20th century America will see a long struggle for equality.

20世纪 美国经历了一场漫长的争取平等之战

Race riots in Chicago in 1919 leave 38 dead.

1919年 芝加哥种族动乱中38人死亡

In the segregated South, separate schools,

在种族隔离的南方 学校要隔离

separate buses, separate restaurants.

公交车要隔离 就连餐馆也要隔离

Twice as many unemployed.

失业率是北方的两倍

Change begins when one million black soldiers join up in World War II.

百万黑人投身二战 成了改变局面的分水岭

And blacks demonstrated they could fly planes just like anyone else,

黑人士兵展示了他们同其他人一样 能驾驶战机

they could sail ships,they could do anything the white soldier could do.

也能操纵舰船 白人士兵能做的他们也能做

They don't know it yet, but these soldiers are the beginning of the modern civil rights movement.

他们此刻还不知道自己将成为现代民权运动的开路先锋

Individuals more than willing to fight and die for our country and for the freedoms that our country represented.

战士们斗志昂扬愿为自己的祖国和其代表的自由赴汤蹈火 乃至牺牲生命

Yet freedoms that were not still truly shared by all Americans.

然而并不是每个美国人都能享受到这些自由

And the first step towards equal rights is taken.

从此 迈出了走向平权运动的第一步

July, 1948. The military is desegregated.

1948年7月，军方废除了种族隔离制度

No more whites-only regiments,

不再有白人军团

no more blacks-only Regiments.

和黑人军团之分

Just Americans shoulder to shoulder.大家都是美国人 并肩作战

When I came in, my superior said to me,

我刚入伍的时候 我的首长告诉我

we don't care if you're black,我们不在乎

we don't care if you're white.

你是黑人还是白人

We don't want to hear any hard luck stories.

也不想听你讲什么不幸遭遇

The only thing we care about is performance.

唯一看重的是你的表现

But outside the military, it is a different story.

但军队之外 情况大相径庭

Blacks do not have the same status as whites.

黑人的社会地位低于白人

The people among us who in many cases were doing the dirty work of society,

我们中的很多人经常做的是社会底层的肮脏工作

the people who were making the hotels ready for us to stay in

例如在宾馆酒店当勤杂工给白人服务

and serving us food at restaurants that wouldn't see them as guests.

在只对白人顾客开放的餐馆端盘子上菜