美国国家公共电台 NPR--Historic racism creates barriers to beach access in towns across the country

Historic racism¹ creates barriers to beach access in towns across the country

Transcript²

Residents-only policies at many of the nation's town-owned beaches mean low-income people and people of color have less access to the shore.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

When I moved to the East Coast many years ago, I could not get over the fact that many beaches are off-limits to the public. A lot of beaches owned by towns along the coast have these residents-only policies. As Chris Burrell from member station GBH reports, that means a whole lot of people are effectively cut off from the shore, and that's the point.

CHRIS BURRELL, BYLINE³: Fredy Hincapie is looking out over the ocean from a waterfront park in Lynn, a low-income, multiracial city just north of Boston. This 27-year-old Colombian immigrant says when he went looking for a beach, the closest ones were either polluted or so crowded that parking lots filled up on hot summer days. Even more frustrating⁴, a couple of miles away in the town next door, wealthier and much whiter Nahant puts up highly visible signs prohibiting nonresidents from parking near its beaches.

(SOUNDBITE OF SKATEBOARD ROLLING)

BURRELL: Then Hincapie got clever, skateboarding miles from his city into this exclusive town so he can plunge⁵ into the ocean from its picturesque⁶ red cliffs.

FREDY HINCAPIE: There's this therapeutic⁷, like, tranquility.

BURRELL: Still, he worries that he doesn't really belong here.

HINCAPIE: Like, are the cops going to come? Even the neighbors usually are just like, hey, somebody's around here. Can you guys just get them out of here?

BURRELL: He says most Latinos he knows never make it to the coast, even though they can see it most any day.

HINCAPIE: They never touch the ocean because they just never thought it was possible or they could do something with it.

BURRELL: Boston sociologist⁸ Neenah Estrella-Luna isn't surprised. She co-authored a study this year that showed huge disparities in access to open space for marginalized communities all over New England.

NEENAH ESTRELLA-LUNA: Even where you have actual public beaches, protected open spaces, people of color are often intentionally⁹ made to feel unwelcome. It's very difficult to get there. These little signals that people experience are also a major barrier.

BURRELL: Massachusetts has one of the country's most restricted coastlines, much of it privately¹⁰ owned down to the low-tide line or controlled by coastal¹¹ towns that charge nonresidents much higher fees for entry or ban them outright¹². Wealthy shoreline communities in New Jersey¹³ and around Chicago have faced criticism for similar practices.

(SOUNDBITE OF FOGHORN)

BURRELL: Off the coast of Massachusetts on the island of Martha's Vineyard, reached most often by ferries like this one, the roots of beach segregation¹⁴ and racist¹⁵ housing practices lie hidden inside heavy binders¹⁶ on steel shelves at the local real estate deeds registry. Several deeds dating back as far as the 1920s include rights to nearby beaches, but language in the deeds mandated¹⁷ the homes were meant only for persons of the white race who are of the Christian¹⁸ religion. These racist covenants¹⁹ are illegal now, but as Estrella-Luna says, the intent behind them resonates to the present.

ESTRELLA-LUNA: You would definitely see it in coastal communities that have been persistently²⁰ white and also persistently higher income. It's part of the longer legacy²¹ of creating that sense of some people belong here, and everyone else does not.

BURRELL: Martha's Vineyard is now known for its upscale Black summer community, but the legacy of exclusionary²² beaches survives here. Its most outspoken²³ critic is Erik Albert, an African American innkeeper in the island town of Oak Bluffs²⁴. Coming out of his Victorian inn's kitchen, Albert says a pledge by leaders in a neighboring town to stand against racial injustice²⁵ after the George Floyd murder doesn't line up with its residents-only beaches.

ERIK ALBERT: If we're a community that sticks together, then you don't deny people from going to your town beach.

BURRELL: Other critics call these exclusionary practices a form of environmental injustice and say America's recent reckoning with racism is refocusing policymakers on widening access. Experts say California is one state moving in the right direction. The state funds programs specifically aimed at getting kids from marginalized communities to engage with beaches, surfing, kayaking or just exploring tide pools. For NPR News, I'm Chris Burrell in Boston.

1 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。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 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。

4 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

6 picturesque   

adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的

参考例句：

• You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。
• That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。

7 therapeutic   

adj.治疗的，起治疗作用的；对身心健康有益的

参考例句：

• Therapeutic measures were selected to fit the patient.选择治疗措施以适应病人的需要。
• When I was sad,music had a therapeutic effect.我悲伤的时候，音乐有治疗效力。

8 sociologist   

n.研究社会学的人，社会学家

参考例句：

• His mother was a sociologist,researching socialism.他的母亲是个社会学家，研究社会主义。
• Max Weber is a great and outstanding sociologist.马克斯·韦伯是一位伟大的、杰出的社会学家。

9 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

10 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

11 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

12 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

13 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。

14 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。

15 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。

16 binders   

n.（司机行话）刹车器；（书籍的）装订机( binder的名词复数 )；（购买不动产时包括预付订金在内的）保证书；割捆机；活页封面

参考例句：

• Propellant binders based on these materials have excellent mechanical properties and good performance. 用这些材料制成的推进粘结剂的工作性能很好，而机械性能则更为突出。 来自辞典例句
• The and inferior binders fabrication process has become much more important. 黏合剂制作工艺优劣显得更加重要。 来自互联网

17 mandated   

adj. 委托统治的

参考例句：

• Mandated desegregation of public schools. 命令解除公立学校中的种族隔离
• Britain was mandated to govern the former colony of German East Africa. 英国受权代管德国在东非的前殖民地。

18 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

19 covenants   

n.（有法律约束的）协议( covenant的名词复数 )；盟约；公约；（向慈善事业、信托基金会等定期捐款的）契约书

参考例句：

• Do I need to review the Deed of mutual Covenants (DMC)? 我是否需要覆核公共契约(DMC)吗？ 来自互联网
• Many listed and unlisted companies need to sell to address covenants. 许多上市公司和非上市公司需要出售手中资产，以满足借贷契约的要求。 来自互联网

20 persistently   

ad.坚持地；固执地

参考例句：

• He persistently asserted his right to a share in the heritage. 他始终声称他有分享那笔遗产的权利。
• She persistently asserted her opinions. 她果断地说出了自己的意见。

21 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。

22 exclusionary   

adj.排斥（性）的，排除在外的

参考例句：

• Play not finish, uncle fidgeting, cut exclusionary. 戏未演完，叔父坐立不安，仓皇退席。 来自互联网
• Procecutor: I am asking you to recognize the absurdity of the exclusionary rule. 检察官：我是在请求您认识到这个排除规则的荒谬性。 来自互联网

23 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

24 bluffs   

恐吓( bluff的名词复数 )； 悬崖； 峭壁

参考例句：

• Two steep limestone bluffs rise up each side of the narrow inlet. 两座陡峭的石灰石断崖耸立在狭窄的入口两侧。
• He bluffs his way in, pretending initially to be a dishwasher and then later a chef. 他虚张声势的方式，假装最初是一个洗碗机，然后厨师。

25 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。