美国国家公共电台 NPR--Biden, on first visit to Selma as president, attended 'Bloody Sunday' remembrance

Biden, on first visit to Selma as president, attended 'Bloody¹ Sunday' remembrance

Transcript²

President Biden marked the 58th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday march across the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Ala., when Black voting rights activists³ were beaten by state troopers.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Images of white officers beating civil rights protesters on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., was a turning point in the fight for voting rights 58 years ago. The day became known as Bloody Sunday. And yesterday, President Biden joined the remembrance events in his first visit to Selma as president. NPR's Deepa Shivaram traveled with Biden and brings us this report.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: What do we want?

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: Voting rights.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: When do we want it?

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: Now.

DEEPA SHIVARAM, BYLINE⁴: President Biden stood before a crowd of thousands at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge to deliver a message. Voting rights in the U.S. are still under attack.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: The conservative Supreme⁵ Court has gutted⁶ the Voting Rights Act over the years - since the 2020 election, a wave of states and dozens - dozens of anti-voting laws fueled by the big lie and the election deniers now elected to office.

SHIVARAM: Biden, who came into office just weeks after the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, has made protecting democracy a cornerstone of his agenda.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BIDEN: Selma is a reckoning. The right to vote - the right to vote, to have your vote counted is the threshold of democracy and liberty. With it, anything's possible. Without it - without that right, nothing is possible.

SHIVARAM: The commitment to protecting and expanding voting rights is one Biden made when he ran for president in 2020. But his proposals didn't pass in Congress, even when Democrats⁷ controlled both chambers⁸. Now with Republicans in control of the House, the legislation isn't likely to move forward. The stall has frustrated⁹ voting rights advocates and comes as Biden is expected to announce his reelection campaign - one he can't win without support from Black voters. In his remarks, Biden touted¹⁰ the investments his administration has already made in historically Black colleges and in infrastructure¹¹ and health care and how those laws impact communities like Selma, where nearly 85% of the population is Black.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BIDEN: We see you. We're fighting to make sure no one's left behind. This is a time of choosing, and we need everybody engaged.

SHIVARAM: Crossing the bridge, Biden linked arms with lawmakers and civil rights leaders.

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: (Singing) Ain't going to let nobody turn me around.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Singing) Whoa.

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: (Singing) Turn me around.

SHIVARAM: They chanted and sang and stopped for a prayer at the section of the bridge where, nearly six decades ago, state troopers began their attack. How Biden plans to tackle voting rights in the second half of his term is unclear, but his message to Selma was similar to the pitch he's making to voters. There's still work left to do.

Deepa Shivaram, NPR News, Selma.

(SOUNDBITE OF FREDDIE JOACHIM SONG, "DYING LIGHT")

1 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

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 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》

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 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 gutted   

adj.容易消化的v.毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的过去式和过去分词 )；取出…的内脏

参考例句：

• Disappointed? I was gutted! 失望？我是伤心透了！
• The invaders gutted the historic building. 侵略者们将那幢历史上有名的建筑洗劫一空。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

9 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

11 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。