Black Art Matters:

some vocabulary and grammar

Committed = Engagé To be acquitted = Être acquitté

Controversial = Controversé Civil rights = Les droits civiques

To convey a message = Faire passer un message To demand = Exiger

To portray = to represent, to depict A demonstration = Une manifestation

Subversive : Subversif = qui dérange l’ordre établi To denounce = Dénoncer

An activist = Un militant To raise awareness = Éveiller les consciences

To discriminate against = Discriminer A riot = Une émeute

A prejudice = Un préjugé To spark/trigger something = Déclencher qqch

To target = Cibler To stand up for = Défendre

To be (wrongfully) accused of… = Être accusé (à To stand up to = Se dresser contre

tort) de…

2) Grammar: the passive voice (la voix passive)

“On insiste sur l’action et le sujet qui la subit, plutôt que sur la personne qui est à l’origine de l’action
(l’agent).”

a) Utiliser cet exemple pour lister les éléments nécessaires à la formation de la voix passive:
Ex: African Americans were persecuted for decades (by the police)
→ Pour former la voix passive, il me faut: SUJET + AUXILIAIRE BE (conjugué) + VERBE
(participe passé) (+ compléments)

b) Transformer les phrases suivantes à la voix passive:

1- Spike Lee directed BlacKkKlansman in 2018.

→ BlacKkKlansman was directed by Spike Lee in 2018.

2- The death of George Floyd sparked the revival of the BLM movement.
→ The revival (résurrection) of the BLM movement was sparked by the death of George Floyd.
3- The Black Lives Matter movement has changed the United States.
→ The United States has been changed by the Black Lives Matter movement.
4- A street artist painted a mural to pay tribute to George Floyd.
→ To pay tribute to George Floyd, a mural was painted by a street artist.
5- The police shooting sparked the riot.
→ The riot was sparked by the police shooting.

c) Traduire les phrases suivantes en anglais en utilisant la voix passive:

1- Les Afro-Américains sont souvent ciblés par les autorités.
→ African Americans are often targeted by the authorities.
2- Trop d’Afro-Américains sont discriminés sans raison.
→ Too many African Americans are discriminated against without reason.
3- Le mouvement BLM fut créé par des militants des droits civiques.
The BLM movement was created by activists of civil rights.
4- George Floyd a été représenté dans des œuvres controversées.
George Floyd was / has been represented in controversial works.
5- Le racisme de la police est dénoncé par de nombreux artistes engagés.
The racism of the police is denounced by a lot of committed artists.

→ Description of the George Floyd mural (passive voice) :

George Floyd was painted on a wall. His name can be seen next to his head. Behind his
head, names of other victims of racit violence are written, to pay hommage (rendre
hommage). In the letters of his name, BLM activists have been represented, with a raised
fist. At the bottom, flowers were put down by people. On the side, hearts were drawn.
Finally, on Floyd’s chest, the sentence « I can breathe now » is written, a reference to his
last words.