美国有线新闻 CNN 美国庆祝马丁路德金纪念日 回顾美国民权运动

 

For many people in America, yesterday was a day off school or work. The holiday became official on the third Monday of January in 1986, after President Ronald Reagan had signed it into law more than two years earlier.

But in recent years, the U.S. government has pushed for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to be recognized not as a "day off" but as "day on", a day of service. The Corporation for National and Community Service quotes Dr. King's statement that life's most persistent¹ and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?

So, that theme joins the memory of Dr. King's impact on the U.S. civil rights movement.

REPORTER: Dr. King's legacy² of nonviolent protesting lives on. To get a better understanding, I took a trip to Atlanta's Center for Civil and Human Rights.

The center's LaTasha Smith provided the history lesson.

LATASHA SMITH, CENTER FOR CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS: So, in the 1950s, you also had the death of Emmett Till and how that really sparked the civil rights movement, because people were outraged³ that this young black boy was killed for allegations that were untrue and false, and his murder being so unjust and so brutal⁴ at the time.

REPORTER: Till's death pushed King and others to develop more unified⁵ strategies of protest. That included the bus boycotts⁶ and the lunch counter sit-ins across the south.

SMITH: So, we have the Greensboro sit-in at the Woolworth lunch counter and that's in the 1960s where student at North Carolina A&T sat down at white-only counters to protest the segregation⁷ that was taking place there.

REPORTER: Sit-ins like these were conducted by college students. They endured racial slurs⁸ and physical violence just for the right to sit at the whites only counters.

The sit-in movement was a precursor⁹ to the March on Washington. The march inspired many with its peaceful show of solidarity¹⁰ and amazing speeches.

But its leaders wanted more.

What was the strategy behind it? What were they fighting for? What specifically did they want?

SMITH: So, March on Washington was all about jobs and freedom and equality. What a lot of people don't know is that there were a set of 10 demands that were created and were drafted —

REPORTER: Here they are.

SMITH: — that were — that the protesters wanted to achieve.

REPORTER: Though much has been accomplished¹¹ since the march, at the time, opposition¹² to change persisted, and so did violence.

The Birmingham church bombing, Bloody¹³ Sunday, and the murder of the movement's leader set the country on fire.

1 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

2 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

3 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

4 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

5 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

6 boycotts   

（对某事物的）抵制( boycott的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Their methods included boycotts and court action, supplemented by'sit-ins". 他们的主要方法包括联合抵制、法庭起诉，还附带进行静坐抗议。
• Are boycotts for other purposes illegal? 至于用于其它目的的联合抵制行动是否也是非法的呢？

7 segregation   

n.隔离，种族隔离

参考例句：

• Many school boards found segregation a hot potato in the early 1960s.在60年代初，许多学校部门都觉得按水平分班是一个棘手的问题。
• They were tired to death of segregation and of being kicked around.他们十分厌恶种族隔离和总是被人踢来踢去。

8 slurs   

含糊的发音( slur的名词复数 )； 玷污； 连奏线； 连唱线

参考例句：

• One should keep one's reputation free from all slurs. 人应该保持名誉不受责备。
• Racial slurs, racial jokes, all having to do with being Asian. 种族主义辱骂，种族笑话，都是跟亚裔有关的。

9 precursor   

n.先驱者；前辈；前任；预兆；先兆

参考例句：

• Error is often the precursor of what is correct.错误常常是正确的先导。
• He said that the deal should not be seen as a precursor to a merger.他说该笔交易不应该被看作是合并的前兆。

10 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

11 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

12 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

13 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。