美国国家公共电台 NPR Emmett Till's Cousin On Reopening Of Case: 'An Opportunity For The Truth To Be Told'

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Before there was the talk, the conversation black parents have quietly had with their sons about how to avoid violent or upsetting encounters with police, there was the talk about Emmett Till. Emmett Till was a 14-year-old boy from Chicago who was visiting family in Mississippi in 1955, when a white woman accused him of whistling at her and making other sexual advances. He was kidnapped, viciously beaten and murdered. Two white men were acquitted¹ of his murder, but his mother's decision to hold an open-casket funeral caused Emmett Till's death to serve as a powerful testimony² both to the viciousness of white supremacy³ and the strength and the resiliency of those who resisted it. Still, no one has ever been held accountable for Emmett Till's death.

On Thursday, the Associated Press reported that the Justice Department has alerted Congress that it has re-opened the investigation⁴, citing new information. We wanted to talk about that, so we've called Deborah Watts⁵. She is a cousin of Emmett Till as well as co-founder and executive director of the Emmett Till Legacy⁶ Foundation. Deborah Watts, thanks so much for talking with us.

DEBORAH WATTS: Thank you for having me.

MARTIN: So, you know, people have known for years that the two men accused of the murder eventually confessed in a Look magazine interview. And it's hard to read, you know, even now. I mean, it - they make it very clear why they killed him, which is to keep black people in a state of terror. But they're both now dead. And then more recently, the woman who accused Emmett Till told a historian that the most incendiary parts of her allegations weren't true. So what would justice look like for you and for your family now?

WATTS: This is an opportunity for the truth to be told. You know, we'd love to have Carolyn Bryant to share her story publicly or to even have a conversation with our family, and specifically to share the truth with the authorities as this investigation moves forward. The wound is very, very deep. You know, the country and the Emmett Till generation, along with our family and others - this has impacted, you know, not only those of us in America, but across the world. So I think not only our family, but I think the public and relatives, other supporters and activists⁷ and others are just - we're just holding our breath that the right will be done.

MARTIN: You said that this has had a major impact on your family, and certainly it has had a major impact, you know, on the country. But I'd like to ask you what you think the legacy of his mother's decision to hold an open-casket funeral was. What impact do you think that had on the country?

WATTS: Oh, gosh. I think it was a huge wake-up call. It was like an alarm. You know, many individuals, particularly in the South, were living under this terror and terroristic act. Many young men, other young men, well before Emmett were taken, beaten, killed. There are probably bodies and the blood spilled of many others in Mississippi, Florida and Georgia, and other places that are like Emmett's that are still there. And so, what this did, it was a wake-up call to not only our country, but to the world that, wow, this is what's happening. This is the face of what hate looks like in our country, and what are we going to do about it?

MARTIN: Well, that's Deborah Watts. She's a co-founder of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation. She's a cousin of Emmett Till's, and she's kind enough to talk to us from Mississippi. Thanks so much for talking with us.

WATTS: Thank you.

1 acquitted   

宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现

参考例句：

• The jury acquitted him of murder. 陪审团裁决他谋杀罪不成立。
• Five months ago she was acquitted on a shoplifting charge. 五个月前她被宣判未犯入店行窃罪。

2 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

3 supremacy   

n.至上；至高权力

参考例句：

• No one could challenge her supremacy in gymnastics.她是最优秀的体操运动员，无人能胜过她。
• Theoretically,she holds supremacy as the head of the state.从理论上说，她作为国家的最高元首拥有至高无上的权力。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 watts   

（电力计量单位）瓦，瓦特( watt的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• My lamp uses 60 watts; my toaster uses 600 watts. 我的灯用60瓦，我的烤面包器用600瓦。
• My lamp uses 40 watts. 我的灯40瓦。

6 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。

7 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》