Erricka Bridgeford: How Baltimore called a ceasefire
Erricka Bridgeford: Como Baltimore declarou um cessar-fogo
Erricka Bridgeford intimately engages with issues related to murder and violence. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
show up in our lives so arrogantly,
os problemas aparecem na nossa vida,
just nothing we can do about them.
tem sido assim.
had been doing that.
kept showing up as this big thing
como um grande problema
could do anything about.
to just be defeated.
a ser vencida.
o Cessar-Fogo em Baltimore
the murder rate in the eye
a taxa de homicídios e disse:
is snatch our greatness."
é roubar a nossa grandeza.'
estou numa reunião do 300 Man March.
I'm at a 300 Man March meeting.
in that movement.
of hip-hop in Baltimore --
do hip-hop em Baltimore -
calling a ceasefire in Baltimore,
um cessar-fogo em Baltimore
sobre isso".
I should talk to about that."
que deves falar
somebody you should talk to about that,
e a marcar reuniões em vão,
and meeting tag,
really sat down and talked about it.
chegámos a encontrar-nos e a falar disso.
está a levar-me para casa
he's driving me home from work one day,
that the murder rate in Baltimore
de homicídios em Baltimore
it's higher than it's ever been?
é maior do que nunca?
they have connections to the streets?
ter ligações com as ruas?
essas ligações para um cessar-fogo?"
and call a cease-fire or something?"
about what other people weren't doing.
perante o que os outros não faziam.
really angry about
weren't doing,
this message years ago,
was supposed to be doing.
do que devia estar a fazer.
pelo menos três dias
just have three days
was committing,
the first weekend in August,
no primeiro fim de semana de agosto.
through August 6th, right?
I start driving to work,
parto para o trabalho.
se eu não contar".
I was thinking it if I don't say it."
to stand in my wholeness,
a manter a minha integridade,
to say this thing out loud.
para eu dizer isto em voz alta.
está despedaçada
to show up in its wholeness,
para mostrar a sua integridade.
calling all through my chest
a chamar-me dentro do meu peito
queriam fazer em conjunto algo importante.
wanted to do something great together.
been killed in my city
mortas na minha cidade
you cannot just let us be dead in vain
tenha sido em vão,
essas coisas em voz alta".
this thing out loud."
nesse fim de semana".
anyway that weekend."
where I had to accept
a espalhar aquela mensagem:
spreading this message --
We're going to celebrate life!" --
Vamos comemorar a vida!"
matar alguém aqui ou ali
to take a life right then and there,
a rumbling in their spirit.
de que a minha cidade
rumbling in our spirit.
contactei Ogun e disse:
you wanted to do a cease-fire?
dos israelitas e dos palestinos em guerra,
the Israelis and Palestinians at war,
que deviam parar com aquilo.
they should stop that,
o que está a acontecer."
and really research what's going on."
to get that same kind of attention
recebesse a mesma atenção
about what was going on with us.
sobre o que se estava a passar connosco.
belong to one person.
não podia ser feito só por uma pessoa.
podia declarar um cessar-fogo.
should call a cease-fire.
e fazê-lo em conjunto.
and do it together.
the Baltimore Ceasefire,
de Cessar-Fogo em Baltimore,
when you hear the word "cease-fire."
ao ouvirmos "cessar-fogo".
o Desafio da Paz em Baltimore.
Peace Challenge was born.
de não ser violento,
not being violent.
are you not saying out of your mouth?
não saem da nossa boca?
perante o conflito?
in your behaviors to conflict?
the organizing squad.
o pelotão organizador.
I want you to yell "squad."
Happy birthday, Shellers.
que aquilo ainda não era uma notícia.
this is not really a story yet,
to see how the cease-fire went.
para ver como correu o cessar-fogo.
Oh, all right then."
to the PayPal account
para a conta PayPal,
folhetos e pósteres.
os folhetos e os pósteres,
conversations with each other.
a conversar umas com as outras.
What are you going through?
O que é que estão a fazer?
of violence in this country.
as raízes da violência neste país.
não iria funcionar, acabavam a frase
still ended their sentence
Somebody needs to do something anyway."
in the streets all day asked,
o dia todo, pediam:
to put it on my wall at night
para pôr na parede, à noite,
violence is not going to come from,
de onde a violência não virá
com o Desafio da Paz."
to the Peace Challenge."
vai matar à esquerda ou à direita",
over West or over East,"
trata-se de autodeterminação.
