美国反战禁核抗议人士康妮去世在白宫前示威35年

White House Protester² Dies After Longest Vigil 美国反战禁核抗议人士康妮去世在白宫前示威35年

You probably saw Concepcion Picciotto if you visited the White House over the past 35 years or so.

She lived in a camp, in Lafayette Park, right across the street from the official home of U.S. presidents.

Picciotto was a peace activist³. Holding up homemade signs with anti-war messages, she kept a vigil in the park through rain and snow and heatwaves. She opposed war, nuclear weapons and violence against children.

She died January 25 at N Street Village, a shelter for homeless women in Washington.

The Washington Post says she had the longest continuous⁴ act of political protest¹ in the United States.

When she died, Concepcion Picciotto was believed to be about 80 years old. She was also known as “Connie” or “Conchita.”

She came to the United States as a Spanish immigrant⁵ when she was 18. Through the years she spoke⁶ English with an accent. The small woman wore a wig⁷ and a scarf over a metal helmet.

Walt Palmer worked for ABC News in Washington. Sometimes he was sent to the White House.

“I remember talking to her one spring day in the mid-1980s,” Palmer says. “She had particularly big hair. Asking about it, she removed the wig she wore to cover the cooking pot on her head to protect from the 'government X-rays.' ''

It was a story Picciotto told many people. She thought the government was trying to hurt her by aiming X-rays at her head. Only a few people would believe that to be true, and many people questioned her mental health. Others thought she had a clear mind.

Either way, she provided⁸ food for thought for people coming to see one of the most famous houses in the world.

Susan McQuillin Bonney works⁹ in Washington, D.C. In 2001, she took two children to see the White House.

“They were much more fascinated¹⁰ with Concepcion Picciotto and how and why she lived outside than they were with the White House,” Bonney says. “They asked her how she ate and where she went to the bathroom. She told them how a group of people took care of her and the other activists¹¹ on the vigil. I remember it was hard to explain later what nuclear weapons were.”

It would be impossible to know how many times Picciotto spoke with people passing by. But many people who saw her protest signs would talk about them. Some were even inspired by her peace vigil.

She was married once and had adopted a child with her husband, according to the Washington Post. She was separated from her family and the newspaper says she last saw her child when the girl was very young.

She met a man named William Thomas on the streets of D.C. Together they started the protest in Lafayette Park. Others joined them, including a woman who later married Thomas. He has since died and his wife moved away. Others have worked with Picciotto to keep the vigil.

U.S. Park Police rules say that a temporary shelter must be occupied or it will be taken down. Once, years ago, when Picciotto had let others stay at her camp, they left it empty. The Park Police took it down.

Eleanor Holmes Norton stepped in to help Picciotto. Norton is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Saying the Park Police action was “outrageous,” Norton picked up the telephone, called the police and had Picciotto’s home put back in the square.

Norton says Picciotto was successful in influencing efforts to limit the production of nuclear weapons. Norton says Picciotto is an inspiration¹² to her and her fight for D.C. statehood.

“She inspires me and the great struggle of the people of the District of Columbia for statehood, and she inspires all of us who want peace in this world, and a world free of nuclear arms.”

And what about the future of the vigil?

A spokesperson for the U.S. Park Police, says it can stay as long as it is occupied. And for now, the group of peace activists who had kept the vigil with Concepcion Picciotto are still there -- right across the street from the White House.

Words in This Story

vigil – n. an event or a period of time when a person or group stays in a place and quietly waits, prays, etc

accent – n. a way of pronouncing words that occurs among the people in a particular region¹³ or country

wig – n. artificial¹⁴ hair that you wear on your head because you are bald or in order to change your appearance

scarf – n. a piece of cloth worn around your head

food for thought – phrase. something that should be thought about or considered carefully

inspire – v. to make someone want to do something

helmet - n. a hard hat that is worn to protect your head

adopted - v. taking a child of other parents legally as your own child

according - adv. as stated in or by

1 protest   

v.反对，抗议；宣称；n.抗议；宣称

参考例句：

• I can't pass the matter by without a protest.我不能对此事视而不见，我要提出抗议。
• We translated his silence as a protest.我们把他的沉默解释为抗议。

2 protester   

n.抗议者；反对者；提出异议者；断言者

参考例句：

• The protester was jabbing a finger aggressively at a policeman. 那个示威者挑衅地用手指戳向一名警察。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Greek police arrested a protester during clashes in central Athens. 希腊警方在一场骚乱中逮捕了一名示威者。 来自互联网

3 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 continuous   

adj.继续的，连续的，持续的，延伸的

参考例句：

• She finally got in after 10 years'continuous effort.坚持不懈地努力了十年后，她终于当选了。
• We must be continuous to study.我们必须不断学习。

5 immigrant   

adj.(从国外)移来的，移民的；n.移民，侨民

参考例句：

• Life in the USA was very hard for almost every new immigrant.美国的生活几乎对每一个新移民都很艰难。
• I'd like to obtain some information about applying for an immigrant visa.我想取一些申请移民签证的资料。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 wig   

n.假发

参考例句：

• The actress wore a black wig over her blond hair.那个女演员戴一顶黑色假发罩住自己的金黄色头发。
• He disguised himself with a wig and false beard.他用假发和假胡须来乔装。

8 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

9 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

10 fascinated   

a.被强烈地吸引住，感到着迷的

参考例句：

• China has always fascinated me. 中国一直令我心驰神往。
• The children watched, fascinated, as the picture began to appear. 电影开始以后孩子们入迷地观看着。

11 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》

12 inspiration   

n.灵感，鼓励者，吸气

参考例句：

• These events provided the inspiration for his first novel.这些事件给了他创作第一部小说的灵感。
• What an inspiration she was to all around her!她对于她周围所有的人是一种多么大的鼓舞！

13 region   

n.地区，地带，区域；范围，幅度

参考例句：

• The students went to study the geology of that region.学生们去研究那个地区的地质情况。
• It is unusual to see snow in this region.这个地区难得见到雪。

14 artificial   

adj.人工的，人造的，人为的；做作的，假装的

参考例句：

• The new dam will form a large artificial lake behind it.新筑的水坝将会在后面形成一个人工湖。
• We don't use any artificial flavourings in our products.我们的产品不使用任何人工调味剂。