美国国家公共电台 NPR Actor Who Came Out As Undocumented Is Fighting For Hollywood To Stand With DACA

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

We have another story about the Obama-era government program to shield people from deportation¹ if they came here illegally as children. It's called the Deferred² Action for Childhood Arrivals program or DACA. We've heard a number of stories from DACA recipients⁴ over the past few months since the Trump⁵ administration announced it would not take new applications for DACA and would end the program unless Congress chooses to act. In particular, we've heard from many students who have talked about how hard it is to concentrate on studying while worrying if they'll be able to finish their degrees. Now, we have a different story from someone whose face and voice you might know.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE GOOD PLACE")

BAMBADJAN BAMBA: (As Bambadjan) Would a hug make you feel better?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: (As character) No, I don't think that it would.

BAMBA: (As Bambadjan) Oh, too late - you're getting one.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: (As character) Thanks Bambadjan, that does make me feel better.

MARTIN: That's Bambadjan Bamba. He's got a recurring⁶ role on the NBC show "The Good Place." And he's also in the upcoming Marvel⁷ film "Black Panther." But this week, Bambadjan also revealed that he is undocumented, a DACA recipient³. And Bambadjan Bamba joins us now from our studios at NPR West in Culver City, Calif. Welcome. Thank you so much for speaking with us.

BAMBA: Oh, my God. Thank you for having me.

MARTIN: Well, so why now? What made you decide to reveal your status as undocumented now?

BAMBA: Well, when the administration decided⁸ that they wanted to cancel DACA, I just knew that I couldn't sit back anymore. I had to join the fight. And I just wanted to let people know what my immigration status was, which, you know, like you said, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in which it gave me the work permit that I needed to continue working. And as you know, we need congressional action right now or else my status and the status of 800,000 other young people is going to be in limbo⁹.

MARTIN: So tell me how and why your family came to the U.S. And do you remember when you found out that you were undocumented and what that meant? I understand that you came here when you were 10, if I have that right?

BAMBA: Yeah. I came when I was 10, with my parents, from Ivory Coast. And we were fleeing political persecution¹⁰. And what I do remember was, as a kid, we were filing for political asylum¹¹. So when I tried to go to college and I wanted to become an actor, I realized I couldn't get any financial aid. So that's when I had a conversation with my parents, and then they told me. And I was like, oh, my God, what am I going to do? Am I going to pursue my dream? I just knew in my heart that it had to do with my purpose to be an actor. So I drove cabs in New York City, hustled¹², hustled, hustled all the way to the point where I am today.

MARTIN: As we mentioned in the introduction, we've heard a lot from students who are DACA recipients. They're worried about getting deported¹³ before they finish school, going to a country that they've never lived in or don't remember. And I was just wondering what it's like for you as an actor while also having that kind of gnawing¹⁴ thing around your status in the background?

BAMBA: Yeah. I mean, it's challenging. As an actor, the hardest part is booking the role. But for me, I'm like - I was living with the shame, this fear, this anxiety of being undocumented and, you know, an uncertain future. So that is an overwhelming weight you kind of have to carry on top of trying to be the character and booking the role. And, you know, sometimes you book a role and you have to travel and you're not sure how you're going to come back. So this whole thing is really to get Hollywood to stand behind immigrants. There are immigrants that are working at every level in the industry. I just want Hollywood, the studios, people with influence to stand with us right now because it's so critical.

MARTIN: Well, how does it feel now that the secret is out?

BAMBA: Well, I have to say, there's like this relief that, oh, thank God, like, I was almost crumbling¹⁵ under this weight, right? But at the same time, it comes with consequences. I don't know if I'm going to continue working in Hollywood. I have no idea. Next year, DACA will end if Congress doesn't pass the legislation. So I don't know if I'm going to be here or if I'm going to be separated from my family. You know, I'm a young father now. I have a 1-year-old. So I just can't be in fear anymore. It's liberating¹⁶, so I'm just ready for the fight.

MARTIN: Before we let you go though, I do have to ask. There are those who do believe you're doing something wrong by being here. There are those who argue, look, if you're not here through proper channels, then you shouldn't be here. There are others who say, look, you're taking work from people who were born here legally who should have first crack at it. What do you say to that?

