Hi, everybody. Aniyah, thank you for that beautiful introduction. I could not be prouder of everything you’ve done in your time with the Obama Foundation.

大家好， 阿妮雅，谢谢你的精彩介绍。我对你们在奥巴马基金会工作期间所做的一切感到无比骄傲。

And of course, I couldn’t be prouder of all of you in the graduating Class of 2020 – as well as the teachers, and the coaches, and most of all, parents and family who guided have you along the way.

当然，我也为你们这些2020届毕业生感到无比的骄傲 - 还有老师们，教练们，最重要的是，一路上引导你们的父母和家人们。

Now graduating is a big achievement under any circumstances. Some of you have had to overcome serious obstacles along the way, whether it was an illness, or a parent losing a job, or living in a neighborhood where people too often count you out. Along with the usual challenges of growing up, all of you have had to deal with the added pressures of social media, reports of school shootings, and the specter of climate change. And then, just as you’re about to celebrate having made it through, just as you’ve been looking forward to proms and senior nights, graduation ceremonies – and, let’s face it, a whole bunch of parties – the world is turned upside down by a global pandemic. And as much as I’m sure you love your parents, I’ll bet that being stuck at home with them and playing board games or watching Tiger King on TV is not exactly how you envisioned the last few months of your senior year.

在任何情况，毕业都是一个很大的成就。你们中的一些人将不得不克服一路上遇到的严重障碍，无论是疾病、父母失去工作，还是生活在一个人们常常把你们排除在外的社区中。伴随着成长过程中常见的挑战，你们所有人都不得不面对社交媒体带来的额外压力，诸如校园枪击事件的报道，以及对气候变化所造成的恐惧。然后，就在你们即将庆祝成功经历过这一切的时候，就在你们期待着毕业舞会、毕业晚会和毕业典礼、以及数不清的派对的时候，让我们面对现实吧，这个世界被一场全球大流行病搞得天翻地覆。尽管我相信你们很爱你们的父母，但是我敢打赌，和他们呆在家里玩棋盘游戏或者在电视上看《养虎为患》（TigerKing），绝对不是你们高中最后几个月所期望的。

Now I’ll be honest with you – the disappointments of missing a live graduation – those will pass pretty quick. I don’t remember much from my own high school graduation. I know that not having to sit there and listen to a commencement speaker isn’t all that bad – mine usually go on way too long. Also, not that many people look great in those caps, especially if you have big ears like me. And you’ll have plenty of time to catch up with your friends once the immediate public health crisis is over.

现在我要诚实地告诉你们，错过现场毕业典礼的失望，这些都会很快过去。我都不太记得我自己的高中毕业典礼了。我知道，不用坐在那里听毕业典礼演讲并不那么糟糕，我的演讲通常会持续很长时间。而且，也没有多少人戴着毕业生帽子会看起来特别好看，尤其是像我这样有一对大耳朵的人。一旦眼前的公共卫生危机结束，你们将有足够的时间与你们的朋友们见面。

But what remains true is that your graduation marks your passage into adulthood – the time when you begin to take charge of your own life. It’s when you get to decide what’s important to you: the kind of career you want to pursue. Who you want to build a family with. The values you want to live by. And given the current state of the world, that may be kind of scary.

实际情况是，你们的毕业标志着你们已经进入成年，也就是你们开始掌控自己的人生了。是时候由你们来决定什么对你们来说是重要的：你们想追求的职业；你们想和谁一起建立家庭；你们想要遵循的价值观。鉴于目前的世界状况，这可能有点吓人。

If you’d planned on going away for college, getting dropped off at campus in the fall – that’s no longer a given. If you were planning to work while going to school, finding that first job is going to be tougher. Even families that are relatively well-off are dealing with massive uncertainty. Those who were struggling before – they’re hanging on by a thread.

如果你们打算离开家去上大学，秋天开始入学，这已经不再是一个既定的计划了。如果你们打算一边工作一边上学，那么找到第一份工作将会更加困难。即使是相对富裕的家庭也面临着巨大的不确定性。那些曾经挣扎过的人，他们现在命悬一线。

All of which means that you’re going to have to grow up faster than some generations. This pandemic has shaken up the status quo and laid bare a lot of our country’s deep-seated problems – from massive economic inequality to ongoing racial disparities to a lack of basic health care for people who need it. It’s woken a lot of young people up to the fact that the old ways of doing things just don’t work; that it doesn’t matter how much money you make if everyone around you is hungry and sick; and that our society and our democracy only work when we think not just about ourselves, but about each other.

所有这些都意味着你们将不得不比前辈们更快地成长。这种大流行病动摇了现状，暴露了我国许多根深蒂固的问题——从严重的经济不平等到持续的种族差距，再到需要的人缺乏基本医疗保健。它唤醒了很多年轻人，让他们意识到不能重走老路；如果你们身边的人都贫病交加，那么你们挣多少钱都不再重要；我们的社会和我们的民主，只有在我们不仅考虑自己，而且考虑彼此的时候，才能发挥作用。

It’s also pulled the curtain back on another hard truth, something that we all have to eventually accept once our childhood comes to an end. All those adults that you used to think were in charge and knew what they were doing? Turns out that they don’t have all the answers. A lot of them aren’t even asking the right questions. So, if the world’s going to get better, it going to be up to you.

