ballots and bilingual education, while well-intentioned, have become linguistic barriers which impede the process of assimilation of our nation's growing immigrant population. Such programs are truly a great disservice to America's immigrants for they essentially tell our nation's newcomers that proficiency in English is not vital to their full participation in society. I would submit, however, that nothing could be further from the truth. How can we expect our nation's linguistic minorities to become involved and productive members of society if they are unable to speak the language of their new homeland?" U.S.ENGLISH Executive Director Gerda Bikales at ELA hearings. Gerda Bikales, Executive Director U.S.ENGLISH "At the dawn of our Independence, we had all the standard ingredients that history and experience tell us make for national unity. Yet even as we changed, even as we became more and more diverse, we managed to maintain a society of exceptional stability and civil concord. It has been the hallmark of our national character that as we become less alike to one another, we also became more tolerant of differences; in time, we came not only to tolerate them, but to understand them, and eventually to appreciate them. Other nations all over the world were being undone by conflicts between different groups within their borders; but we did well with diversity, allowing it to enrich our lives, yet without letting it overwhelm us. The miracle of America has been that we managed together so well, with so few of the commonalities believed essential for nationhood." "(Yet) we can not dodge the question: are there not at least some elements that a nation-any nation-must maintain? And if our answer is yes, how close are we to the absolute minimum? Can the United States survive the erosion of English? And even if the possibility of this coming to pass seems remote, can we afford to take the risk of such a loss?" "As we approach the bicentennial of the Constitution, it behooves us to recall that the Constitution is first and foremost a document about building an enduring nation. That goal is clearly stated at the start-"We, the People of the United States, in Order to Form a More Perfect Union...". In our eagerness to quote one individual right or another and to derive still further rights from those quoted, we have lost sight of the fact that the primary purpose of the Constitution is "a more perfect union." All else comes after, and is subordinate to that lofty purpose." The Hon. Baltasar Corrada, Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico and Vice-Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, speaking against the Amendment: "The United States is composed of different cultures which have allowed us to effectively expand our international hori. zons. Our economic and political ties with foreign countries have been strengthened thanks to the enlightening (sic) contributions based on first hand knowledge and understanding of foreign cultures immigrants have brought to our country." "I am a strong believer in Statehood for Puerto Rico. I envision in the not too distant future that Puerto Rico will become the 51st State, and in doing so it will enrich the culture of our Nation. There would be no compelling reason for Congress to impose English on Puerto Rico, being as we are an island in the Carribean and not part of the U.S. contiguous territory. The admission of Puerto Rico into the Union as a Hispanic State would send a clear message to the countries of this region that the United States does not look down on Hispanics, but rather welcomes them on an equal footing." Arnoldo Torres, executive director, League of United "This is a backhanded attempt to further ostracize His panics and other language minorities from fully participating→ in society in the same way that Jim Crow laws ostracized blacks. It is this separatist movement by these Americans that must be stopped." For copies of Dr. Hayakawa's and Ms. Bikales', written statements, please send $2.00 to cover postage and printing costs to U.S.ENGLISH, 1424 16th Street, N.W.,, Suite 714, Washington, D.C. 20036. Opportunities For Send a letter to Senator Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT), chairman, Subcommitee on the Constitution, thanking him for holding hearings on the English Language Amendment. Send a letter to Representative William F. Goodling (RPA), thanking him for his spirited opposition to the Bilingual Education Act reauthorization that would allow just 4% of current appropriations to go for English immersion and other intensive English instruction programs. •Write a letter of thanks to Representative Jim Wright (DTX), thanking him for introducing an amendment to the Simpson-Mazzoli Immigration Reform Act that will require aliens to learn English as a condition for legalization. •Write letters to Senators Strom Thurmond (R-SC) and Alan Simpson (R-WY), who will participate in the Senate/ House conference on the new immigration reform bill, asking them to keep the Senate's Sense of Congress Resolution declaring English the official language of the United States. Write letters to Representatives Peter Rodino (D-NJ) and Romano