西奧多‧S‧萊特
(THEODORE S. WRIGHT)

對有色人種的偏見
Prejudice Against the Colored Man

只有受鞭打的人才懂得皮鞭的滋味……只有戴鐐銬的人才知道鐐銬的傷痛。

西奧多‧S．萊特(1797一1847)是一名傑出的教士和廢奴主義者。他出生於新澤西州，在普林斯頓神學院受教育而成為第一個從美國神學院畢業的黑人。他曾擔任過紐約市黑人長老會教堂牧師的職務，是美國反對奴隸制協會的創始人之一。他為戒酒運動、教育、黑人選舉權和土地改革四處奔忙。

1837年9月20日，他在紐約烏提卡美國反對奴隸制協會的集會上作了以下的講演。會議通過了這樣的決議：「決議：我國所特有的偏見在信仰、集會和教育等諸方面將有色人種擺在了受歧視的卑微地位上。它還剝奪了他們在旅館、客輪、舞臺以及公共集會場所他們有權與其他公民一樣所應享受的熱情 有禮的待遇。這種偏見就是奴隸制的幽魂所在；它是惡貫滿盈的，必須予以譴責和消除。」萊特的講演是就這個決議而作的。

主席先生，我是以滿懷激動的心情站起來向大會發言的。即使沒有人要求我這樣做我也會當仁不讓的。我承認我本人對此決議甚感興趣。然而，只有受鞭打的人才懂得皮鞭的滋味，只有戴鐐銬的人才知道鐐銬的傷痛。要不是本著這樣的事實，我是不會發言的。

事情很嚴重，先生。當下存在著對有色自由人的偏見就像大氣一樣無處不有。誠然，在美國，在我們這個州，是有像我這樣黑皮膚的人，他們沒有受過鞭打，沒有妻離子散的遭遇，也沒有人從他們手上奪走《聖經》。誠然，我們可以到國外走走，可以享受國內的舒適便利以及家庭之樂，可以獨處私室，可以上教堂禮拜，可以允許勸告我們的子女和鄰人好自為之。但是，先生，我們依然是奴隸──鐐銬的傷痛無所不在地折磨著我們。由於現存如此偏見，大會的決議譴責奴隸制的幽魂，譴責現行的法律。奴隸制思想不以上帝之規對待芸芸眾生，無視人的道德和文化修養。在這種情形下，敗壞了的公眾感情就助長了奴隸制幽魂的猖撅和現行法律的肆無忌憚。這種幽魂使希望之花枯萎，並常常使黑人父母面對自己的子女而歎息，覺得他們還是不出生為好。一個黑人母親懷抱自己的幼兒時，內心往往充滿了悲傷。她想到的是，由於人們的偏見，自己的子女無望在這塊土地上成為有用之人。先生，這種偏見是邪惡的。

要是國家和教會明白這一點的話，我就不會對這種置有色人種的名譽於死地的偏見的影響發表任何言論了。這種影響奪走了我們的一切，伴隨著我們從小到大，使我們失去了獲利、成才、享有榮譽等所有機會，使我們失去爭取成為對世界和對我們自己的有用之材所有奮發上進的動機。

首先，它幾乎完全剝奪了我們通過掌握技藝本領來獲得各種利益的機會。一個黑人難有機會學一門本事，即使能做到這一點，在我們州的任何地方都難以找到僱主而發揮專長。多數大城市都有技工協會，它們設立規章將黑人排除出本行業。在許多情況下，即使我們的年輕人掌握了技術，也不得不因為在這個行業領域裏發展無望而低就其他的行業。

要是在我們這個地方黑人父母有受教育的權利，該多令人鼓舞！要是在我們這個地方黑人父母能讓子女入學掌握本領，該多令人鼓舞！然而，現在學校大門對他們是緊閉的。我就不用提及自己和其他黑人所遇到的諸多不便了， 儘管上帝也是按自己的形象塑造了我們。我也不用說明我們在旅行時碰到多少麻煩，別人是怎麼對我們輕蔑地皺起眉頭的。無論我們如何低三下四，也擺脫不了無處不在的窘迫難堪。

但是，先生，這種偏見是變本加厲的。它將人們摒棄於天堂之外。先生，當奴隸制將有色人種從大家庭中剔除出來剝奪他們的宗教權利時，他們就成了異教徒。人們要問，你們的基督教精神究竟是什麼？你們是怎麼對待你們的同胞兄弟的？你們口裏談論著未開化的人們並飄洋過海把《聖經》分發四處，同時卻把同胞拒之門外，這是什麼邏輯？碰到這種事情使我們痛心疾首……

感謝上帝，有一個振奮人心的道義在此情況下鼓舞著歷經踐踏的有色貧苦人── 「這就是：每個人的價值得到如實的社會評價；事實上當他們仰望天堂時，心裏明白上帝將他們一併視為蒼生之員而不論他們的種族和背景；處於羞辱與難堪，身受譏諷與蔑視之時，他們提起精神，滿懷希望：他們不久將獲得解放，像飛出樊籠的鳥兒，展開雙翅，投入耶穌的懷抱歡欣雀躍；他們將憐憫地俯隴那些蔑視奴隸，認為自己是上帝造就的人們，俯瞰那些蔑視自己、將自己等同於奴隸的人們。讚美上帝！因為他制定了《福音書》的道義。要是沒有這一切，要是新生活的曙光遙遙無期，我將不願繼續存活於世。──為了廢奴運動，讚美上帝!為了反奴隸制之戰，為了花崗岩石就要從它的基座高高滾下，讚美上帝!然而，只要有色人種被看成是劣等民族，人們就會繼續置他們的哭泣、呻吟和慘叫而不顧。

