ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Malika Whitley - Arts curator, activist
Malika Whitley is an arts curator and activist in Atlanta, Georgia.

Why you should listen

At age 6, Malika Whitley began to experience homelessness with her family, then on her own at 16. During her homelessness, she found the arts as a tool for resistance from fully succumbing to the hardships of youth homelessness. After her experience, Whitley founded ChopArt, which is a multidisciplinary arts organization for homeless middle and high schoolers. Her work has been internationally recognized, as well as highlighted in Atlanta's local media. Most notably, Whitley has been named in Creative Loafing's "20 People to Watch", and ChopArt has been featured in Atlanta Magazine and on WSBTV. To support ChopArt's teens, please consider sponsoring a full year of programming for a homeless teen here.

More profile about the speaker
Malika Whitley | Speaker | TED.com
TED Residency

Malika Whitley: How the arts help homeless youth heal and build

玛丽卡·惠特利: 艺术如何帮助无家可归的青少年疗伤和规划

Filmed:
1,020,146 views

玛丽卡·惠特利 (Malika Whitley) 是 ChopArt 的创始人,ChopArt 是通过艺术给无家可归的青少年提供引导、尊严和机会的机构。在这个感人的演讲中,她分享了自己无家可归的故事以及她如何通过艺术找到了自己的声音。她的使命是给那些被逼到社会边缘的其他人提供一个创意的出口。
- Arts curator, activist
Malika Whitley is an arts curator and activist in Atlanta, Georgia. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
Don't you love a good nap小憩?
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你一定喜欢睡午觉吧?
00:14
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑声)
00:16
Just stealing偷窃行为 away
that small block of time
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借着偷走的一点光阴,
00:20
to curl卷曲 up on your couch长椅
for that sweet moment时刻 of escape逃逸.
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蜷缩在你的沙发上,
仿佛逃离了整个世界。
00:23
It's one of my favorite喜爱 things,
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这是我很喜欢做的一件事,
00:25
but something I took for granted理所当然
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是我认为理所当然的事,
00:26
before I began开始 experiencing经历
homelessness无家可归 as a teenager青少年.
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直到我成了一个
无家可归的青少年。
00:31
The ability能力 to take a nap小憩 is only reserved保留的
for stability稳定性 and sureness确信,
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睡午觉的特权是只给
有着稳定生活的人预留的,
00:36
something you can't find
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这种特权是可能被剥夺的——
当你把所有的家当
都背在身上的时候,
00:37
when you're carrying携带
everything you own拥有 in your book bag
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00:40
and carefully小心 counting数数 the amount of time
you're allowed允许 to sit in any given特定 place地点
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当你要小心数着每一刻
坐在一个地方的光阴的时候——
00:45
before being存在 asked to leave离开.
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因为你下一刻就可能被赶走。
00:48
I grew成长 up in Atlanta亚特兰大, Georgia格鲁吉亚,
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我在美国乔治亚州的
亚特兰大长大,
00:50
bouncing蹦蹦 from house to house
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从一个地方辗转到另一个地方,
00:51
with a loving爱心, close-knit紧密结合 family家庭
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我有一个充满爱的亲密家庭,
00:54
as we struggled挣扎 to find stability稳定性
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虽然我们的经济状况
不太稳定。
00:57
in our finances财政.
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01:00
But when my mom妈妈 temporarily暂时
lost丢失 herself她自己 to mania狂躁
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但是当我的妈妈患上精神病
01:04
and when that mania狂躁 chose选择 me
as its primary scapegoat替罪羊
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并把我当做替罪羊的时候,
01:07
through通过 both emotional情绪化 and physical物理 abuse滥用,
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当我经受情感上和
肉体上的虐待的时候,
为了我的人身安全,我逃离了。
01:10
I fled逃离 for my safety安全.
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01:13
I had come to the conclusion结论
that homelessness无家可归 was safer更安全 for me
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我得出结论,比起回家,
无家可归对我来说
01:17
than being存在 at home.
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是个更安全的选择。
01:19
I was 16.
