VOA标准英语2010年-Islamic and Black US Communities Remem

Black Muslim leader Malcolm X (El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz), 26 March 1964, waiting for a press conference at an unknown location

One of the foremost, if controversial, figures of the civil rights movement in the United States was Malcolm X. He, himself, rejected the term civil rights, preferring to call it a fight for human rights.  Islamic and black communities in Chicago recently held events to remember his life, which they said was marked by transformation¹.

Once a controversial figure, Malcolm X, assassinated² 45 years ago, is now considered an icon³ in the struggle for black equality.

He was a leader of the black power movement and refused to renounce⁴ the use of violence by blacks in their own self defense⁵.

Malcolm X became prominent in Chicago which boasts the only US college that bears his name, Malcolm X Community College.

 Last week, a Muslim youth group screened a documentary about Malcolm X and put on an arts show about him in Chicago. It was in this city that Malcolm joined the Nation of Islam, an American offshoot of Islam that advocated separating the races.

Shamar Hemphill organized the screening and the art show.  He described his fascination⁶ with Malcolm X.

"Malcolm X is just bigger than the praise that people give him or even some of the bad negative media that he gets sometimes. He plays a role in all our lives and that does not just mean the African-American community, but also throughout the world," Hemphill said.

The movie and performances told the story of Malcolm's childhood as a victim of white supremacists, his early adult years as a petty criminal and prisoner, and then his conversion⁷ to Islam and rise to fame as a Muslim and African American leader, with the last name X that replaced his birth name. He said it had been imposed by white slave owners.  

Hemphill said the words of Malcolm X still resonate. "He was saying it is not time for griping or complaining, but it is time for people in communities to take action and step up as leaders and the men especially," she stated. "And when I heard that phrase, I felt like he was talking to me, even now."

Hundreds of people came to honor the man they call El Hajj Malik El Shabazz, the name Malcolm took after he made a pilgrimage to Mecca, embraced universal brotherhood⁸, and distanced himself from the Nation of Islam. 

Malcolm X , a 1992 movie, dramatized the last minutes of Malcolm's life as he spoke⁹ to followers¹⁰ in a New York ballroom¹¹.

In Chicago last week, artist Tasleem Jamila Firdausee talked about the legacy¹² of malcolm X. "He left that never-ending fight for justice, freedom, equality, to never give up and to be bold and speak what you believe and to go out and make it happen, not just sit around, like he said by any means necessary go out and make it happen," Firdausee said.

On stage, she performed in his honor.

 

1 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

2 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

3 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

4 renounce   

v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系

参考例句：

• She decided to renounce the world and enter a convent.她决定弃绝尘世去当修女。
• It was painful for him to renounce his son.宣布与儿子脱离关系对他来说是很痛苦的。

5 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。

6 fascination   

n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋

参考例句：

• He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport.他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。
• His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience.广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。

7 conversion   

n.转化，转换，转变

参考例句：

• He underwent quite a conversion.他彻底变了。
• Waste conversion is a part of the production process.废物处理是生产过程的一个组成部分。

8 brotherhood   

n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊

参考例句：

• They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
• They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

9 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。

10 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

11 ballroom   

n.舞厅

参考例句：

• The boss of the ballroom excused them the fee.舞厅老板给他们免费。
• I go ballroom dancing twice a week.我一个星期跳两次交际舞。

12 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。