Mr. President, today the nation mourns a genuine American hero. As most of you know, Rosa Parks died yesterday in her home in Detroit. Through her courage, and by her example, Rosa Parks helped lay the foundation for a country that could begin to live up to its creed. 主席先生，今天，全国都在悼念一位真正的美国英雄。正如各位大多已经知道的，罗莎·帕克斯昨天在底特律家中去世。凭借她的勇气和榜样力量，罗莎·帕克斯帮助奠定了基础，使这个国家得以开始践行自己的信条。
Her life and her brave actions reminded each and every one of us of our personal responsibilities to stand up for what's right and the central truth of the American experience that our greatness as a nation derives from seemingly ordinary people doing extraordinary things. 她的一生和勇敢行动提醒我们每一个人：我们都有挺身捍卫正义的个人责任；美国经验中还有一个核心真理，那就是一个国家的伟大，源自那些看似平凡的人做出非凡之举。
Rosa Parks' life was a lesson in perseverance. As a child, she grew up listening to the Ku Klux Klan ride by her house, fearing that her house would be burned down. In her small hometown in Alabama, she attended a one-room school for African-American children that only went through the sixth grade. When she moved to Montgomery, Alabama, to continue her schooling, she was forced to clean classrooms after school to pay her tuition. Although she attended Alabama State Teachers College, Rosa Parks would late -- later make her living as a seamstress and housekeeper. 罗莎·帕克斯的一生是一堂关于坚韧的课。童年时，她听着三K党骑马经过家门长大，时刻担心房屋会被烧毁。在阿拉巴马州的小镇故乡，她就读于一所只教到六年级、专为非裔儿童开设的单室学校。后来她搬到阿拉巴马州蒙哥马利继续求学，为了支付学费，不得不在放学后打扫教室。尽管她曾就读于阿拉巴马州立师范学院，罗莎·帕克斯后来仍以裁缝和家政工为生。
But she didn't accept that her opportunities were limited to sewing clothes or cleaning houses. In her 40s, Rosa Parks was appointed secretary of the Montgomery branch of the NAACP and was active in voter registration drives with the Montgomery Voter[s'] League. In the summer of 1955, she attended the Highlander Folk School, where she took classes in workers' rights and racial equality. Well before she made the headlines across the country, she was a highly respected member of the Montgomery community and a committed member of the civil rights effort. 但她不肯接受自己只能缝衣服或打扫房屋的命运。四十多岁时，罗莎·帕克斯被任命为全国有色人种协进会蒙哥马利分会秘书，并积极参加蒙哥马利选民联盟组织的选民登记活动。1955年夏天，她进入海兰德民众学校，学习劳工权利和种族平等课程。早在登上全国新闻头条之前，她就已经是蒙哥马利社区备受尊敬的一员，也是民权事业坚定的参与者。
Of course, her name became permanently etched in American history on December 1st, 1955, when she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery bus. But what's not as well known is that it wasn't the first time Rosa Parks refused to acquiesce to the Jim Crow system. The same bus driver who had her arrested, and had her thrown off the bus that day, had done the same the year before when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat. 当然，1955年12月1日，她因拒绝在蒙哥马利公交车上给一名白人乘客让座而被捕，从此她的名字永远铭刻在美国历史中。但不那么广为人知的是，这并非罗莎·帕克斯第一次拒绝向种族隔离制度屈服。逮捕她、当天把她赶下车的正是同一名公交车司机；一年前，罗莎·帕克斯拒绝让座时，他也曾这样对待她。
Some schoolchildren are taught that Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat because her feet were tired. But our nation's schoolbooks are only getting it half right. Ms. Parks once said: "The only tired I was, was tired of giving in." 一些学生在课堂上被告知，罗莎·帕克斯拒绝让座是因为双脚疲惫。但我们的教科书只说对了一半。帕克斯女士曾说：“我唯一感到厌倦的，就是一再屈服。”