Mazzoli (D-KY), who will participate in the Senate/ House conference on the new immigration reform bill, asking them to keep the requirement that applicants for amnesty learn English, American history and government. San Diego Grand Jury Recommendations On Bilingual Education The Education Committee of the San Diego Grand Jury recently reviewed the county's bilingual education programs and has issued recommendations. Under California law, the Grand Jury has broad "watchdog" functions with regard to county governmental operations. This is the second time that the Grand Jury has examined bilingual schooling. The findings from their report: 1. "Bilingual education promotes a type of cultural apartheid in that it encourages a dual society. Specifically, it rejects the "melting pot" concept which has been the basis of our country's success over the past 200 years." 2. "Bilingual education dilutes and delays the implementation of the basic curriculum in that it reduces the time and funds available for more traditional subjects (math, science, etc.)" 3. "Bilingual education has been shown to be impractical, expensive, and in a sense un-American. Public funds are expended to promote and encourage ethnic institutions which in turn-delays the assimilation of young students into the American mainstream.' 4."Overall, bilingual education does a disservice to the student and benefits only certain minority and political in- + terests." The Grand Jury recommended that: 1, "The County Superintendent of Schools seek legislation eliminating bilingual education requirements at the federal, state, and local levels." 2. "That the County Board of Supervisors support a constitutional amendment to establish English as the official language of the United States." 3. "That the County Board of Supervisors and the Registrar of Voters seek legislation to repeal laws which mandate multi-lingual ballots, voting materials, etc." The full report is available from the County of San Diego Grand Jury, 220 West Broadway, Room 7003, San Diego, California 92101. Mayor Dunn of Elizabeth, NJ., Wins Reelection Last year at this time, the Mayor of Elizabeth, N.J., made headlines across the country when he issued orders to City Hall employees to speak English on the job, except when assisting visitors in need of translators. Mayor Thomas Dunn was denounced by several Hispanic organizations, threatened with impeachment or recall, and warned of certain defeat at election time. Earlier this year, a check with City Hall revealed that the Mayor's orders still stood, and that no complaints were heard from city employees. On primary day, the veteran Mayor handily won once again, defeating Rafael Fajardo of the Hispanic American Political Association, 70% to 30%. Ville De Buckingham Vs. A swirl of controversy surrounds the sign in front of City Hall, in Buckingham, Province of Quebec. In its zeal to make Quebec a completely unilingual French Province, the Commission for the Protection of the French Language takes of ८ fense at the bilingual sign on the building's facade, and wants the words "Town of removed. Also inadmissible is a faded sign at the town dump, in French and in English, which declares "No Firearms Allowed." The seven town councilmen--five of whom are French speaking-voted to ignore the Commission's demands and leave the signs alone. Montgomery County A recent survey of parents whose children attend a special language program of English for Speakers of Other Languages in four Montgomery County (MD) high schools, reveals over. whelming preference for intensive English instruction. A story in the Washington Times of May 22 reports; "Asked how they preferred the instruction-in the native language, split between the native language and English, or in English99 percent of the parents said they preferred English, said Susan Gross, project director for the special three-year program involving about 350 Spanish and Vietnamese-speaking student." This virtual unanimity of sentiment has led to speculation that the parents may not have understood the questions, but according to Stephen M. Frankel, of the school sys tem's Department of Educational Accountability, “the evidence here is that students themselves favor English instruction and parents don't want their kids segregated into classes where they speak only their native language." Duy Khac Le, Valedictorian At graduation time this year, we again hear of the outstanding academic achievements of many young immigrants. Most came here a few years ago, without knowledge of English, and had to learn our language in addition to making up courses missed during years of interrupted schooling. We congratulate Duy Khac Le, valedictorian at Washington-Lee High school in Arlington, Virginia. When Duy first arrived in our country six years ago, he was placed in special English classes, where he learned the language in less than two years; he was able to enter high school in the regular curriculum. Duy won a scholarship to Cornell, where he will study engineering. We are grateful to Duy, and to so many others who recently joined our society, for reminding us by their example that there is no magic substitute for hard