鑽石舞台

This is me at age seven. And this is also me. To be standing here in Kakuma refugee camp feels so surreal, and I'm overcome with so much emotion. These very grounds are where I was born and spent the first seven years of my life. I think many people are surprised to hear that I had a great upbringing here at Kakuma.But I was happy, I was smart, I had friends and above all, I had hope for a brighter future. That's not to say that we didn't have our obstacles. I mean, born were there struggles. I would sometimes get sick with malaria and didn't always know where our next meal would come from.

這是我七歲時的樣子。這也是我。能夠站在卡庫馬難民營做演講，感覺是那麼的不真實，我的內心不禁感慨良多。我出生在卡庫馬這片土地，也在這裡度過了我人生的第一個七年。我想很多人聽到我說我在卡庫馬有一個很棒的成長經歷時都會感到驚訝。但我很快樂，我很聰明，還交了許多朋友，最重要的是，我相信我的未來是光明的。那不是說我們沒有任何障礙了。我的意思是，生存在這兒本身就是困難的。有時候我會感染瘧疾，而且總是吃了上頓不知道還有沒有下頓。

But the sense of community that is here in Kakuma and the pride that everyone here possesses is simply unparalleled. When I was younger, I remember conflicts breaking out. That tends to happen when people come from different backgrounds and don't speak the same language. Eventually, Swahili -- the main language here -- became our common ground. I made friends with the kids at the camp and even started embracing some of their cultures, celebrating holidays like Christmas even though I was raised Muslim.

但是在卡庫瑪，大家對這個社區有着很強的歸屬感，還為身為這個社區的一份子感到自豪，這些感情都是無可比擬的。早些年的時候，我記得衝突時常爆發。主要是因為大家有着不同的背景，說着不同的語言。最終，斯瓦希里——這裡的主要語言——成為了我們共同的根基。我和難民營的孩子們成為了朋友，甚至開始接受他們中一些人的文化，比如慶祝像聖誕節一樣的節日，即便我生長在穆斯林的家庭。

The other kids would embrace my culture as well, sometimes even praying right alongside me. It was easy, as children, to come together, blend all of our beliefs to form our own unique, multicultural environment. My name is Halima Aden and I'm a black, Muslim, Somali-American from Kenya. Some have called me a trailblazer -- I was the first Muslim homecoming queen at my high school, the first Somali student senator at my college and the first hijab-wearing woman in many places, like the Miss Minnesota USA beauty pageant, the runways of Milan and New York Fashion Weeks and even on the historic cover of British "Vogue."

其他的孩子們也同樣會接受我的文化，有時候他們甚至會在我身旁一起做禱告。孩子們總是很容易就打成一片，將我們的信仰融合在一起，形成一個獨一無二的多元文化環境。我的名字是哈利瑪·亞登，我是一個黑人，信奉伊斯蘭教，我還是索馬里裔的美國人，來自肯尼亞。有些人稱我為先鋒——我是我高中返校日舞會上第一個獲得皇后桂冠的穆斯林，我是我大學裡第一個索馬里裔的議員，還是第一個在許多場合帶希賈布頭巾的女性，如明尼蘇達州舉辦的美國小姐選拔賽，米蘭和紐約時裝周的舞台上，甚至我還破天荒地登上了英國《時尚》雜誌的封面。

As you can see, I'm not afraid to be the first, to step out on my own, to take risks and seek change, because that's what being a minority is about. It's about using yourself as a vessel to create change and being a human representation for the power of diversity.And now I use my platform to spread an important message of acceptance. But it hasn't always been easy.When we first arrived to the United States and made St.Louis, Missouri home, I remember asking my mom, "Is this really America?" There were things that were sadly familiar, like hearing gunshots at night and the streets looking impoverished.

正如大家所看到的，我不懼怕成為一名先鋒，踏出自己的舒服區，去冒險，去尋求改變，因為那就是成為少數群體的意義所在。就是要將自己當成創造改變的媒體，成為展現多元力量的人類大使。現在我在利用自己的平台，傳遞包容開放的重要信息。但這並非易事。在我初次抵達美國，在聖路易斯密蘇里州安家後，我記得我問我媽媽：「這真的是美國嗎？」因為有一些事讓我覺得熟悉的悲哀，像在半夜聽到槍聲，街道看起來那麼的窮困。

But there were things that were also very different.Like when I started first grade, I noticed how the kids played in groups. In America, we call them "cliques."Back here, we all played together. Gender didn't matter, and race most certainly never mattered. I remember asking myself, "Why don't they understand Swahili?Swahili is the language that brings people together."To make matters worse, the school I was enrolled in didn't have an English immersion program. So everyday I would get up, go to school, sit in my desk and never learn a thing.

但也有一些非常不同的地方。比如在我上一年級的時候，我注意到孩子們都是分小團體玩耍的。在美國，我們稱之為「小圈子」。而在卡庫瑪，我們是大家一起玩的。性別無關緊要，種族更加不是問題。我記得我問自己，「為什麼他們聽不懂斯瓦希里語呢？斯瓦希里語可以讓人團結在一起。」更糟糕的是，我上的那所學校不提供全英文培訓課程。因此，我每天起床、上學、坐在書桌前，但我卻什麼都沒學到。

This is when I started losing hope, and I wanted nothing more than return to Kakuma, a refugee camp. Soon, my mother learned that many Somalis found refuge in a small town in Minnesota. So when I was eight, we moved to Minnesota. My life changed as I met other students who spoke Somali, attended a school that had an English immersion program and found teachers that would go above and beyond, staying there after school hours and lunch breaks, dedicated to helping me find success in the classroom. Being a child refugee has taught me that one could be stripped of everything:food, shelter, clean drinking water, even friendship, but the one thing that no one could ever take away from you is your education.

