I realized that my story stood in for all those who were expected to pick themselves up by their bootstraps, even if they didn't have any boots; that my organization stood in for all the structural, systemic help that never went to Harlem or Appalachia or the Lower 9th Ward; that my voice stood in for all those voices that seemed too unlearned, too unwashed, too unaccommodated.
Dei-me conta de que a minha história  substituía a de todos aqueles de quem se esperava que subsistissem mesmo que não tivessem recursos; que a minha organização substituía toda a ajuda estrutural e sistémica  que nunca chegou a Harlem nem aos Apalaches  ou ao Lower 9th Ward; que a minha voz substituía todas aquelas vozes que pareciam incultas demais,  sujas demais, exigentes demais.