VOA标准英语2010年-Barack Obama's Impact Still Felt in Ch

before Barack Obama became president, he was a community organizer on Chicago's south side

Long before Barack Obama came to Washington as a U.S. senator, then won election as the first African-American president of the United States, he was a community organizer on the south side of Chicago.  Residents, activists¹ and volunteers there say they are proud of his legacy², and hope others will add to it.

Boarded up windows and doors, police cars, signs to stop violence, young men standing³ idle are common on the south side of Chicago.

Rick, who gave only his first name, is unemployed⁴ and dejected.  But he remembers fondly the 1980s when Mr. Obama was in his 20s and helping⁵ people in public housing.

 

"I have been up on Obama for a long time. People in Chicago have been knowing Obama for the longest time, because him and his wife had been doing a lot of good things, trying to help out the neighborhoods," he said.

Rick says residents here could still use help from Mr. Obama, now into his second year as president.

"The city is in bad shape, man, bad, bad, shape.  Problems are unemployment, drugs, gangs, it is pretty bad out here, pretty bad," he added.

One community group working near to where Mr. Obama used to help is the Inner City Muslim Action Network. Ahlam Said is the group's communications coordinator⁶.

"We are working on a grassroots level to identify the issues that are going on in the community, and developing and cultivating leaders to take charge of their own communities and really changing the conditions that they find themselves in. And so that was something that Barack Obama did in this community," she said.

Said says even though Mr. Obama now holds the highest office in the United States, he should not lose touch with places like the south side, and people here should hold him accountable.

"There has to be this constant connection," she added.  "People have to constantly be analyzing⁷ the power structure, how that works, how that impacts their everyday life. We have to take ownership over people that we have put in office."

Salman Chaudry is an information technology manager in downtown Chicago during the week.  On Saturdays, he spends several hours at the community center to teach computer basics.  He says whatever Mr. Obama does as president, he has already been a successful role model for community work.

"I have been seeing it more and more, that more people want to get involved, not only in their communities, but in their state and local governments and try and do what they can to make this world a better place. And I think that every little bit makes a huge difference," he said.

While his class wrapped up, students for the next computer class, to be taught in Spanish, filed in, reflecting the diversity of this community, as well as its shared needs.
 

1 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》

2 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。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

7 analyzing   

v.分析；分析( analyze的现在分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析n.分析

参考例句：

• Analyzing the date of some socialist countries presents even greater problem s. 分析某些社会主义国家的统计数据，暴露出的问题甚至更大。 来自辞典例句
• He undoubtedly was not far off the mark in analyzing its predictions. 当然，他对其预测所作的分析倒也八九不离十。 来自辞典例句