我開始失去希望，一心只想回到卡庫瑪，一個難民營。很快，我母親得知許多索馬里人在明尼蘇達州的一個小鎮上找到了一處容身之所。所以當我八歲的時候，我們搬到了明尼蘇達州。我的生活在就此完全改變了，我遇到了其他同樣說索馬里語的學生，參加了全英文培訓課程，還遇到了一些不辭勞苦，真心付出的老師，願意在放學後或者午餐時間留下來，幫助我在學業上重新取得成功。身為一個難民營的孩子，我知道我們隨時會失去一切：食物，住所，乾淨的飲用水，甚至友誼，但有一樣東西是沒有人能從你身上奪走的，那就是你的教育。

So I made studying my top priority and soon started flourishing within the classroom. As I grew older, I became more aware of others and how they viewed my race and background. Specifically, when I started wearing the head scarf known as a hijab. When I first started wearing it, I was excited. I remember admiring my mother's, and I wanted to emulate her beauty. But when I started middle school, the students teased me about not having hair, so to prove them wrong, I started showing them my hair --something that goes against my beliefs, but something I felt pressured to do.I wanted so badly to fit in at the time.

所以我把教育擺在了優先的位置，很快我就在教室里嶄露頭角。隨着年齡的增長，我更懂得了人情世故，以及其他人如何看待我的種族和背景。尤其是，在我開始戴上頭巾，即希賈布的時候。當我第一次開始戴它的時候，我很興奮。我記得我很喜歡我母親的頭巾，我想像她戴上頭巾時一樣美麗。但在我上中學時，我的同學們嘲笑我，說我沒有頭髮，為了證明他們錯了，我開始給他們展示我的頭髮——雖然這與我的信仰相悖，但卻是我不得不做的。因為那個時候我太想融入他們的群體。

When I reflect on the issues of race, religion, identity, a lot of painful memories come to mind. It would be easy for me to blame those of another culture for making me feel the pain I felt, but when I think deeper, I also recognize that the most impactful, positive, life-changing events that have happened to me are thanks to those people who are different than me. It was at this moment that I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and compete in a pageant wearing a hijab and burkini. I saw it as an opportunity to be a voice for women who, like myself, had felt underrepresented.

當我回想起關於種族，信仰和身份這些問題時，許多痛苦的回憶湧上心頭。也許指責那些因為不同文化背景而給我帶來痛苦的人會讓我好受得多，但想深一層，我意識到曾經發生在我身上，影響我最深，最積極，徹底改變我命運的事件，都是多虧那些與我不同的人。而正是那一刻，我決定我要踏出我的舒服區，戴上希賈布頭巾和穿上博基尼泳衣參加選美比賽。我將這個比賽看作一次為女性發聲的機會，尤其是像我自己這樣的女性，因為沒有人為我們代言。

And although I didn't capture the crown, that experience opened so many doors for me. I was receiving emails and messages from women all over the world, telling me that I've inspired them by simply staying true to myself. The other "firsts" kept coming.I was invited to New York City by fashion icon Carine Roitfeld to shoot my very first editorial. It was around this time that I became the first hijab-wearing model,and in my first year, I graced the covers of nine fashion magazines. It was a whirlwind, to say the least. But with all the overnight success, there was one thing that remained constant --the thought that this could be what brings me back here to Kakuma, the place that I call home.

儘管我沒有奪得桂冠，但那段經歷為我開啟了許多大門。我收到了來自世界各地女性的電子郵件和信息，告訴我，是我堅持做自己的精神激勵了她們。因此許許多多的「第一次」接踵而來。我受到了時尚偶像卡琳·洛菲德的邀請前往紐約拍攝我的第一組時尚寫真。而正是那時候，我成為了第一個戴希賈布頭巾的模特，在我工作的第一年，我登上了九本時尚雜誌的封面。毫不誇張的說，這一切就像一場旋風一樣。但即使我一夜成名，有一點始終不變的是，我也許會重返這裡，重返卡庫瑪的想法，這片我稱為家的土地。

And just a few months ago, something incredible happened to me. I was in New York City, on a photo shoot, when I met South Sudanese model Adut Akech,who also happened to be born right here in Kakuma.That experience in itself is the definition of hope. I mean, just imagine: two girls born in the same refugee camp, reunited for the first time on the cover of British "Vogue." I was given the distinct pleasure of partnering up with UNICEF, knowing firsthand the work that they do for children in need. And I want you to remember that although the children here may be refugees, they are children.

就在幾個月前，一件不可思議的事情發生在我身上。當時我在紐約拍攝一組照片，就在那我遇到了一個來自南蘇丹的模特阿度特·艾凱奇，她恰巧也出生在這兒，卡庫瑪。那段經歷向我們詮釋了什麼叫希望。我的意思是，想象一下，兩個來自同一個難民營的女孩，因為拍攝英國《時尚》雜誌，而首次團聚了。我受到了莫大的殊榮，能夠和聯合國兒童基金會合作，直接了解到他們為需要幫助的兒童所做的一切。我希望大家可以記住，卡庫瑪里的孩子也許是難民，但他們依然是孩子。

They deserve every opportunity to flourish, to hope, to dream -- to be successful. My story began right here in Kakuma refugee camp, a place of hope. Thank you.

他們同樣應該享有發展，抱有希望，擁有夢想——取得成功的機會。因為我的故事不就發生在卡庫瑪難民營里嗎？這片充滿希望的土地。謝謝。