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(8)

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

1877年學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 最初這兩所學校碰到財政困難時

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

人們又開始計劃建立一所更大更好的大學

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

這所新學校會讓太多黑人學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

學校這些人又找市政府專門開辟了一條黑人學生專線

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現(xiàn)早期建校者的遠大理想

And finally, in May of 1934

最終在1934年5月

they broke ground for this school, Dillard University

這所學校 迪拉德大學 得以成立

a university that would go on to produce

這所大學注定會為我們國家

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

霍華德大學校長說了如下這些話

There lies in this Southland today

在這片南國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

And in the years since then, through segregation and depression

從那時起 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生 聚在這里學習

and to carry forward those hopes and dreams

傳承著前人的希望和夢想

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