公眾人物畢業(yè)演講(MP3+字幕)第82期:米歇爾奧巴馬迪拉德大學(xué)(8)

When an arsonist set fire to the school's library in 1877, they built a new one

1877年學(xué)校圖書館被人縱火后 人們又新建了一座

When those two original schools ran into financial troubles years later

數(shù)年后 最初這兩所學(xué)校碰到財(cái)政困難時(shí)

they started making plans to build an even bigger and better university

人們又開始計(jì)劃建立一所更大更好的大學(xué)

And in the 1930s, when white folks complained

1930年代 有些白人開始抱怨

that this new school would mean too many black students on their buses

這所新學(xué)校會(huì)讓太多黑人學(xué)生坐到他們的公汽上

the folks at the school got the city to add a bus line just for their students

學(xué)校這些人又找市政府專門開辟了一條黑人學(xué)生專線

because nothing

沒有任何事情

nothing was going to stop them from achieving the vision of those early founders

沒有任何事情能夠阻止他們實(shí)現(xiàn)早期建校者的遠(yuǎn)大理想

And finally, in May of 1934

最終在1934年5月

they broke ground for this school, Dillard University

這所學(xué)校 迪拉德大學(xué) 得以成立

a university that would go on to produce

這所大學(xué)注定會(huì)為我們國(guó)家

some of the leading thinkers and achievers in our country

培養(yǎng)出不少的優(yōu)秀思想者和成功者

And the day the cornerstone was laid for your library

在學(xué)校圖書館奠基的那一天

the President of Howard University spoke these words He said

霍華德大學(xué)校長(zhǎng)說了如下這些話

There lies in this Southland today

在這片南國(guó)的土地下靜靜地躺著

buried in unmarked grave many a black genius

很多名字都不知道的優(yōu)秀黑人

who would have blessed this city and this section of our country

他們祝福著這座城市和這片土地

if only his parents could have had before them

他們是多么希望自己的前人

the Dillard University you are now building

能夠建立起這樣一所迪拉德大學(xué)

And in the years since then, through segregation and depression

從那時(shí)起 雖然有過種族隔離和蕭條

through threats of violence and the floodwaters of a devastating storm

有過暴力和暴風(fēng)雨引發(fā)的洪水

students like you have come here to study and to learn

但像你們這樣大無畏的學(xué)生 聚在這里學(xué)習(xí)

and to carry forward those hopes and dreams

傳承著前人的希望和夢(mèng)想

And today, I stand before a sea of young geniuses

今天 我站在一片年輕才俊的海洋之前