By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Earl Ofari Hutchinson is a columnist and political analyst.
얼 오파리 허치슨, 컬럼니스트/정치 평론가
Nearly 22 years ago, after a tumultuous 15-year battle in Congress, a fiercely reluctant President Reagan signed into law the bill that made Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a national holiday. He acted only after it was clear that the legislation would pass with or without his backing.
거의 22년 전, 국회에서 15년 동안 열띤 쟁투를 벌인 뒤 그렇게도 나설 마음이 없었던 레이건 대통령은 마틴 루터 킹 주니어의 생일을 연방 공휴일로 제정하는 법에 서명하였다. 그 법안이 자신의 지지가 있던 없던 통과할 것이 분명해진 후에야 서명을 하였던 것이다.
Reagan bought North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms' oft-shouted view that King was not just a noisy racial agitator but also had communist leanings. Reagan had barely signed the bill when he was asked about those charges. The Gipper couldn't resist a sly aside, "We'll know in about 35 years." He was referring to the contents of FBI surveillance tapes on King that a court had ordered sealed until 2027.
킹은 골치아픈 인종편견적 선동가라고 종종 떠들어 대는 노스 캐롤라이나 주 상원위원인 제시 헬름스의 견해를 레이건은 받아들였다. 서명 직후 그러한 주장에 대한 질문을 받은 레이건은 특유의 익살을 유감없이 발휘하여 "35년 정도 후면 알게 될 것입니다"라고 답했다. 법정에서 2027년 까지는 공개하지 말고 봉해 놓으라는 명령을 받은 연방수사국의 킹 감시 테이프 내용을 말하는 것이었다.
Reagan's quip, Helms' rabid opposition and the long fight in Congress sent the not-so-subtle message that King really didn't merit a national holiday. Legions of state legislators, local officials and business leaders instantly took the cue. Although the King holiday is an officially declared public holiday, a study last year by BNA Inc., a Washington-based business news publisher, found that more than 40% of state and local public agencies kept their doors open on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
레이건의 이런 답변이라든지 헬름스의 열띤 반대, 국회에서의 긴 투쟁등은 킹은 연방 공휴일로 오를 사람이 못된다는 분명한 메시지를 보냈다. 각 주에서 많은 국회의원들과 시 공무원, 기업의 지도자들이 그 메시지를 알아차렸다. 마틴 루터 킹 공휴일이 연방 공휴일로 지정된 공휴일임에도 불구하고 작년 워싱톤에 본사를 둔 기업 뉴스 통신사인 BNA사가 조사한 바에 의하면 주나 시의 공공기관 중 40% 이상이 마틴 루터 킹 공휴일에 근무를 한 것으로 드러났다.
And opposition to a King holiday is even deeper and more persistent among businesses. According to the BNA survey, fewer than three out of 10 give their workers the day off. Barely one-quarter of smaller, nonunionized companies grant workers the day off. By contrast, about half of U.S. firms give their employees a day off on Presidents Day — after King's birthday, the least-observed of U.S. holidays.
기업 쪽에서는 킹 공휴일에 더욱 반대의 입장이 깊고 지속적인 것으로 나타났는데 그 조사에서 전체적으로 10개중 3개 미만의 비율의 회사 만이 직원들에게 휴일을 주었고 중소기업의 경우는 25% 미만의 회사들 만이 직장 휴업을 하였다. 이와는 대조적으로 킹 공휴일 다음으로 가장 지켜지지 않는 공휴일인 프레지던트 데이에는 미국 기업의 절반 가량의 회사들이 종업원들에게 휴일을 준 것으로 알려졌다.
(번역 중략 - 마지막 단락으로 갑니다)
The prime business argument against the holiday is money — granting workers a holiday is estimated to cost businesses billions of dollars. This is a valid argument, particularly for smaller companies. But even if the expense were not a factor, many private businesses, public agencies and millions of Americans still probably wouldn't bother commemorating the day.
Why not? Most citizens probably don't agree with the Reagan-Helms idea that King was a communist, but they know he was controversial — in memory as in life, he needles us.
By the year of his death, 1968, King had strayed far from the goals of civil rights. He increasingly incorporated anti-capitalist rhetoric in his speeches and denounced American society as greedy and materialistic. He told friends and Southern Christian Leadership Conference staffers that he believed in "democratic socialism" for the United States. He expressed admiration for the writings of Karl Marx. He called the U.S. corrupt and demanded "a fundamental redistribution of the wealth." He accused the U.S. of waging an "imperialist war" in Vietnam. He was a thorn in the side of the government and many civil rights leaders.
But there is another, better explanation for why so many in the nation shun the King holiday. It is widely perceived as exclusively of, by and for blacks. The blizzard of tributes, proclamations and speeches on King Day are more often than not delivered by black officials. The parades and celebrations are held mostly by blacks. Most of the streets, schools, monuments, parks and public buildings that have been renamed after King are in black communities.
However radical King was, there should be no doubt that he is an authentic American hero. The civil rights movement, which he, more than any other figure, led and inspired, worked monumental change and forced the United States to at least begin to live up to its promise as a free and democratic nation. It increased civil liberties protections, expanded voting rights and produced a vast array of legal, social and educational programs that permanently transformed American society and enriched the lives of millions of Americans of all races and income groups.
Give your workers a day off this Monday; watch a parade, or better yet, join one; listen once again to "I have a dream." And make no mistake: Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. is honoring the best that America ever was. The prime business argument against the holiday is money — granting workers a holiday is estimated to cost businesses billions of dollars. This is a valid argument, particularly for smaller companies. But even if the expense were not a factor, many private businesses, public agencies and millions of Americans still probably wouldn't bother commemorating the day.
Why not? Most citizens probably don't agree with the Reagan-Helms idea that King was a communist, but they know he was controversial — in memory as in life, he needles us.
By the year of his death, 1968, King had strayed far from the goals of civil rights. He increasingly incorporated anti-capitalist rhetoric in his speeches and denounced American society as greedy and materialistic. He told friends and Southern Christian Leadership Conference staffers that he believed in "democratic socialism" for the United States. He expressed admiration for the writings of Karl Marx. He called the U.S. corrupt and demanded "a fundamental redistribution of the wealth." He accused the U.S. of waging an "imperialist war" in Vietnam. He was a thorn in the side of the government and many civil rights leaders.
But there is another, better explanation for why so many in the nation shun the King holiday. It is widely perceived as exclusively of, by and for blacks. The blizzard of tributes, proclamations and speeches on King Day are more often than not delivered by black officials. The parades and celebrations are held mostly by blacks. Most of the streets, schools, monuments, parks and public buildings that have been renamed after King are in black communities.
However radical King was, there should be no doubt that he is an authentic American hero. The civil rights movement, which he, more than any other figure, led and inspired, worked monumental change and forced the United States to at least begin to live up to its promise as a free and democratic nation. It increased civil liberties protections, expanded voting rights and produced a vast array of legal, social and educational programs that permanently transformed American society and enriched the lives of millions of Americans of all races and income groups.
Give your workers a day off this Monday; watch a parade, or better yet, join one; listen once again to "I have a dream." And make no mistake: Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. is honoring the best that America ever was.
월요일날 직원들에게 휴일을 주십시요. 퍼레이드를 지켜 볼 수 있거나 더 좋은 것은 퍼레이드에 참가 할 수 잇도록 말입니다. 다시 한번 "내게는 꿈이 있습니다"의 연설을 들을 수 있도록 말입니다. 분명 알아두셔야 할 것은 마틴 루터 킹을 기린다는 것은 미국의 최선의 모습을 기리는 것이라는 것입니다.