7 Making a Difference

CHAPTER 7 Making a Difference Stevie's music reflected the things that were important to him. But in the 1980s he began taking a more active role in those causes. He played concerts to support peace rallies. He protested against the South African system of racial segregation known as apartheid. Stevie even made goodwill visits to foreign countries to help raise money for many different charities.

史蒂夫的音乐反映了对他来说很重要的事情。 但在20世纪80年代，他开始在这些事业中发挥更积极的作用。 他举行音乐会支持和平集会。 他抗议南非的种族隔离制度。 史蒂夫甚至到国外进行友好访问，为许多不同的慈善机构筹集资金。

Stevie felt especially strongly about one particular issue: that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday should become a national holiday. Many other people did, too. But several tries at creating the new holiday had failed. The cause was so important to Stevie that in the early 1980s, he put much of his music career

史蒂夫对一个特别的问题有强烈的感觉。 马丁·路德·金的生日应该成为一个全国性的节日。 其他许多人也这么做了。 但是创建这个新节日的几次尝试都失败了。 这项事业对史蒂夫来说是如此重要，以至于在20世纪80年代初，他把大部分的音乐生涯都投入了

on hold and spent his time trying to convince politicians to support the holiday. In 1981, he released a single called "Happy Birthday." In "Happy Birthday," Stevie sang: I just never understood How a man who died for good Could not have a day that would Be set aside for his recognition Stevie wondered how anyone could oppose creating a national Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Stevie gave performances and made speeches to support the national holiday. In 1981, he hosted a Rally for Peace Press Conference with civil rights leaders such as Reverend Jesse Jackson. In 1982, he led a rally in Washington on Dr. King's birthday that featured other stars such as singers Gladys Knight and Diana Ross. More than fifty thousand people attended. "Why should I be involved in this great cause?" Stevie

他把时间都花在了说服政客们支持这个节日上。 1981年，他发行了单曲《生日快乐》。 在“生日快乐”中，史蒂夫唱道：“我就是不明白，一个为正义而死的人怎么就不能有一天被专门用来纪念他。” 的一天。史蒂夫通过表演和演讲来支持这个全国性的节日。 1981年，他与杰西·杰克逊牧师等民权领袖一起主持了“和平集会”新闻发布会。 1982年，他在华盛顿领导了一场集会。 马丁·路德·金的生日晚会上，歌手格拉迪斯·奈特和戴安娜·罗斯等明星也出席了。 超过5万人参加了仪式。 “我为什么要参与这项伟大的事业？”史蒂夫

asked the crowd. "As an artist, my purpose is to communicate the message that can better improve the lives of all of us." Stevie could have made much more money playing concerts and releasing new songs. But for Stevie, it was worth it to spend his time working on a day to honor Dr. King. His four years of hard work paid off when Congress passed a bill creating the holiday. President Ronald Reagan signed it into law on November 2, 1983. Now, with Dr. King's birthday officially a national holiday, Stevie went back to work on his music.

人群问道。“作为一名艺术家，我的目的是传达能够更好地改善我们所有人生活的信息。” 史蒂夫本可以通过举办演唱会和发行新歌来赚更多的钱。 但对史蒂夫来说，花时间在纪念霍金博士的日子里工作是值得的。 国王。他四年的努力终于有了回报，国会通过了一项设立这一节日的法案。 罗纳德·里根总统于1983年11月2日将其签署为法律。 现在，马丁·路德·金博士的生日被定为法定假日，史蒂夫又回到了他的音乐事业中。

Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the leaders of the civil rights movement in the United States in the 1960s. The movement sought to gain equal rights for black people in America. At the time, black people could still legally be treated different from whites—for instance, by being forced to eat in different restaurants or stay in different hotels. Dr. King tried to change that by organizing peaceful rallies and demonstrations. In 1963, Dr. King gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech while standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968.

马丁·路德·金（1929-1968） 马丁·路德·金是20世纪60年代美国民权运动的领袖之一。 该运动旨在为美国黑人争取平等权利。 当时，黑人仍然可以合法地受到与白人不同的待遇，例如，被迫在不同的餐馆吃饭或住在不同的酒店。 金博士试图通过组织和平集会和示威来改变这种状况。 1963年，在华盛顿争取工作和自由的游行中，金博士站在华盛顿特区的林肯纪念堂前发表了著名的“我有一个梦想”演讲。 1968年，金博士在田纳西州的孟菲斯遇刺身亡。