It's about self-determination, yo.
manter a segurança
this three- or six-block radius safe?"
aqui ficará tudo em segurança."
And they kept their promise.
I'm holding up five fingers,
por isso, são quatro -
so this is four for me --
sobre o Cessar-fogo em Baltimore.
about the Baltimore Ceasefire,
se juntaram e fizeram uma canção
came together and made a song,
for a Grammy out here. Right?
para um Grammy.
corners of crack houses
de casas de "crack"
dos escritórios dos políticos
of politicians' offices,
Baltimore was doing together. Right?
estava a fazer, em conjunto.
pessoas a gritar:
people yelling "Happy Ceasefire Day!"
expunged and got jobs,
cadastros limpos e arranjaram trabalho.
into drug recovery programs
de recuperação da droga
in our city that weekend.
na nossa cidade, no fim de semana.
feels different in Baltimore.
"O ar de Baltimore está diferente".
um telefonema, naquela noite".
got that phone call last night.
arranjar emprego
"We gon' be alright. We gon' be alright."
de que alguém tinha sido morto.
but it turned out to be Trey.
mas acabámos por saber que era Trey.
olhámos para o chão e dissemos:
because we make it so,
porque assim o tornámos,
where people lose their lives to violence
perdem a vida pela violência,
upholding Trey and his transition
Trey e a sua passagem
e pensar seriamente no que se sentirá
think about what must it feel like
we will not heal this epidemic.
não vamos curar esta epidemia.
recebemos outra chamada.
our hearts together
os nossos corações, juntos,
estavam destroçados, juntos.
about the fact that last weekend,
quanto ao facto de que,
pela violência, no fim de semana passado,
this weekend when we lost these two,
em que perdemos só aqueles dois,
um juramento a nós mesmos,
when we lose people in our city.
quando perdermos vidas em Baltimore.
to vibrate higher and to move forward.
a vibrar mais alto e a seguir em frente.
para o Cessar-Fogo em Baltimore 365,
into Baltimore Ceasefire 365,
to be done all year,
no próximo fim de semana,
happening next weekend,
- marquem na vossa agenda.
Mark your calendar.
from all around the world,
get this work from Baltimore,
não precisamos de continuar a perguntar:
we don't need to keep asking now
of collective consciousness.
who misunderstood Baltimore.
was just "The Wire."
era apenas "The Wire".
mischaracterized it and misunderstood it.
interpretaram mal e não entenderam isso.
is Baltimore is the power to rise up,
é que Baltimore tem o poder de erguer-se
we see you, America,
vemos-te, EUA,
tentando deitar-nos ao chão,
trying to beat us into the ground,
all over this country just like us
em todo o mundo, parecidas com a nossa,
through no fault of their own,
for how they live.
pela forma como vivem.
of what you can do when you say,
do que podemos fazer, quando dizemos:
these conditions
essas condições
vision of myself looks like.
a visão que tenho de mim mesmo".
com um dilema, com problema, digam:
with a problem,
is snatch my greatness.
é roubar a minha grandeza.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Erricka Bridgeford - ActivistErricka Bridgeford intimately engages with issues related to murder and violence.
Why you should listen
Erricka Bridgeford trains mediators, teaches conflict resolution skills, co-organizes a movement that rallies Baltimore City to avoid violence during three-day weekends and performs rituals for every person who is murdered in Baltimore. Her life has been impacted by murder since she was 12 years old, and she has been working for over 20 years to ensure that murder does not have the last say. From addressing rape culture, to advocating for death penalty repeal, Bridgeford's ability to influence social injustice is fueled by her commitment to transform her personal pain into "hope in action."
Bridgeford is the director of training at Community Mediation Maryland, co-founder and co-organizer of Baltimore Ceasefire 365 and an inspirational speaker. Her awards and recognitions include: Outstanding Volunteer Contribution to Victim's Services by the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention (2015), Best Baltimorean by City Paper (2017), Peacemaker of the Year by Baltimore Community Mediation Center (2017) and Marylander of the Year by The Baltimore Sun (2017).
Erricka Bridgeford | Speaker | TED.com