VOA慢速英语2020--抗议者瞄准了与奴隶制有关的雕像

The death of African American George Floyd while being arrested by four Minneapolis police officers set off protests and some violence across the United States. Some protesters have now turned to bringing down symbols of the Confederacy and slavery.

On Wednesday night, protesters brought down a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Richmond, Virginia. About 130 kilometers away in Portsmouth, Virginia, another group of protesters pulled down four statues that were part of a Confederate monument. A day earlier, protesters in Richmond tore down a statue of Christopher Columbus, set it on fire and threw it into a lake.

Around the world, protesters wanted to bring down monuments to people linked to slavery and colonialism. They include Christopher Columbus, Cecil Rhodes and Belgium's King Leopold II.

Confederate symbols

Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy. It is where Jefferson Davis led 11 southern, slave-holding states against the north during the American Civil War. After four years of bitter fighting, the Confederate states surrendered and re-joined the union. The United States approved an amendment¹ to the Constitution in 1865 that legally ended slavery across the country.

City leaders were planning to remove the bronze statue of Davis in a few weeks. But demonstrators chose to bring it down Wednesday night. A crowd cheered and police looked on. There were no immediate² reports of any arrests.

The Davis statue was not far away from a much larger monument of General Robert E. Lee, the military leader of the Confederates. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat³, last week ordered its removal, but a judge on Monday blocked any action for at least 10 days.

Confederate statues and monuments like those of Davis' and Lee's were not built immediately after the Civil War. Many were built at the turn of the 20th century and in the 1950s. The Southern Poverty Law Center listed over 700 such monuments across 31 states.

People who want Confederate monuments to remain have argued that they are important reminders⁴ of history. A spokesman for the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Virginia called the statues "public works of art" and likened losing the Confederate statues to losing a family member.

B. Frank Earnest said, "The men who served under Robert E. Lee were my great-grandfathers or their brothers and their cousins. So it is my family."

NASCAR banning Confederate flags

Davis' statue was brought down on the same day NASCAR, a car racing⁵ organization, banned Confederate flags at its races. The flag was a common sight at the races where fans young and old proudly displayed them.

Bubba Wallace, the only African American driver in NASCAR brought attention to the issue this week. He called for the ban saying, there was "no place" for the flag in the sport.

NASCAR said, "Bringing people together around a love for racing and the community that it creates is what makes our fans and sport special. The display of the Confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties."

The decision brought protests from Ray Ciccarelli, who wrote on Facebook: "I could care less about the Confederate Flag but there are ppl [people] that do and it doesn't make them a racist⁶."

More politics

In Washington, DC, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi demanded Wednesday that statues of Confederate officials such as Jefferson Davis be removed from the U.S. Capitol.

Pelosi, a leader in the Democratic Party, cannot order the removal of the 11 statues. She is urging the Joint⁷ Committee on the Library to vote to remove them. The Republican-controlled Senate also have a say in the matter.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump⁸ announced that his administration will "not even consider" changing the name of any of the 10 Army bases named after Confederate Army officers.

Two days earlier, Defense⁹ Secretary Mark Esper said that he was open to a discussion of such changes. The bases are named for Confederate Army officers, including Robert E. Lee and Henry L. Benning. The naming was done mostly after World War I and in the 1940s.

Trump wrote, "These Monumental and very Powerful Bases have become part of a Great American Heritage, a history of Winning, Victory, and Freedom."

I'm Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

symbol –n. an object, action or figure that represents an idea

monument - n. a building, statue, etc., that honors a person or event

bronze - n. a metal that is made by combining copper¹⁰ and tin

bitter - adj. causing painful emotions

prohibit - v. to order (someone) not to use or do something

display - v. to put (something) where people can see it

1 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

2 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

3 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

4 reminders   

n.令人回忆起…的东西( reminder的名词复数 )；提醒…的东西；（告知该做某事的）通知单；提示信

参考例句：

• The film evokes chilling reminders of the war. 这部电影使人们回忆起战争的可怕场景。
• The strike has delayed the mailing of tax reminders. 罢工耽搁了催税单的投寄。

5 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

6 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。

7 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

8 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

9 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

10 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。