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那时我 16 岁。
01:22
During my homelessness无家可归,
I joined加盟 Atlanta's亚特兰大的 3,300 homeless无家可归 youth青年
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无家可归的我成了亚特兰大
3300 名无家可归的青少年中的一员,
夜幕降临时,感觉无人关心,
01:26
in feeling感觉 uncared没人照看 for,
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被抛弃,成了隐形人。
01:28
left out and invisible无形 each night.
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01:32
There wasn't and still is not any place地点
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那时候没有,至今也还没有一个
01:34
for a homeless无家可归 minor次要
to walk步行 off the street
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无家可归的未成年人可以去,
01:36
to access访问 a bed.
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并睡上一觉的地方。
01:39
I realized实现 that most people
thought of homelessness无家可归
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我知道,很多人觉得无家可归的人
都是懒惰的、有毒瘾的、
肮脏的社会负担,
01:41
as some kind of lazy, drug-induced药物引起的
squalor肮脏 and inconvenience不方便,
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但这不能代表我那个
装满了衣服和书的书包,
01:47
but that didn't represent代表 my book bag
full充分 of clothes衣服 and schoolbooks教科书,
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01:50
or my A+ grade年级 point average平均.
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和我全优的成绩。
01:54
I would sit on my favorite喜爱 bench长凳 downtown市中心
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我会坐在市中心最爱的长椅上,
01:57
and watch as the hours小时 passed通过 by
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看着时光流逝,
01:58
until直到 I could sneak潜行 in
a few少数 hours小时 of sleep睡觉
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直到我能够偷偷睡上几个小时,
02:02
on couches沙发, in cars汽车,
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不管是在沙发上、车上,
02:05
in buildings房屋 or in storage存储 units单位.
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还是在楼里或仓库里。
02:08
I, like thousands数千 of other homeless无家可归 youth青年,
disappeared消失 into the shadows阴影 of the city
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像上千名无家可归的其他青少年一样,
我消失在了这个城市的影子里,
02:13
while the whole整个 world世界 kept不停 spinning纺织
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而世界依然在不停转动,
02:15
as if nothing at all
had gone走了 terribly可怕 wrong错误.
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就好像什么都没发生一样。
02:19
The invisibility隐形 alone单独
almost几乎 completely全然 broke打破 my spirit精神.
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仅仅这种隐形感
就几乎彻底击垮了我。
02:25
But when I had nothing else其他,
I had the arts艺术,
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但是当我一无所有的时候,
我还有艺术,
02:29
something that didn't demand需求
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它不向我索取
02:30
material材料 wealth财富 from me
in exchange交换 for refuge避难所.
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任何回报作为交换。
02:33
A few少数 hours小时 of singing唱歌, writing写作 poetry诗歌
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几个小时的唱歌、写诗,
02:37
or saving保存 up enough足够 money
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或者攒足够的钱
然后消失到一个戏剧的世界里,
02:39
to disappear消失 into another另一个 world世界 at a play
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02:42
kept不停 me going and jolting颠簸 me back to life
when I felt at my lowest最低.
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它们让我坚持下去,
并在我最低迷的时候把我拉了回来。
02:47
I would go to church教会 services服务
on Wednesday星期三 evenings晚上
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每个星期三晚上我都会去教堂,
02:50
and, desperate殊死 for the relief浮雕
the arts艺术 gave me,
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如此渴望艺术带给我的心灵放松,
02:53
I would go a few少数 hours小时 early,
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我通常会提前几个小时去,
02:56
slip downstairs楼下
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然后溜到楼下,
02:58
and into a part部分 of the world世界
where the only thing that mattered要紧
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进入另一个世界,
那里唯一重要的事情
03:01
was whether是否 or not I could hit击中
the right note注意 in the song歌曲
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就是我能不能把我那个星期
练的那首歌的旋律唱准。
03:04
I was perfecting完善 that week.
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03:06