这也拉开了另一个残酷事实的帷幕，一旦我们的青葱岁月结束，我们都必须最终接受这个事实。所有那些你们曾经认为是负责任的成年人都知道他们在做什么吗？事实证明，他们并不知道所有的答案。他们中的很多人甚至没有提出正确的问题。所以，如果世界要变得更好，那就取决于你们了。

That realization may be kind of intimidating. But I hope it’s also inspiring. With all the challenges this country faces right now, nobody can tell you “no, you’re too young to understand” or “this is how it’s always been done.” Because with so much uncertainty, with everything suddenly up for grabs, this is your generation’s world to shape.

意识到这一点可能有点吓人，但是，我希望这也能鼓舞人心。面对这个国家现在所面临的所有挑战，没有人能够告诉你们“不，你们还太年轻，不能理解”或者“一直都是这样做的”。因为有这么多的不确定性，一切都突然伸手可及，这是你们这一代去改变的世界。

Since I’m one of the old guys, I won’t tell you what to do with this power that rests in your hands. But I’ll leave you with three quick pieces of advice.

因为我是一个老家伙，我不会告诉你们，如何用掌握在你们手中的力量去做什么。但我还是要给你们三条小建议。

First, don’t be afraid. America’s gone through tough times before – slavery, civil war, famine, disease, the Great Depression and 9/11. And each time we came out stronger, usually because a new generation, young people like you, learned from past mistakes and figured out how to make things better.

首先，不要胆怯。美国以前也经历过艰难时期——奴隶制和内战、饥荒和疾病、大萧条和911恐怖袭击。每一次我们都变得更加强大，通常是因为新的一代，像你们这样的年轻人，从过去的错误中吸取了教训，知道如何让事情变得更好。

Second, do what you think is right. Doing what feels good, what’s convenient, what’s easy – that’s how little kids think. Unfortunately, a lot of so-called grown-ups, including some with fancy titles and important jobs, still think that way – which is why things are so screwed up.

第二，做你们认为正确的事情。做让人感觉舒服的事，方便的事，简单的事- 就像小小孩子想的那样。不幸的是，很多所谓的成年人，包括一些头衔高贵、工作重要的人，也是那样想问题的- 这就是为什么事情变得如此糟糕的原因。

I hope that instead, you decide to ground yourself in values that last, like honesty, hard work, responsibility, fairness, generosity, respect for others. You won’t get it right every time, you’ll make mistakes like we all do. But if you listen to the truth that’s inside yourself, even when it’s hard, even when its inconvenient, people will notice. They’ll gravitate towards you. And you’ll be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

相反，我希望你们能坚定于持久的价值观，比如诚实、努力工作、责任、公平、慷慨、尊重他人。你们不会每次都做对，你们会像我们一样犯错。但是，如果你们聆听自己内心的真理，即使很难，即使不便，人们也会注意到。他们会被你们吸引。你们将成为解决方案的一部分，而不是问题的一部分。

And finally, build a community. No one does big things by themselves. Right now, when people are scared, it’s easy to be cynical and say let me just look out for myself, or my family, or people who look or think or pray like me. But if we’re going to get through these difficult times; if we’re going to create a world where everybody has the opportunity to find a job, and afford college; if we’re going to save the environment and defeat future pandemics, then we’re going to have to do it together. So be alive to one another’s struggles. Stand up for one another’s rights. Leave behind all the old ways of thinking that divide us – sexism, racial prejudice, status, greed – and set the world on a different path.

最后，建立一个团体。没有人能独自完成大事业。现在，当人们感到害怕的时候，很容易愤世嫉俗地说我只要管好我自己，顾好我的家人，或者那些和我一样长相、思考或祈祷的人。但是，如果我们要度过这些困难时期；如果我们要创造一个每个人都有机会找到工作并支付大学学费的世界；如果我们要拯救环境并战胜未来的大流行病，那么我们就必须齐心协力。所以要对彼此的挣扎保持警觉。维护彼此的权利。抛弃所有分裂我们的旧思维方式——性别歧视、种族偏见、地位、贪婪——让世界走上一条不同的道路。

When you need help, Michelle and I have made it the mission of our Foundation to give young people like you the skills and support to lead in your own communities, and to connect you with other young leaders around the country and around the globe.

当你们需要帮助的时候，米歇尔和我已经把我们基金会的使命作为给像你们这样的年轻人在你们自己的社区中领导的技能和支持，并把你们与全国和全世界的其他年轻领导人联系起来。

But the truth is that you don’t need us to tell you what to do.

但事实是，你们不需要我们告诉你们该怎么做。

Because in so many ways, you’ve already started to lead.

因为在很多方面，你们已经开始发挥领导作用。

Congratulations, Class of 2020. Keep making us proud.

恭喜你们，2020届毕业生们，让我们继续为你们感到骄傲。