BAMBA: Well, I say, look. I'm not expecting anything other than what this country has promised me, that I have the right to life, to liberty and the pursuit of happiness, right? So one, it wasn't my decision to come - two, because the system is so broken and it took so long. Eventually, when the asylum was approved, I had to be left out because I was over 21. To me, that doesn't make sense. I mean, America decided to give us a chance, give the DREAMers a chance when Obama passed DACA.

And now, we've shown that we've gone above and beyond. And now to say, OK, well, you went above and beyond but we're going to take that away from you, it's unfair. It's not what I believe America is. I believe most Americans, most of my friends, people in my industry want the DREAM Act to pass, want DACA to have a real solution. So I guess that's what I have to say.

MARTIN: That's Bambadjan Bamba. He's got a recurring role on the NBC show "The Good Place." And he's also in the upcoming Marvel film "Black Panther." He's speaking with us from NPR West about his recent decision to come out as an undocumented person. Bambadjan Bamba, thanks so much for speaking with us.

BAMBA: Oh, my God. Thank you so much for amplifying¹⁷ this message.

1 deportation   

n.驱逐，放逐

参考例句：

• The government issued a deportation order against the four men.政府发出了对那4名男子的驱逐令。
• Years ago convicted criminals in England could face deportation to Australia.很多年以前，英国已定罪的犯人可能被驱逐到澳大利亚。

2 deferred   

adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从

参考例句：

• The department deferred the decision for six months. 这个部门推迟了六个月才作决定。
• a tax-deferred savings plan 延税储蓄计划

3 recipient   

a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器

参考例句：

• Please check that you have a valid email certificate for each recipient. 请检查是否对每个接收者都有有效的电子邮件证书。
• Colombia is the biggest U . S aid recipient in Latin America. 哥伦比亚是美国在拉丁美洲最大的援助对象。

4 recipients   

adj.接受的；受领的；容纳的；愿意接受的n.收件人；接受者；受领者；接受器

参考例句：

• The recipients of the prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者的姓名登在报上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The recipients of prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者名单登在报上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

6 recurring   

adj.往复的，再次发生的

参考例句：

• This kind of problem is recurring often. 这类问题经常发生。
• For our own country, it has been a time for recurring trial. 就我们国家而言，它经过了一个反复考验的时期。

7 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 limbo   

n.地狱的边缘；监狱

参考例句：

• His life seemed stuck in limbo and he could not go forward and he could not go back.他的生活好像陷入了不知所措的境地，进退两难。
• I didn't know whether my family was alive or dead.I felt as if I was in limbo.我不知道家人是生是死，感觉自己茫然无措。

10 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

11 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

12 hustled   

催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He grabbed her arm and hustled her out of the room. 他抓住她的胳膊把她推出房间。
• The secret service agents hustled the speaker out of the amphitheater. 特务机关的代理人把演讲者驱逐出竞技场。

13 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 gnawing   

a.痛苦的，折磨人的

参考例句：

• The dog was gnawing a bone. 那狗在啃骨头。
• These doubts had been gnawing at him for some time. 这些疑虑已经折磨他一段时间了。

15 crumbling   

adj.摇摇欲坠的

参考例句：

• an old house with crumbling plaster and a leaking roof 一所灰泥剥落、屋顶漏水的老房子
• The boat was tied up alongside a crumbling limestone jetty. 这条船停泊在一个摇摇欲坠的石灰岩码头边。

16 liberating   

解放，释放( liberate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Revolution means liberating the productive forces. 革命就是为了解放生产力。
• They had already taken on their shoulders the burden of reforming society and liberating mankind. 甚至在这些集会聚谈中，他们就已经夸大地把改革社会、解放人群的责任放在自己的肩头了。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

17 amplifying   

放大，扩大( amplify的现在分词 )； 增强； 详述

参考例句：

• Often they use borrowed funds, amplifying their gains and losses. 他们通常会用借贷的资金交易，从而放大收益或损失。
• An amplifying type (or analog) device, as opposed to digital device. 放大器类（或模拟）器件，相对于数字器件而言的。