先生，身處這個協會我歡欣鼓舞。加入這個協會的那一天是我有生以來最感自豪的一天，我知道，如果今天要我去死，我會死得其所，死得泰然的，因為我明白會有人為了我的子女的事業奔走呼籲的。

我要通過你，先生，要求與會代表們抓緊這個議題。奴隸們想對我們說：你們對奴隸的愛到哪兒去了?你們對踩在你們腳下的黑人的愛到哪 裡去了?你們叫我們解放我們的奴隸，而你們自己卻在感情上奴役著他們，這樣，你們以你們的偏見看待他們，比我們用我們的方式對待他們，所造成的傷害要嚴重得多了。抓緊這個議題，我們就可以讓他們住口，他們在提醒我們根據每個人自身的價值，尊重人的存在，把黑人當人看，以表示我們對淪為奴隸的人們的熱愛。

Prejudice Against the Colored Man

Mr. President, with much feeling do I rise to address the society on this resolution, and I should hardly have been induced to have done it had I not been requested. I confess I am personally interested in this resolution. But were it not for the fact that none can feel the lash but those who have it upon them, that none know where the chain galls but those who wear it, I would not address you.

    This is a serious business, sir. The prejudice which exists against the colored man, the free man is like the atmosphere, everywhere felt by him. It is true that in these United States and in this State, there are men, like myself, colored with the skin like my own, who are not subjected to the lash, who are not liable to have their wives and their infants torn from them: from whose hand the Bible is not taken. It is true that we may walk abroad; we may enjoy our domestic comforts, our families; retire to the closet; visit the sanctuary, and may be permitted to urge on our children and our neighbors in well doing. But sir, still we are slaves--everywhere we feel the chain galling us. It is by that prejudice which the resolution condemns, the spirit of slavery, the law which has been enacted here, by a corrupt public sentiment, through the influence of slavery which treats moral agents different from the rule of God, which treats them irrespective of their morals or intellectual cultivation. This spirit is withering all our hopes, and ofttimes causes the colored parent as he looks upon his child, to wish he had never been born. Often is the heart of the colored mother, as she presses her child to her bosom, filled with sorrow to think that, by reason of this prejudice, it is cut off from all hopes of usefulness in this land. Sir, this prejudice is wicked.

    If the nation and church understood this matter, I would not speak a word about that killing influence that destroys the colored man's reputation. This influence cuts us off from everything; it follows us up from childhood to manhood; it excludes us from all stations of profit, usefulness and honor; takes away from us all motive for pressing forward in enterprises, useful and important to the world and to ourselves.

    In the first place, it cuts us off from the advantages of the mechanic arts almost entirely. A colored man can hardly learn a trade, and if he does it is difficult for him to find any one who will employ him to work at that trade, in any part of the State. In most of our large cities there are associations of mechanics who legislate out of their society colored men. And in many cases where our young men have learned trades, they have had to come to low employments for want of encouragement in those trades.

    It must be a matter of rejoicing to know that in this vicinity colored fathers and mothers have the privileges of education. It must be a matter of rejoicing that in this vicinity colored parents can have their children trained up in schools.--At present, we find the colleges barred against them.

    I will say nothing about the inconvenience which I have experienced myself, and which every man of color experiences, though made in the image of God. I will say nothing about the inconvenience of traveling; how we are frowned upon and despised. No matter how we may demean ourselves, we find embarrassments everywhere.

    But sir, this prejudice goes farther. It debars men from heaven. While sir, slavery cuts off the colored portion of the community from religious privileges men are made infidels. What, they demand, is your Christianity? How do you regard your brethren? How do you treat them at the Lord's table? Where is your consistency in talking about the heathen, traversing the ocean to circulate the Bible everywhere, while you frown upon them at the door? These things meet us and weigh down our spirits. . . .

    Thanks be to God, there is a buoyant principle which elevates the poor down-trodden colored man above all this:--It is that there is society which regards man according to his worth; it is the fact, that when he looks up to Heaven he knows that God treats him like a moral agent, irrespective of caste or the circumstances in which he may be placed. Amid the embarrassments which he has to meet, and the scorn and contempt that is heaped upon him, he is cheered by the hope that he will be disenthralled, and soon, like a bird set forth from its cage, wing his flight to Jesus, where he can be happy, and look down with pity on the man who despises the poor slave for being what God made him, and who despises him because he is identified with the poor slave. Blessed be God for the principles of the Gospel. Were it not for these, and for the fact that a better day is dawning, I would not wish to live.--Blessed be God for the anti-slavery movement. Blessed be God that there is a war waging with slavery, that the granite rock is about to be rolled from its base. But as long as the colored man is to be looked upon as an inferior caste, so long will they disregard his cries, his groans, his shrieks.

    I rejoice, sir, in this Society; and I deem the day when I joined this Society as one of the proudest days of my life. And I know I can die better, in more peace to-day, to know there are men who will plead the cause of my children.

    Let me, through you, sir, request this delegation to take hold of this subject. This will silence the slaveholder, when he says where is your love for the slave? Where is your love for the colored man who is crushed at your feet? Talking to us about emancipating our slaves when you are enslaving them by your feelings, and doing more violence to them by your prejudice, than we are to our slaves by our treatment. They call on us to evince our love for the slave, by treating man as man, the colored man as a man, according to his worth.