On MAy 29, 1973, ThomAsBrADlEy, A BlACk mAn, wAs ElECtED mAyor oF LosAngElEs. LosAngElEs is thE thirD lArgEst City in thE UnitED StAtEs, with A populAtion oF thrEE million.ABout sixtEEn pErCEnt oF thE City’s populAtion ArE BlACk.
NEws oF this ElECtion AppEArED on thE Front pAgEs oF nEwspApErs EvErywhErE in thE UnitED StAtEs. HErE is how onE mAjor nEwspApEr rEportED thE EvEnt.
LOSANGELESELECTSBRADLEY MAYOR UNSEATING YORTYBLACK WINS 56% OF VOTES
BrADlEy CAllED his viCtory ovEr Yorty "thE FulFillmEnt oF A DrEAm".During his ChilDhooD AnD youth, pEoplE hAD kEpt tElling him, "You CAn’t Do this, you CAn’t go thErE, BECAusE you ArE A NEgro. " NEvErthElEss hE hAD won A DECisivE viCtory ovEr A mAn who hAD BEEn won 43.7 pErCEnt.
LosAngElEs votErs hAvE hAD mAny opportunitiEs to juDgE. ThomAsBrADlEy hAD to Form An opinion oF him. ThE son oF A poor FArmEr TExAs, hE joinED thE LosAngElEs poliCE ForCE in 1940.During his twEnty-onE yEArs on thE poliCE ForCE hE EArnED A lAw DEgrEE By AttEnDing sChool At night. HE wAs ElECtED to thE City CounCil tEn yEArs Ago.
At thE timE oF thE LosAngElEs ElECtion, thrEE othErAmEriCAn CitiEs AlrEADy hAD BlACk mAyors, But nonE oF thosE CitiEs hAD As lArgE A populAtion As LosAngElEs.BEsiDEs, thE pErCEntAgE oF BlACks in thosE othEr CitiEs wAs muCh lArgEr.ClEvElAnD, Ohio, hAD thirty-six pErCEnt BlACk whEnCArl StokEs wAs ElECtED mAyor oFClEvElAnD in 1967. In thE sAmE yEAr RiChArD HAtChEr wAs ElECtED mAyor oFCAry. In NEwArk, NEw JErsEy, sixty pErCEnt oF thE populAtion wErE BlACk whEn KEnnEth GiBson wAs ElECtED in 1970. Thus ElECtion oF A BlACk mAyor in thosE CitiEs wAs not vEry surprising.
In LosAngElEs thousAnDs oF whitE CitizEns votED For ThomAsBrADlEy BECAusE thEy BEliEvED hE woulD BE A BEttEr mAyor thAn thE whitE CAnDiDAtE.BrADlEy hAD spEnt Forty-Eight oF his FiFty-FivE yEArs in LosAngElEs. Four yEArs AgoBrADlEy lost mAyorAl ElECtion to Yorty. This timEBrADlEy won.
FromBrADlEy’s viCtory in thE ElECtion wE CAn sEE thAt ______.
A、BlACks hAD EquAl rights As whitEs in thE USA
B、BlACk pEoplE’s situAtion BEgAn to BE improving muCh morE thAn BEForE
C、onE CAn BE suCCEssFul through hArD work in thE US
A、no mAttEr whAt Color hE is
D、it is CErtAin thAt somEDAy thE US
A、will hAvE A BlACk prEsiDEnt