Martin Luther King- Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Written by B. Silverberg.

小马丁·路德·金 作者：B.西尔弗伯格

Introduction On the third Monday in January, Americans celebrate Martin Luther King Day. We honor a great African American leader who worked for freedom for all people. Who was this man who has a national holiday in his name?

引言 每年一月的第三个星期一，美国人都会庆祝马丁·路德·金纪念日。 我们缅怀这位为全体人民争取自由的伟大非裔美国领袖。 这位拥有专属全国假日的人，究竟是谁呢？

Growing Up in the South Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929. His father was a Baptist minister, and his mother was a teacher. Martin grew up in a busy and loving family. He and his sister and brother studied, took music lessons, and played sports.

在南方长大 小马丁·路德·金1929年1月15日出生于佐治亚州亚特兰大。 他的父亲是浸信会牧师，母亲是一名教师。 马丁在一个热闹又充满爱的家庭长大。 他和弟弟妹妹一起学习、上音乐课，还一起做运动。

In the South, African Americans had always lived under laws that were unfair to them. Before the Civil War, most blacks had been slaves to white owners. During this war, President Abraham Lincoln granted freedom to slaves by passing a special law. But even though black people were freed from slavery, Southern lawmakers passed new laws to keep them separated or segregated from white people.

在南方，非裔美国人一直生活在对他们不公平的法律之下。 内战之前，大多数黑人都是白人奴隶主的奴隶。 内战期间，亚伯拉罕·林肯总统通过特殊法案赋予奴隶自由。 可即便黑人摆脱奴隶制获得自由，南方立法者仍通过新法将他们和白人隔离开，也就是种族隔离。

These laws, called Jim Crow laws, deprived blacks of many rights. Black children went to separate, poorer schools than white children. On buses, blacks had to sit in the back seats and give up those seats if whites wanted them. Blacks were forced to use public drinking fountains and restrooms marked for colored only. In earlier days, African Americans were called colored. White people used drinking fountains and restrooms that were marked for whites only.

这些被称作吉姆·克劳法的法律，剥夺了黑人的诸多权利。 黑人孩子只能去比白人学校条件更差的隔离学校上学。 在公交车上，黑人必须坐在后排，如果白人想要座位就得让座。 黑人只能使用标注‘有色人种专用’的公共饮水台和洗手间。 过去人们称非裔美国人为有色人种。 白人使用标注‘白人专用’的饮水台和洗手间。

As Martin grew up, he learned from his parents and his teachers that the laws calling for segregation were unfair. African Americans were suffering from not having equal rights. Many of them were poor and could not find jobs. Martin wanted to help African American people gain full freedom and civil rights.

随着马丁长大，他从父母和老师那里明白，要求种族隔离的法律是不公平的。 非裔美国人因为没有平等权利而深受苦难。 他们中很多人穷困潦倒，找不到工作。 马丁想要帮助非裔美国人获得完全的自由和公民权利。