentum.
我不知道該怎麼辦手續才能離開。我選擇了直接退出，不知道我是否會再次成為職業WNBA球員。我選擇離開我的舒適區，這樣做，我真的選擇了。我獲得了一個完全不同的視角和自信，這種自信伴隨著將瞬間轉化為動力。
The next day I threw a Juneteenth event, and Juneteenth is a day to commemorate the official end of slavery. At the event, people were telling me they heard my story, they were coming up to me like, "Yo, you opted out! That's so dope!" But then they began to vent to me, telling me about uncles pulled over for no reason, cousins killed by the police. They wanted me to know their stories so I could represent their voices, and in that moment, I felt so connected with helping them.
第二天我舉辦了一個六月節活動，六月節是紀念奴隸制正式結束的日子。在活動中，人們告訴我他們聽到了我的故事，他們對我說，「喲，你選擇了退出！太蠢了！」但後來他們開始向我發洩，告訴我叔叔無緣無故停車，堂兄弟被警察打死。他們想讓我知道他們的故事，這樣我就可以代表他們的聲音，在那一刻，我覺得自己與幫助他們有著千絲萬縷的聯繫。
They felt that I was the person that could make their stories felt, and honestly, I was committed to doing whatever I needed to make that happen. I don't know how to cure racism, fix police brutality or any of the other problems plaguing America. No one person can do that. But we all can do what we can to make it felt.
他們覺得我是一個可以讓他們的故事有感覺的人，老實說，我致力於做任何我需要的事情來實現這一點。我不知道如何治癒種族主義，如何解決警察的暴行，如何解決困擾美國的其他問題。沒人能做到。但我們都可以盡我們所能讓人感覺到。
Making it felt for me is an action. It's not just protesting and raising your voice, but also doing something to show your intention. I opted out and now you feel me. Honestly, that was a big move for me, but now that I've done it, it feels like it was almost inevitable. And while making it felt can have a negative connotation of violence and trouble, I wanted to show that it could also have a really positive form.
讓我感覺到這是一種行為。這不僅僅是抗議和提高你的聲音，而且做一些事情來顯示你的意圖。我選擇了退出，現在你感覺到我了。老實說，這對我來說是個大動作，但現在我做到了，感覺這幾乎是不可避免的。雖然讓人感覺到暴力和麻煩的負面含義，但我想表明，它也可以有一個真正積極的形式。
Playing in the WNBA has afforded me a platform, and with that platform, I want to create positive change. So big picture, I want to level the playing field so that everyone has access to the same opportunities, regardless of race. To do this I know I need to increase exposure to the young Black and brown youth, showing them explosive fields like tech and creating ways for them to develop those skills so they can seize the opportunities.
在WNBA踢球給了我一個平臺，有了這個平臺，我想創造積極的變化。總的來說，我希望公平的競爭環境，讓每個人都有機會獲得同樣的機會，無論種族。為了做到這一點，我知道我需要增加對黑人和棕色年輕人的接觸，向他們展示科技等爆炸性領域，並為他們創造發展這些技能的方法，以便他們能夠抓住機會。
We're creating a workshop and partnering with organizations already doing the work, taking small steps now that I know will have a big impact in the future.
我們正在創建一個研討會，並與已經在做這項工作的組織合作，現在採取一些小步驟，我知道這將在未來產生重大影響。
A lot of times we underestimate what we can do -- the effect we can have. Imagine if we all started to think about "How can I make it felt?" If we all took that leap of faith to stand for what we believe is right, regardless of the very real fear embedded in that decision, I think we would then start to fulfill the title of the United States of America instead of the divided states that we're seeing right now.
很多時候我們低估了我們所能做的——我們所能產生的影響。想像一下，如果我們都開始思考「我該怎麼做？」如果我們所有人都以信仰的飛躍來堅持我們認為是正確的，不管這個決定中隱藏的真正的恐懼，我想我們將開始實現美利堅合眾國的稱號，而不是我們現在看到的分裂的國家。
I know from basketball that all it takes is a single moment, a second, to change everything. So let's choose to turn our moments into momentum. I'm making it felt, are you? Thank you.
過去打籃球的經歷告訴我，只要一瞬間，一秒鐘，就能改變一切。所以讓我們選擇把我們的時刻轉化為動力。我讓你感覺到了，是嗎？非常感謝。