美国非洲裔男子乔治·弗洛伊德上月在明尼苏达州明尼阿波利斯市遭逮捕时因白人警察暴力执法身亡一事在美国引发全国性、长时间示威活动,活动波及的范围越来越广。
6月25日,雅虎音乐主编林赛·帕克发表了一篇专栏文章,标题言简意赅:为什么说现在到了用新国歌取代美国国歌《星条旗》的时候了。她给出的理由是:公然的种族主义内涵。
Yahoo music editor Lyndsey Parker argued in a column that "it might be time to finally replace" "The Star-Spangled Banner" because of its "blatantly racist" connotations.
帕克开篇说道,现在的美国国歌《星条旗》,看上去定错了调。她在文中援引历史学者和活动人士的话指出,美国国歌作词者弗朗西斯·斯科特·基与反废奴主义者有联系;此外,国歌中很少听到的第三小节部分还有有关奴隶的歌词。
America’s national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” seems to be striking a wrong note. Parker cited historians and activists who pointed to the national anthem composer's ties to anti-abolitionists and an often-unheard third stanza about slaves.
比如文章中就提到活动人士兼记者凯文·鲍威尔的观点:了解歌曲的种族主义遗留问题是十分重要的。
Activist and journalist Kevin Powell , says it’s important to understand the song’s racist legacy.
《国会山》网站对此事的报道:
雅虎音乐主编:也许是时候换个新国歌了
鲍威尔解释道:国歌作者诞生于马里兰州一个富有且蓄奴的的家庭,本人是华盛顿特区富裕的律师,并且和美国前总统安德鲁·杰克逊关系亲近。当时有针对美洲原住民和黑人的攻击——无论是自由黑人还是黑人奴隶——而弗朗西斯·斯科特·基也曾参与其中。
“The Star-Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key, who was literally born into a wealthy, slave-holding family in Maryland,” explains Powell. “He was a very well-to-do lawyer in Washington, D.C., and eventually became very close to President Andrew Jackson. At that time, there were attacks on Native Americans and Black folks — both free Black folks and folks who were slaves — and Francis Scott Key was very much a part of that."
鲍威尔表示,作为律师,弗朗西斯·斯科特·基还起诉过废奴主义者,既包括黑人也包括白人,可以说他“不相信所有人都能自由”。然而,每当我们(美国人)唱国歌时,都是对他的赞颂。
"And the fact that Key, when he was a lawyer, also prosecuted abolitionists, both white and Black folks who wanted slavery to end, says that this is someone who really did not believe in freedom for all people. And yet, we celebrate him with this national anthem, every time we sing it.”
帕克写道,《星条旗》来源于弗朗西斯·斯科特·基的诗,而诗是他在1812年战争(英美战争)中的见闻。原作的第三小节(现在很少演唱)则是公然的种族主义:
In fact “The Star-Spangled Banner,” based on a poem Key wrote about his eyewitness account of the War of 1812, originally featured a little-heard third stanza (while that version of the song is rarely performed today) that was blatantly racist:
佣兵与奴隶无处藏身;
逃脱不了失败和死亡;
星条旗继续凯旋飘扬;
在自由土地勇士家乡;
“No refuge could save the hireling and slave;
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave;
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave;
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
这首诗成为了《星条旗》的歌词,并于1931年成为美国国歌。
This poem later served as the lyrics for “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which became the official national anthem of the US in 1931.
那么……用什么歌曲替换现有国歌呢?帕克在文章中推荐使用《人人引吭高歌》(Lift Every Voice and Sing)。她在文章中介绍了一则新闻:纽约一位非裔-拉丁裔学生莉亚娜·莫拉莱斯,拒绝在其虚拟毕业典礼上演唱现在的美国国歌,并在接受《华尔街日报》采访时表示,考虑到现在美国发生的事件,如果唱了国歌,就是“和整个压迫有色人种的体系串通一气”。
This week, Liana Morales, an Afro-Latinx student at New York’s Urban Assembly School for the Performing Arts, refused to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at her virtual graduation ceremony, explaining to the Wall Street Journal, “With everything that’s happening, if I stand there and sing it, I’m being complicit to a system that has oppressed people of color.”
