社评0116 怀念民权运动伟人金恩博士

怀念民权运动伟人金恩博士

美国政府将每年元月份第三个星期一定為金恩纪念日， 来缅怀这位為民权运动终身奋斗的黑人领䄂， 曾经以一篇《我有一个梦》之演说改变了美国的歷史。

1963 年8月28 日， 超过二十五万民眾聚集在首都华盛顿举行了一次為工作和自由向华府进军之民权运动，得到全国极大迴响， 於是隔年通过了1964 年《民权法案》 ，规定对黑人 少数民族和妇女之岐视是违法，并结束了黑白种族隔离之政策。

今天我们在回顾这段歷史时， 我们不竟要感激金恩博士因民权运动而英年早逝 ，当年仅三十九岁。

休斯敦资深律师沈彦伟是六十年代初来到美国求学， 他当时正逢黑白种族歧视之时代， 因而目睹了时代之巨大变化 ，他的経歷是我们华裔移民之写照。

由于种族歧视及排华案之废除， 七十年代初才有大批华人能够移民或前来美国求学 ，直到八十年代大陆之开放 ，促始数以百万计之华人能来到美国定居。

今天我们纪念金恩博士之冥诞 ，追忆歷史之往事， 也真是 前人种树，后人乘凉。

                                    Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The U.S. government designated the third Monday of January as Dr. King’s birthday to be a national holiday.

On August 28, 1963, more than 250,000 people got together at the Lincoln Memorial Park in Washington, D.C. and listened to Dr King’s speech, “I have a Dream." With the great national response, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed to end the black and white apartheid policy and discrimination against colored people and women minority groups. This is the milestone for our civil rights movement.

When we look back at history, we all should be so grateful for what Dr. King did for all of us.

Our good friend attorney William Sim came to America in 1960 at the time of black and white racial discrimination.

Since 1964, after the abolishment of racial discrimination and the Chinese Exclusion Act, a large number of Chinese immigrants and students were able to come to the United States. Especially after 1980, many Chinese students and newcomers were then able to come here to be a part of this great country.

Today when we commemorate Dr. King’s birthday, we really appreciate what he did for us. Like the predecessors who planted the trees, we gratefully took advantage of the coolness.