VOA慢速英语2018 美国跨种族婚姻直到1967才合法

Mixed-Race Marriage Illegal in the US Until 1967

This case goes all the way back to the 1691. At that time, the colony¹ of Virginia said people of different races could not get married. Restrictions² against interracial marriage remained in effect well into the 20th century.

这起案例可以追溯到1691年。当时，弗吉尼亚州殖民地宣称，不同种族的人们不能结婚。对跨种族婚姻的限制一直到进入20世纪仍然有效。

The restrictions did not prevent two Virginians, named Richard and Mildred, from falling in love. Richard’s family was white. Mildred’s was a mix. In 1958, Richard and Mildred went to Washington, D.C. Interracial marriage was legal there, and the couple wed³. Then, they returned to the small town in Virginia where they lived.

这些限制并未能阻止名为理查德和米尔德里德的两位弗吉尼亚人坠入爱河。理查德是白人，米尔德里德是混血儿。1958年，理查德和米尔德里德前往了华盛顿特区，在那里跨种族婚姻合法，这对情侣结了婚。然后他们回到了自己居住的弗吉尼亚州的小镇。

Five weeks later, police came into their house in the middle of the night and took them to jail⁴. Richard and Mildred were ordered to leave Virginia.

五个星期之后，警察在半夜闯入了他们家，并把他们送进了监狱。理查德和米尔德里德被命令离开弗吉尼亚州。

The couple settled in Washington, D.C., and had three children. But they missed their friends, family and home. So they took their case to the Supreme⁵ Court.

这对夫妇在华盛顿特区定居，并生了三个孩子。但是他们想念他们的朋友、家人以及家乡。所以他们将官司打到了最高法院。

Richard’s argument was simple. He said, “I love my wife, and it is just unfair that I can’t live with her in Virginia.”

理查德的理由很简单。他说，“我爱我的妻子，禁止我和她住在弗吉尼亚州是不公平的！”

The justices all agreed. They struck down laws banning interracial marriage, saying the U.S. Constitution permitted individuals, not the state, to decide whom to marry.

法官们也都认同。他们废除了禁止跨种族婚姻的法律，并称美国宪法允许个人决定跟谁结婚，而不是由州来决定。

By the way, the couple’s last name? Loving. The case is known as Loving versus⁶ Virginia.

顺便说一句，这对夫妇姓什么？他们姓洛文（Loving）。这起案件被称之为洛文告弗吉尼亚州案。

Words in This Story

interracial - adj. involving people of different races

versus - prep. used to indicate the two groups that are opposed to each other in a legal case

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1 colony   

n.殖民地；(同类人的)聚居地

参考例句：

• There lived a colony of bees on the tree.树上生活着一群蜜蜂。
• They live in an artists'colony.他们住在艺术家聚居区。

2 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

3 wed   

v.娶，嫁，与…结婚

参考例句：

• The couple eventually wed after three year engagement.这对夫妇在订婚三年后终于结婚了。
• The prince was very determined to wed one of the king's daughters.王子下定决心要娶国王的其中一位女儿。

4 jail   

n.监狱，看守所；vt.监禁，拘留

参考例句：

• The castle had been used as a jail.这城堡曾用作监狱。
• If she carries on shoplifting,she'll end up in jail.她如果还在店铺里偷东西，最终会被抓进监狱的。

5 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

6 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。