莫拉莱斯后来演唱了《人人引吭高歌》,这首歌曲被认为是美国的“黑人国歌”。
Instead, Morales performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a hymn widely considered to be the “Black national anthem.”
鉴于这些情况,美国国歌歌词作者弗朗西斯·斯科特·基的雕像就逃不掉这样的结局了:
ABC新闻网:抗议人士推倒弗朗西斯·斯科特·基的雕像
他是美国国歌词作者,也是一名奴隶主
报道指出,《星条旗》歌曲词作者,同时也是奴隶主身份的弗朗西斯·斯科特·基,其“雕像在旧金山的反种族歧视示威活动中被推倒。”
The statue of Francis Scott Key, who is known for writing "The Star-Spangled Banner" but was a slave owner, was toppled by protesters in San Francisco during demonstrations against racial injustice.
当然,示威中倒掉的雕像远不止这一个,弗朗西斯·斯科特·基也不是其中最知名的。包括乔治·华盛顿(George Washington)和托马斯·杰斐逊(Thomas Jefferson)等美国前总统在内的雕像,纷纷倒下。
CNN报道指出,这两人生前都拥有数百名奴隶。目前,全美范围内都在移除和推倒这些美国国父以及其他人物的历史遗留。这也是目前针对美国“系统性种族主义及不公”示威活动——“黑人命也是命”的回应。
Both Washington and Jefferson owned hundreds of slaves during their lifetimes. People around the country are reconsidering the legacies of the founding fathers and other historic figures in response to the massive Black Lives Matter protests against systematic racism and injustice.
全美很多城市开始移除纪念美国南北战争时南方历史人物的雕像和纪念碑,此外哥伦布的纪念碑也备受批评,因为这位探险者对待土著居民十分残酷。
Many cities have moved to take down statues and monuments honoring Confederate figures, and monuments to Christopher Columbus have been criticized because of the explorer's cruel treatment of indigenous people.
NBC波士顿频道推特报道,当地一座哥伦布雕像遭“斩首”。
据新华社报道,当地时间22日晚,美国警察和示威者在首都华盛顿市白宫北侧拉斐特广场发生冲突并对峙。当晚,一些示威者越过围栏试图用绳子拉倒位于拉斐特广场中心的杰克逊骑马雕像,警察抵达后予以阻止。随后警察又持盾牌组成防线,并使用胡椒喷雾驱散人群。
6月22日,警察和示威者在美国华盛顿白宫附近对峙。新华社记者 刘杰 摄 图源:新华网
杰克逊于1829年至1837年担任美国第7任总统,其骑马雕像被竖立在拉斐特广场,以纪念他在新奥尔良战役中指挥美军击败英军的事迹。美国媒体报道说,杰克逊生前拥有种植园以及上百名奴隶,这可能是示威者要拉倒他雕像的一个原因。
6月22日,警察在美国华盛顿白宫附近警戒。新华社记者 刘杰 摄 图源:新华网
25日,示威者打算推倒位于美国国会大厦东侧林肯公园的美国前总统亚伯拉罕·林肯的雕像。站立的林肯手里握着一卷由他颁布的“黑奴解放令”,身前是一名单膝跪地的非裔男子。
面对这样的情况,美国总统特朗普坐不住了。当地时间26日,特朗普在推特上表示,他已经签署一道行政命令,用于保护这些纪念物。
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Twitter Friday that he has signed an executive order on protecting monuments.
他在推特中写道,不仅保护这些雕像、纪念碑等,还要打击最近的犯罪暴力行为。“这些针对我们伟大美国目无法纪的行为,将面临多年的牢狱之灾!”
而据CNN报道,27日的时候,美国司法部门宣布将起诉4名此前试图推倒白宫前杰克逊雕像的男子。
The Justice Department has charged four men with destruction of federal property in connection with the attempt on Monday to bring down a statue of former President Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Park near the White House, the US Attorney for Washington, DC and other law enforcement officials announced Saturday.
特朗普在推特上也没有“罢手”,他一连PO出15张美国公园警察针对示威活动者的“通缉令”。
画风就都是这样的:
据新华社报道,美国国会目前正就如何处理邦联纪念物及标识等展开辩论,但控制众议院的民主党人和掌控参议院的共和党人在相关问题上存在较大分歧。
综合来源:新华网,观察者网,环球网,CNN,ABC News,The Hill,Yahoo,