新闻周刊:美国六月节是如何从白日梦变成现实的(2)(在线收听

For activist Opal Lee, it was a lifelong mission—five years ago, she walked from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., to urge lawmakers to make it happen.

对活动人士奥帕尔·李来说,这是一项终生的使命,五年前,她从得克萨斯州的沃思堡赶到华盛顿特区,敦促议员们实现这一使命。

While the majority of U.S. states recognize Juneteenth as a holiday and most hold celebrations, a national holiday was something 94-year-old Lee didn't think she'd live to see.

虽然美国大多数州都承认六月节是一个节日,而且大多数州都会举行庆祝活动,但是94岁的李女士认为她不会活着看到六月节成为国家法定节日。

"I've got so many different feelings all gurgling up in here," Lee told CBS DFW. "I don't know what to call them all.

李告诉CBS DFW,“我现在有千万种复杂情绪在心里翻涌,我不知道怎么称呼所有的感觉。

I am so delighted to know that suddenly we've got a Juneteenth. It's not a Texas thing or a Black thing. It's an American thing."

得知我们突然迎来了六月节,我很高兴。这不是德州的事,也不是黑人的事。这是美国的事。”

The effort to designate Juneteenth as a federal holiday gained renewed attention amid a national reckoning on race after widespread protests against racial injustice were triggered by the police killings of George Floyd and other Black people in the summer of 2020.

2020年夏天,警察杀害乔治·弗洛伊德和其他黑人的事件引发了反对种族不平等的广泛抗议活动,因此将六月节定为联邦假日的努力在全国范围内重新受到关注。

Nevertheless, an attempt to pass the bill last year failed after Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, objected.

尽管如此,由于威斯康星州共和党参议员罗恩·约翰逊的反对,去年通过该法案的尝试还是失败了。

He raised concerns about the estimated $600 million cost of providing another paid holiday for federal employees.

他对为联邦雇员提供另一个预计花费6亿美元的带薪假期表示担忧。

Johnson relented this week, clearing the way for the bill's approval after it was reintroduced in Congress this year.

约翰逊本周做出了让步,为该法案今年在国会重新提出后获得批准扫清了道路。

"While it still seems strange that having taxpayers provide federal employees paid time off is now required to celebrate the end of slavery, it is clear that there is no appetite in Congress to further discuss the matter," he said in a statement ahead of the vote.

他在投票前发表声明称:“尽管纳税人为联邦雇员提供带薪休假以庆祝奴隶制结束的要求现在似乎还是很奇怪,但国会显然没有兴趣进一步讨论此事。

"Therefore, I do not intend to object."

因此,我不打算反对。”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer quickly moved to pass the measure through unanimous consent, which allows approval without a debate or roll-call vote.

参议院多数党领袖舒默很快采取行动,通过了获得一致同意的法案,这使得该法案无需辩论或记名投票就可以获得批准。

Fourteen Republicans opposed the measure in the House, but it easily passed the Democrat-controlled chamber.

众议院有14名共和党人反对这项措施,但它还是在民主党控制的众议院轻松获得通过。

However, some have criticized the move as doing little to solve the material issues faced by Black people on a daily basis.

然而,一些人批评此举对解决黑人日常所面临的实质问题作用甚微。

They noted the Senate has yet to pass police reform legislation or the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act,

他们指出,参议院尚未通过警察改革法案或约翰·刘易斯投票权促进法,

a bill, named for the late congressman and civil rights icon, that aims to prevent states from carrying out voting laws that are potentially racially discriminatory.

后者以已故国会议员和民权偶像的名字命名,旨在阻止各州实施可能具有种族歧视性的投票法。

  原文地址:http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/xwzk/536358.html