I would sing for hours小时.
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我会练上好几个小时,
03:09
It gave me so much strength强度
to give myself permission允许
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它给了我力量,让我允许自己
忘记一切并尽情歌唱。
03:12
to just block it all out and sing.
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03:17
Five years年份 later后来,
I started开始 my organization组织, ChopArtChopArt,
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五年后,我创办了
自己的组织 ChopArt,
03:21
which哪一个 is a multidisciplinary多学科
arts艺术 organization组织 for homeless无家可归 minors未成年人.
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这是一个针对无家可归的
青少年的多学科艺术组织。
03:26
ChopArtChopArt uses使用 the arts艺术
as a tool工具 for trauma外伤 recovery复苏
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ChopArt 借助艺术
这个工具来修复创伤,
将我们对打造社区、
03:30
by taking服用 what we know
about building建造 community社区
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03:33
and restoring恢复 dignity尊严
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重塑尊严的认识
03:35
and applying应用 that to the creative创作的 process处理.
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运用到艺术创作的过程中去。
03:38
ChopArtChopArt is headquartered总部设
in Atlanta亚特兰大, Georgia格鲁吉亚,
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ChopArt 的总部在
乔治亚州的亚特兰大,
03:41
with additional额外 programs程式
in Hyderabad海得拉巴, India印度, and Accra阿克拉, Ghana加纳,
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在印度的海德拉巴
和加纳的阿克拉也有项目。
03:45
and since以来 our start开始 in 2010,
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从 2010 年创立至今,
我们已经服务了
全球 4 万名青少年。
03:47
we've我们已经 served提供服务 over 40,000 teens青少年 worldwide全世界.
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03:51
Our teens青少年 take refuge避难所
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我们的青少年
03:53
in the transformative变革
elements分子 of the arts艺术,
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在艺术的魔力中找到慰藉,
03:56
and they depend依靠 on the safe安全 space空间
ChopArtChopArt provides提供 for them to do that.
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他们需要 ChopArt
给他们提供这样的安全空间。
04:01
An often经常 invisible无形 population人口
uses使用 the arts艺术 to step into their light,
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隐形的人群可以借助
艺术站到灯光下,
但是踏出那个隐形的区域
却并不是那么容易的。
04:07
but that journey旅程 out of invisibility隐形
is not an easy简单 one.
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04:11
We have a sibling兄弟 pair, Jeremy杰里米 and Kelly黄绿色,
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我们有一对兄妹,杰里米和凯莉,
他们来我们机构已经三年多了。
04:15
who have been with our program程序
for over three years年份.
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04:18
They come to the ChopArtChopArt classes
every一切 Wednesday星期三 evening晚间.
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他们每个星期三晚上
都会来上 ChopArt 的课。
04:23
But about a year ago,
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但是大约一年前,
04:25
Jeremy杰里米 and Kelly黄绿色 witnessed目击 their mom妈妈
seize抢占 and die right in front面前 of them.
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杰里米和凯莉亲眼目睹了
他们的母亲病情发作并死亡。
04:30
They watched看着 as the paramedics医护人员
failed失败 to revive复活 her.
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他们亲眼看着急救医护人员
未能抢救回她的生命。
04:34
They cried哭了 as their father父亲
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他们哭着,看着他们的父亲
04:36
signed over temporary临时 custody保管
to their ChopArtChopArt mentor导师, Erin艾琳,
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把临时监护权签给了
ChopArt 的艾琳老师,
04:40
without even allowing允许 them to take
an extra额外 pair of clothes衣服 on their way out.
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他们甚至都没来得及
在出门时多拿上一件衣服。
04:45
This series系列 of events事件 broke打破 my heart,
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这件事让我感到心碎,
04:49
but Jeremy杰里米 and Kelly's凯利 faith信仰
and resolve解决 in ChopArtChopArt
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但是杰里米和凯莉
对 ChopArt 的信仰和决心
04:52
is what keeps保持 me grounded接地 in this work.
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是鼓励我坚持做这项工作的动力。
04:56
Kelly黄绿色 calling调用 Erin艾琳 in her lowest最低 moment时刻,
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凯莉会在最低落的时候
