又是一年畢業(yè)季,今年上臺的全是「她」。
For the first time in at least two decades, the majority of the nation’s top colleges are featuring women as their spring commencement speakers, a shift that industry experts credit to the wave of female empowerment that has fueled the #MeToo movement.
20年來頭一遭,今年全國大部分頂尖院校的畢業(yè)典禮的演講者都是女性。在業(yè)內(nèi)專家看來,這種變化是因為今年的#MeToo掀起了女性賦權(quán)運動的高潮。
Yale is bringing Hillary Clinton. MIT will host Sheryl Sandberg. Vanderbilt landed Amal Clooney, while Dartmouth chose Mindy Kaling.
耶魯請來了 Hillary Clinton ,麻省理工邀請了Sheryl Sandberg,Vanderbilt請了Amal Clooney,而Dartmouth選擇了Mindy Kaling。
Overall, women account for nearly 60 percent of the speakers at the 25 schools that have the largest endowments and traditionally carry the clout to draw big names to the lectern. By contrast, women made up just a quarter of the speakers at those schools over the previous 19 years, according to an Associated Press analysis of university records.
總的來看,女性在25所頂尖大學的演講者中占了60%。與之相比,在前19年中,女性只占演講者的四分之一。
Companies that are hired to find speakers say they’ve seen a surge in requests for women at the same time that the #MeToo movement has shed light on sexual misconduct from Hollywood to Capitol Hill. Demand has grown so quickly that some say they’re struggling to keep up.
負責演講事務(wù)的公司表示,在#MeToo運動一路從好萊塢到國會山揭發(fā)性騷擾行為的時候,對女性演講者的需求一下子變多了。
“There’s been a much bigger push to bring in white females, black females — anyone other than a white male,” said Richard Schelp, owner of Executive Speakers Bureau in Memphis, Tennessee, where 40 percent of recent booking requests from schools and other clients have been for women. “We’re digging deep into our reservoir of resources.”
「有一股巨大的推力在推動白人女性和黑人女性——而不是白人男性,」田納西州演講公司負責人 Richard Schelp 說,「我們正在努力開發(fā)資源?!巩?shù)赜?0%來自學校和其他客戶的訂單都要求女性。
Schools contacted by the AP said the #MeToo movement didn’t directly influence their decisions, but some said it might have been on the minds of students who help pick finalists. Many start looking for speakers more than a year in advance, competing for prominent figures that will impress alumni and prospective students.
一所AP聯(lián)系到的學校表示 #MeToo運動并沒有直接影響學校的選擇,但是有人說,可能是學生們的意志影響了最終的決定。許多學校從一年前就在物色人選,學校間在相互競爭能讓畢業(yè)生和新生印象深刻的演講者。
Speakers chosen this year include women from politics, business, athletics and the arts, and many reflect diversity beyond their gender. Film director Ava DuVernay will be the first woman of color to give Cornell’s speech in a decade. Raquel Bono, a vice admiral in the U.S. Navy and a Filipina American, will speak at the University of Texas, Austin.
今年的演講者有來自政界、商界、體育界和藝術(shù)界的女性,有許多人都顯示出了超越性別的特性。電影導(dǎo)演Ava DuVernay將是第一個在Cornell演講的有色人種女性,Raquel Bono 是美國海軍副司令,也是一名女性菲律賓裔美國人,將在德克薩斯州立大學演講。
As ceremonies unfold in coming weeks, experts say graduates can expect to hear speeches on equality, inclusivity and other topics that might have been seen as too thorny in the past.
畢業(yè)典禮將在下周陸續(xù)舉行,專家表示學生們可能會聽到關(guān)于平等、包容性等議題的演講,這些議題在過去被認為過于尖銳。
“Because there’s so much demand out there, I think they’re much more comfortable talking about this,” said Don Epstein, CEO of the Greater Talent Network, a New York agency owned by United Talent Agency. “The public is finally saying enough, we want to hear about it.”
「因為我們有需求,我覺得她們講這些內(nèi)容應(yīng)該很得心應(yīng)手,」Greater Talent Network 的CEO Don Epstein 說,「公眾終于聽夠了,想聽點別的了。」
Outside the richest schools, many of this year’s marquee speakers are also women.
除開這些有錢的學校,今年的許多其他大學畢業(yè)典禮演講嘉賓也是女性。
Queen Latifah is headed to Rutgers University’s Newark campus. Wesleyan University in Connecticut will hear from Anita Hill, who has become a #MeToo icon for her 1991 testimony accusing then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment.
