杰基·罗宾逊

　　1947年，世界职业棒球大赛开赛当天。我的心随着美国国歌的响起产生了一种全新的情感。就像曾经为其他人奏响那样，这一次国歌为我奏响。这是职业棒球大赛，我成为了整个赛事的一分子，与其他人一起站在这里。

　　大约一年之后，乔治亚州的亚特兰大举行了一场棒球表演赛，我参加了这次比赛。这是黑人和白人运动员第一次同时出现在亚特兰大的体育场上，除了我，还有其他的黑人选手。我想，那一刻，我终于实现了自己的信念。

　　那么，我的信念是什么呢？首先，我知道人无完人，然而人只要能够呼吸和思考，不管经过多么漫长的过程，都一定能够消除这些缺陷。我不认为我们已经找到了完美，或离完美越来越近。在人类社会中，完美并不是必不可少的一部分。残疾、障碍或偏见，这些都是存在于社会中的不完美，我们必须面对它们。

　　不管遇到什么障碍，它们都只能使我更加努力地去克服。我坚信，奋斗是有希望的，如果没有了这种信念，我将无法坚持到现在。因为这是一个自由的社会，所以我的奋斗是有希望的。不止一次，我遇到了无法逾越的障碍；也不止一次，我遭遇了严峻的形势，几乎陷入了绝境。然而，自由的思想和心灵使我的身心得到了救助，从而走出了窘境。现在，我看着自己的孩子，知道我要帮助他们做好面对障碍与歧视的准备。

　　但是，我可以告诉他们，前人的努力战斗使他们以后将永远不用去面对这些歧视。同时，我也告诫自己，社会上的许多教条会随着孩子们的逐渐长大而被淘汰，因为社会必然要进步。因此，我会对孩子们说：虽然我无法向你们做出什么保证，但你们是有希望的，一定会有希望。你们会有希望，因为思想自由的人不会停留在原地。中世纪的荒谬逻辑曾经是那么强大，它阻断了人类前进的步伐，不过，以后再也不会出现这样的逻辑了。让每个行业的每个人都能够克服障碍取得成功，这只是一种完美境界，所以我并不认同这种观点。我之所以能够取得现在的成就，发现当前的真理，或许还能够找到未来的伟大，这是因为我摒弃了过时的教条——这就是我无时不刻都在坚持的信念。

　　我相信人类。

　　我相信温暖的心。

　　我相信人类的正直。

　　我相信自由的社会是美好的。

　　我还相信，只要我们愿意奋斗，愿意与一切缺陷作斗争，社会将会一直美好。

　　我与阻止黑人参加棒球比赛这个障碍作斗争，因为这就是社会中存在的一个缺陷，是我力所能及的事情，是一场并非注定要失败的战斗。

　　总而言之，我相信我对上帝的信仰使他一直支持我，自己所做的一切是上天赋子我的使命。我相信，上天也一定会把这个使命赋予其他人。

　　人无完人。社会中也存在着或多或少的不完美，如残疾、障碍或偏见。而不管遇到什么困难，只要我们勇敢面对，始终坚持，就一定会看到希望。让我们一起放飞自由的思想和心灵，迎接美好的明天。

　　Free Minds and Hearts at Work

　　Jackie Robinson

　　At the beginning of the World Series of 1947, I experienced a completely new emotion, when the National Anthem was played. This time, I thought, it is being played for me, as much as for anyone else. This is organized major league baseball, and I am standing here with all the others; and everything that takes place includes me。

　　About a year later, I went to Atlanta, Georgia, to play in an exhibition game. On the field, for the first time in Atlanta, there were Negroes and whites. Other Negroes, besides me. And I thought: What I have always believed has come to be。

　　And what is it that I have always believed? First, that imperfections are human. But that wherever human beings were given room to breathe and time to think, those imperfections would disappear, no matter how slowly. I do not believe that we have found or even approached perfection. That is not necessarily in the scheme of human events. Handicaps, stumbling blocks, prejudices—all of these are imperfect. Yet, they have to be reckoned with because they are in the scheme of human events.

　　Whatever obstacles I found made me fight all the harder. But it would have been impossible for me to fight at all, except that I was sustained by the personal and deeprooted belief that my fight had a chance. It had a chance because it took place in a free society. Not once was I forced to face and fight an immovable object. Not once was the situation so cast-iron rigid that I had no chance at all. Free minds and human hearts were at work all around me; and so there was the probability of improvement. I look at my children now, and know that I must still prepare them to meet obstacles and prejudices。

　　But I can tell them, too, that they will never face some of these prejudices because other people have gone before them. And to myself I can say that, because progress is unalterable, many of today’s dogmas will have vanished by the time they grow into adults. I can say to my children: There is a chance for you. No guarantee, but a chance. And this chance has come to be, because there is nothing static with free people. There is no Middle Ages logic so strong that it can stop the human tide from flowing forward. I do not believe that every person, in every walk of life, can succeed in spite of any handicap. That would be perfection. But I do believe—and with every fiber in me—that what I was able to attain came to be because we put behind us (no matter how slowly) the dogmas of the past: to discover the truth of today; and perhaps find the greatness of tomorrow。

　　I believe in the human race。

　　I believe in the warm heart。

　　I believe in man’s integrity。

　　I believe in the goodness of a free society。

　　And I believe that the society can remain good only as long as we are willing to fight for it—and to fight against whatever imperfections may exist。