美国国家公共电台 NPR Eyes On Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax As Gov. Northam Resists Calls To Resign

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Two political careers are right at the edge of change in Virginia this morning. One is that of Governor Ralph Northam. The Democrat¹ apologized for a racist² photo discovered in his medical school yearbook from 1984. But he then said the photo did not show him. And he has been trying to keep his job amid many calls to resign. The other career right on the edge is the man who would take charge if Northam is pushed out. Lieutenant³ Governor Justin Fairfax is only the second African-American elected statewide in Virginia history. NPR's Brakkton Booker has this profile.

BRAKKTON BOOKER, BYLINE⁴: Even before Justin Fairfax won his last election, he was getting a lot of buzz. Here's former President Barack Obama telling a Richmond crowd in 2017 that Justin Fairfax would make Virginia proud.

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BARACK OBAMA: Justin went to college, went to law school, gave over his life to public service just to make sure that any striving young kid could have the same chances he did.

(CHEERING)

BOOKER: At his victory speech a few weeks later, Justin Fairfax thanked two titans of Virginia politics. The first, Linwood Holton - he's the Republican governor who took office in 1970 and helped put an end to segregation⁶ practices in Virginia. The other shout-out was to the only other African-American ever elected statewide.

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JUSTIN FAIRFAX: And I also stand on the shoulders of a great man, L. Douglas Wilder, who was elected lieutenant governor of Virginia in 1985 and governor 1989. And I thank him for his leadership.

BOOKER: Fairfax got his undergrad degree from Duke and studied law at Columbia, both on scholarship. His wife is a dentist, and they have two young kids. At 39 years old, Justin Fairfax is a lot of things Governor Ralph Northam is not - young, charismatic and part of a multicultural⁷ wave sweeping⁸ through Virginia's Democratic Party. Here's Fairfax speaking on WAMU's "Kojo Nnamdi Show" the day after his 2017 victory.

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FAIRFAX: Virginia will be the match that sparks the wildfire of progressive change all across this country. And I believe that that's what's going to happen.

BOOKER: Since the racist photo of Northam's yearbook page surfaced, demonstrations⁹ popped up outside the governor's mansion¹⁰.

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting) Hey, hey, hey, no governor in the KKK. Oh, oh.

BOOKER: Virginia Democratic Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner have called on Northam to resign. So have presidential hopefuls Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey¹¹ and Kamala Harris of California. Former Vice⁵ President Joe Biden has too, adding on Twitter that, quote, "Justin Fairfax is the leader Virginia needs now." For his part, Fairfax told NBC4 in Washington he hoped the governor would make the right decision.

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FAIRFAX: We're at this really important inflection moment in the history of Virginia and of this nation. And we need leaders and leadership that can unite us.

BOOKER: Fairfax assuming the role of uniter in chief may be just what Virginia needs at this moment. That's according to Rachel Bitecofer. She's a political science professor at Christopher Newport University in Virginia.

RACHEL BITECOFER: I do think there is a lot of symbolic¹² value from having Justin Fairfax become the state's governor at this particular juncture¹³ in American politics because, particularly here in Virginia, racial politics have just been so much in the limelight.

BOOKER: She points to the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville about a year and a half ago. Then there was this just a few weeks ago on the floor of the Virginia Senate.

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UNIDENTIFIED REPRESENTATIVE: Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate the 212th birthday of Robert E. Lee.

BOOKER: Elected officials paid tribute to Confederate icon¹⁴ General Robert E. Lee. As lieutenant governor, Fairfax normally presides over the chamber¹⁵. But instead, he sat in quiet protest. Fairfax is a descendant of a slave, Simon Fairfax, who was emancipated¹⁶ in 1798. He explained his boycott¹⁷ to member station WVTF.

(SOUNDBITE OF RADIO SHOW, "WVTF")

FAIRFAX: I want to be clear that, you know, my children, my grandchildren, you know, will not see me on videotape presiding over a motion honoring people who fought for a set of laws and a society that would have enslaved, you know, members of their family.

JEFFREY BOURNE: It was the right thing to do for him. It was the right thing to do for Virginia.

BOOKER: That's Jeffrey Bourne. He's a Democrat in the Virginia House of Delegates and a member of the black legislative¹⁸ caucus¹⁹. He says with that protest, Fairfax sent a message that racism²⁰ and bigotry²¹ are things in Virginia's distant past.

BOURNE: It was a great testament²² and an example of who Justin Fairfax is and who Justin Fairfax will be in his public service life.

BOOKER: He hopes the next call to service for Justin Fairfax will come soon when he's sworn in as the 74th governor of Virginia. Brakkton Booker, NPR News.

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

2 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

3 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

6 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。

7 multicultural   

adj.融合多种文化的，多种文化的

参考例句：

• Children growing up in a multicultural society.在多元文化社会中长大的孩子们。
• The school has been attempting to bring a multicultural perspective to its curriculum.这所学校已经在尝试将一种多元文化视角引入其课程。

8 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

9 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

10 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

11 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

12 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

13 juncture   

n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头

参考例句：

• The project is situated at the juncture of the new and old urban districts.该项目位于新老城区交界处。
• It is very difficult at this juncture to predict the company's future.此时很难预料公司的前景。

14 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

15 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

16 emancipated   

adj.被解放的，不受约束的v.解放某人（尤指摆脱政治、法律或社会的束缚）( emancipate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Slaves were not emancipated until 1863 in the United States. 美国奴隶直到1863年才获得自由。
• Women are still struggling to be fully emancipated. 妇女仍在为彻底解放而斗争。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

18 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

19 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

20 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

21 bigotry   

n.偏见，偏执，持偏见的行为[态度]等

参考例句：

• She tried to dissociate herself from the bigotry in her past.她力图使自己摆脱她以前的偏见。
• At least we can proceed in this matter without bigotry.目前这件事咱们至少可以毫无偏见地进行下去。

22 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。