Queen Latifah 將去Rutgers大學Newark校區(qū),Wesleyan 大學將會接受Anita Hill的箴言,她已經(jīng)成為了#MeToo的標志性人物,因為她1991年起訴最高法院候選人Clarence Thomas性騷擾。
It’s a stark contrast with past years that saw few female speakers. In 2007, for example, only two of the 25 richest schools chose women. In 2003, none of the eight Ivy League schools did.
這與過去幾年只能看到寥寥幾位女性演講者的情況相比截然不同。以2007年為例,在25所最有錢的大學里,只有2名女性。在2003年,8所藤校沒有一名女性。
Colleges say they strive for diversity but face tough competition for a small pool of speakers. And while more women have joined the speaking industry in recent years, experts say they remain widely outnumbered by men.
大學們紛紛表示自己也想爭取多樣性,但是能講的就那幾個人,競爭太激烈了,雖然最近幾年越來越多的女性也開始涉足演講領(lǐng)域,但專家表示男性數(shù)量依舊更多。
Bringing celebrity speakers can also carry a hefty cost — sometimes upward of $100,000 — leading many schools to seek alumni or others who won’t charge a fee.
邀請公眾人物來演講也會帶來高昂的花費——有時候甚至能到 $100,000——這就使得有些學校找校友或其他不收費的人。
Still, some schools have brought far fewer women than their peers. A handful of colleges have brought just three in the past two decades, including Harvard University and the universities of Notre Dame, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
但是,有的學校請過的女性還是比其他學校要少。一大把學校過去20年里就請過兩三個女性,其中就包括哈佛和圣母大學、還有密歇根大學和賓夕法尼亞大學。
Notre Dame officials said they look for a mix of speakers but are sometimes thwarted by scheduling conflicts. Still, they showcase diversity in other ways, spokesman Dennis Brown said. Class valedictorians, who also speak at graduation, have been women five of the past 10 years, he said.
圣母大學的官員說也希望有不同的人來演講,但和人家的時間安排有沖突。不過他們在其他方面顯示出來自己的多樣性,發(fā)言人Dennis Brown說道。畢業(yè)生代表的演講人中,該校10年有五位是女性,他說。
“Our graduates do hear from a variety of voices, including women and people of color,” he said.
「我們的畢業(yè)生確實聽到了不同人的聲音,有女性也有有色人種?!顾f。
In cases where schools don’t have speakers at their university-wide graduation ceremonies, the AP analysis counted less formal class day or senior day speeches that are typically organized by students. Yale, which has brought five women to its class day over the past 20 years, said administrators usually play only a small role.
也有非全校規(guī)模的畢業(yè)典禮,AP的分析人員認為,還有由學生組織的沒有那么正式的班級日或者畢業(yè)生日演講。在耶魯,過去20年的班級日演講者中有五位女性,這種宴會學校管理人員不太干涉。
A few colleges have brought a rough balance of men and women in recent decades. At Dartmouth College and Duke University, women account for 40 percent of spring speakers since 1999. Dartmouth officials attribute it to a wide pool of successful female graduates, along with some scheduling luck.
有一部分學校在最近十年里演講者男女人數(shù)大致持平。在Dartmouth學院和Duke大學,從1999年至今女性演講者占40%。Dartmouth官員認為這是因為學校有很多事業(yè)有成的女性校友,而且雙方時間不沖突。
At Vanderbilt, which has been bringing speakers for 15 years, 60 percent have been women. Provost Susan Wente credits the committee of students that helps pick finalists.
在Vanderbilt,15年來邀請的演講者,有60%都是女性。院長Susan Wente覺得這是因為挑選最終人選的是學生組織的委員會。
“That student advisory group is diverse amongst itself,” she said. “They have consistently produced a slate of finalists that are also diverse.”
「這些學生團體本身成員就很多樣化,」她說,「所以一直以來他們挑選出來的候選人也很多樣?!?/p>
Epstein, whose company worked with about 30 college commencements this year, said demand for women has been growing over the last year — and is still mounting as schools begin planning for next year.
Epstein 的公司今年和30所院校合作組織開學典禮,他說,對女性的需求從去年開始就在上升——從學校為下一年做的準備來看,這個趨勢仍在上升。
“I think we’re just scratching the surface here,” he said. “This is not a flash in the pan. This is a long-term issue that’s going to be around for a long time, until there’s real equality.”
「我覺得,我們只是隔靴搔癢,」他說,「這不是靈光一現(xiàn),這將是一個長期的過程,什么時候真的平等了,什么時候停?!?/p>