给艾琳打电话,
因为她知道艾琳会尽自己最大的努力
04:58
knowing会心 that Erin艾琳 would do
whatever随你 she could
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05:00
to make them feel loved喜爱 and cared照顾 for,
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让他们感觉到被爱和被关心,
05:03
is proof证明 to me that by using运用
the arts艺术 as the entry条目 point,
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这些都让我相信
用艺术作为切入点,
05:09
we can heal愈合 and build建立
our homeless无家可归 youth青年 population人口.
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我们可以给无家可归的
青少年人群疗伤,帮助他们重建生活。
05:13
And we continue继续 to build建立.
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我们的脚步一刻也没有停下。
05:15
We build建立 with Devin德温,
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我们帮助德文重建生活,
05:17
who became成为 homeless无家可归 with his family家庭
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德文一家变得无家可归,
05:19
when his mom妈妈 had to choose选择
between之间 medical bills票据 or the rent出租.
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因为他妈妈不得不
在医疗账单和房租之间做出选择。
05:24
He discovered发现 his love
of painting绘画 through通过 ChopArtChopArt.
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他通过 ChopArt
发现了自己对油画的热爱。
05:27
We build建立 with Liz利兹,
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我们帮助丽兹重建生活,
05:29
who has been on the streets街道
most of her teenage青少年 years年份
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她的整个青少年时代
几乎都是在大街上度过的,
05:32
but turns to music音乐 to return返回 to herself她自己
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但是她通过音乐找回自己,
05:35
when her traumas创伤 feel too heavy
for her young年轻 shoulders肩膀.
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尤其在她年轻的肩膀
不堪重压的时候。
05:40
We build建立 for Maria玛丽亚,
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我们帮助玛利亚重建生活,
05:42
who uses使用 poetry诗歌 to heal愈合
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她用诗歌疗伤。
05:44
after her grandfather祖父 died死亡 in the van面包车
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在她的祖父在面包车中死去后,
05:47
she's living活的 in
with the rest休息 of her family家庭.
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她和她的家人现在住在车里面。
05:50
And so to the youth青年 out there
experiencing经历 homelessness无家可归,
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无家可归的青少年们,
05:56
let me tell you,
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让我告诉你们,
05:58
you have the power功率 to build建立 within you.
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你们内心有重建生活的力量,
06:02
You have a voice语音 through通过 the arts艺术
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你可以通过艺术找到你的声音,
06:03
that doesn't judge法官
what you've been through通过.
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艺术不会评判你的过往。
06:06
So never stop fighting战斗
to stand in your light
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永远不要放弃站到灯光下的努力,
06:09
because even in your darkest最黑暗 times,
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因为即使在你最黑暗的时刻,
我们也在注视着你!
06:12
we see you.
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06:14
Thank you.
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谢谢!
06:15
(Applause掌声)
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(掌声)
Translated by Peipei Xiang

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Malika Whitley - Arts curator, activist
Malika Whitley is an arts curator and activist in Atlanta, Georgia.

Why you should listen

At age 6, Malika Whitley began to experience homelessness with her family, then on her own at 16. During her homelessness, she found the arts as a tool for resistance from fully succumbing to the hardships of youth homelessness. After her experience, Whitley founded ChopArt, which is a multidisciplinary arts organization for homeless middle and high schoolers. Her work has been internationally recognized, as well as highlighted in Atlanta's local media. Most notably, Whitley has been named in Creative Loafing's "20 People to Watch", and ChopArt has been featured in Atlanta Magazine and on WSBTV. To support ChopArt's teens, please consider sponsoring a full year of programming for a homeless teen here.

More profile about the speaker
Malika Whitley | Speaker | TED.com