美国国家公共电台 NPR DeVos Commencement Speech Draws Protests

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Today, the secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, is giving the commencement address at Bethune-Cookman University. It's a small, private, Christian¹ historically black college in Daytona Beach. This invitation has sparked an outcry, and let's talk about why with Anya Kamenetz of the NPR Ed team. She's on the line. Anya, good morning.

ANYA KAMENETZ, BYLINE²: Good morning, David.

GREENE: So let's talk about how this came about, Betsy DeVos being invited to give this commencement address.

KAMENETZ: Well, we don't know exactly why the president of the university, Edison O. Jackson, extended this invite, but he's made various different statements online. And he talked about the need to acquaint his students with various diverse viewpoints and to defend academic freedom. He's also interestingly invoked³ the college's founder⁴, Mary McLeod Bethune, who back at the turn of the century cultivated many wealthy white donors⁵, including the robber barons⁶ of the time.

GREENE: I guess it's worth stepping back and asking why it would be odd for this college to invite Betsy DeVos. And it goes back to some things that she said about historically black colleges and universities, trying to tie them to the school choice movement. She said they're living proof that more options are provided to students, they're afforded greater access and greater quality, but some people had real problems with that.

KAMENETZ: Right. So if this were any other education secretary, her invitation to be completely unremarkable. But back in February, you know, school choice is Secretary DeVos's number one concern. And in seeking to sort of tie the school choice movement to HBCUs, she really skipped over a very major point in the history of HBCUs which is, of course, that they were founded during the time the college were legally segregated⁷.

So they weren't - they don't represent choice. They represent in some ways the absence of choice. And that's not the only comment around HBCUs that the secretary's had to walk back. So it kind of adds up to a situation where a lot of advocates feel like it's - she doesn't have a concern. She has such a poor touch with the African-American community that it feels like an insult almost.

GREENE: Because these schools, I mean, come from a legacy⁸ of racism⁹, and she was saying they came from a legacy of choice. And a lot of people thought that she just didn't get it.

KAMENETZ: Absolutely.

GREENE: Well, what is the reaction now that she has been invited to speak at an historically black college?

KAMENETZ: Well, they delayed the announcement until May 1. And in that brief time since it came out, more than 50,000 people have signed petitions against it. The NAACP in Florida has called on the president of the university to resign. One alumna¹⁰ told me that people are really outraged¹¹. They feel that it's an insult to the legacy of the founder of the college. People are worried.

You know, they talked about DeVos's record on, you know, possibly favoring school choice and private schools over public education, her - some of the statements and policies she's put out about student loans are meaningful to this group because that - many of them are borrowers. One current student told me, you know, how can she relate to us? She has no experience in common with us.

GREENE: I suppose, I mean, this is an opportunity for her to address a lot of this stuff that's swirling¹², but what do we expect will happen? What are we going to see when she actually - what kind of reception will she get?

KAMENETZ: Well, the organizers wouldn't tell me exactly what they're planning, but they are using the hashtag #backstoBetsy on Twitter. And so perhaps that's a signal of what they may be planning.

GREENE: Almost turning their backs to her while she's giving this speech potentially?

KAMENETZ: Well, we'll see. We'll see. They were notably¹³ silent on the line when I asked, what exactly are you planning today?

GREENE: Notably silent, I guess that that is silence that might tell you something. OK, will be an interesting speech to watch and follow. Anya Kamenetz of the NPR Ed team, thanks so much. We appreciate it.

KAMENETZ: Thank you.

1 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。

2 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。

3 invoked   

v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• It is unlikely that libel laws will be invoked. 不大可能诉诸诽谤法。
• She had invoked the law in her own defence. 她援引法律为自己辩护。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

5 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 barons   

男爵( baron的名词复数 )； 巨头； 大王； 大亨

参考例句：

• The barons of Normandy had refused to countenance the enterprise officially. 诺曼底的贵族们拒绝正式赞助这桩买卖。
• The barons took the oath which Stephen Langton prescribed. 男爵们照斯蒂芬？兰顿的指导宣了誓。

7 segregated   

分开的； 被隔离的

参考例句：

• a culture in which women are segregated from men 妇女受到隔离歧视的文化
• The doctor segregated the child sick with scarlet fever. 大夫把患猩红热的孩子隔离起来。

8 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。

9 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。

10 alumna   

n.女校友，女毕业生 (pl.alumnae)

参考例句：

• I came across a old alumna in the street this morning.今天早上我在街上碰见一位老校友。
• My alumni and alumna are present at my birthday party.我的男校友和女校友都出席了我的生日聚会。

11 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

12 swirling   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句

13 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。