This solitary act of civil disobedience became a call to action. Her arrest led to a then relatively unknown pastor, Martin Luther King, Jr., to organize a bus boycott for the entire Montgomery [bus] system. That boycott lasted 381 days and culminated in a landmark Supreme Court decision finding that the city's segregation policies were unconstitutional. 这一孤勇的公民抗命成为行动号召。她被捕后，当时还鲜为人知的牧师小马丁·路德·金组织了抵制整个蒙哥马利公交系统的运动。这场抵制持续了381天，最终促成最高法院作出具有里程碑意义的裁决，认定该市的种族隔离政策违宪。
This solitary act of civil disobedience was also the spark that ignited the beginning of the end for segregation and inspired millions around the country and ultimately around the world to get involved in the fight for racial equality. 这一孤勇的公民抗命也点燃了终结种族隔离的火种，激励全美国、并最终激励全世界数百万人投身争取种族平等的斗争。
Rosa Parks' persistence and determination did not end that day in Montgomery, nor did it end with the passage of the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act years later. She stayed active in the NAACP and other civil rights groups for years. From 1965 to 1988, Ms. Parks continued her public service by working for my good friend Congressman John Conyers. And in an example of her low-key demeanor, her job in Congressman Conyers' office did not involve appearances as a figurehead or celebrity; she helped homeless folks find housing. 罗莎·帕克斯的坚持和决心没有止于蒙哥马利的那一天，也没有随着多年后《民权法案》和《投票权法案》的通过而结束。此后多年，她一直活跃于全国有色人种协进会及其他民权团体。1965年至1988年间，帕克斯女士为我的好友、国会议员约翰·科尼尔斯工作，继续服务公众。她为人低调，在科尼尔斯议员办公室的工作并不是充当象征人物或名人出席活动，而是帮助无家可归者寻找住所。
At the age of six -- At the age of 74, she opened the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development, which offers education and job training programs for disadvantaged youth. And even into her 80s, Rosa Parks gave lectures and attended meetings with civil rights groups. 她在六岁时——不，是在七十四岁时，创办了罗莎与雷蒙德·帕克斯自我发展学院，为弱势青年提供教育和职业培训项目。即便到了八十多岁，罗莎·帕克斯仍在发表演讲，并参加民权团体的会议。
At the age of 86, Rosa Parks' courage and fortitude was recognized by President Bill Clinton, who awarded her the nation's highest honor for a civilian -- the Congressional Gold Medal. 八十六岁时，罗莎·帕克斯的勇气与坚毅得到比尔·克林顿总统的表彰；克林顿向她颁授了美国授予平民的最高荣誉——国会金质奖章。
As we honor the life of Rosa Parks, we should not limit our commemoration to lofty eulogies. Instead, let us commit to carrying on her fight, one solitary act at a time, and ensure that her passion continues to inspire as it did a half-century ago. That, in my view, is how we can best thank her for her immense contributions to our country. 在纪念罗莎·帕克斯的一生时，我们不应把纪念仅仅局限于崇高的悼词。相反，让我们承诺继续她的斗争，从一次次孤勇行动做起，确保她的热情像半个世纪前一样继续激励人们。在我看来，这才是感谢她为国家作出巨大贡献的最好方式。
In closing, Mr. President, Rosa Parks once said: 最后，主席先生，罗莎·帕克斯曾说：
As long as there is unemployment, war, crime and all the things that go to the infliction of man's inhumanity to man, regardless -- there is much to be done, and people need to work together. 只要失业、战争、犯罪以及一切造成人对人不人道行为的事物仍然存在，不管怎样——我们就还有许多事情要做，人们也需要共同努力。
Now that she's passed, it's up to us to make sure that her message is shared. For while we will miss her cherished spirit, let's make sure to ensure that her legacy lives on in the heart of the nation. 如今她已经离世，确保她的思想得到传播是我们的责任。我们固然会怀念她可贵的精神，但更要确保她的遗产永远活在这个国家的心中。
And Mr. President, as a personal note, I think it is fair to say that were it not for that quiet moment of courage by Ms. Parks, I would not stand here before you today. I owe her great thanks, as does the nation. She will be sorely missed. 主席先生，我还想从个人角度说一句：我认为可以公正地说，如果没有帕克斯女士那个安静而勇敢的时刻，我今天就不可能站在这里。和整个国家一样，我深深感激她。人们会无比怀念她。
Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor. 谢谢您，主席先生。我的发言完毕。