work, discipline and perseverance, These young scholars are truly an inspiration to all of us. A National Hispanic University? A bill sponsored by Representatives Edward Roybal (DCA), Sala Burton (D-CA), and Mickey Leland (D-TX), would establish a federally endowed National Hispanic University in Oakland, CA. Authorized funding requested in the legislation gradually increases from an initial $2 million in fiscal year 1984, to $4 million in 1988. The National Hispanic University is already heavily subsided through federal grants. This new legislation would award the authorized sums routinely, as part of our national obligation. The classic model of such a federally endowed institution for higher education is Howard University, in Washington, D.C., which was founded after the Civil War to help train a cadre of educated black citizens; Howard is now a large educatonal center with graduate schools in medicine, dentistry, law, social work, education, etc. Its instructional budget is $215 million, about half of it provided by the federal government. U.S.ENGLISH has conveyed its opposition to the endowment of a National Hispanic University in letters to key legislators. "We believe that it is late in U.S. history to establish a federally subsidized ethnic-oriented university... We believe that opportunities for Hispanic students must and can be provided within the existing higher education structure." English A Requirement New Immigration Law By a vote of 241 to 170, the House accepted an amendment to the Simpson-Mazzoli immigration reform bill that makes the legalization of aliens residing here illegally conditional upon some knowledge of English. Sponsored by Representative Jim Wright (D-TX), the amendment requires a "minimal understanding of ordinary English and a knowledge and understanding of the history and government of the United States" or enrollment in a “course of study to achieve understanding of English and such a knowledge and understanding of the history and government of the United States." The Senate version of the Simpson-Mazzoli bill, passed earlier this year, contains a Sense of Congress resolution deelaring English the official language of the United States. Substan tial differences between the two versions are awaiting reconciliation in Conference Committee, during which "give and take" bargaining could eliminate the references to English. U.S. ENGLISH Board of Advisors In Formation Several distinguished Americans have joined the U.S.ENGLISH Board of Advisors, which is now in formation. They include Walter Annenberg, the former Ambassador to the Court of St. James and publisher of TV Guide; Clarence Barnhart, the well-known lexicographer; Jacques Barzun, the emi nent critic and philosopher; Saul Bellow, the Nobel Prize winning novelist; Dr. Bruno Bettleheim, the renowned psycholgist and educator; Dr. Denton Cooley, who implanted the first artificial heart; Alistair Cooke, noted writer and journalist; Indiana State Senator Joseph Corcoran; Norman Cousins, noted writer and editor; Angier B. Duke, distinguished former diplomat; Dr Alvin Eurich, President of the Academy for Educational Development; Dr. Paul Flory, Nobel laureate in chemistry; George Gilder, well-known writer and economist; Dr. Sidney Hook, professor of philosphy and this year's Jefferson Lecturer; Dr. Francis Horn, president emeritus of the University of Rhode Island; Norman Podhoretz, writer and editor of Commentary; and Karl Shapiro, Pulitzer prize winning poet. Dr. Hook noted that equality of opportunity has been widely extended, yet at the same time "there has been an erosion of the values of the democratic way of life... The fact that there is less respect for democratic traditions is a poten. tial danger. In that direction looms the possibility of progressive disorder. The great danger of a democracy has always been the possibility that it may lead to anarchy. Many critics of democracy have viewed it as a form of mobocracy. When some of these critics thought a democracy was becoming ungovernable, they would support a strong man, someone who promised law and order, even if that involved a dictatorship. Aristotle recognized that when human beings are confronted with a choice between anarchy and despotism, they would choose despotism because anarchy is the rule of a thousand despots. That is the path down which we may go if the quality of our democratic process is further eroded." Professor Hook is a member of the U.S.ENGLISH Board of Advisors. Update is published bi-monthly by U.S.ENGLISH, and edited by Gerda Bikales, executive director. Help us avoid duplicates and other mailing problems. Our membership is growing very rapidly, and we are in the process of consolidating our lists. This may produce some duplicate mailings, but we wo would rather send you a duplicate than risk missing you. Please help us keep our records in good order. If you receive duplicate mailings, have moved or changed your name, let us know as soon as possible. To help us maintain your records accurately and save on mailing costs, please include your label (or labels, if you receive more than one identical mailing) with your corrections, when you write to us. Send corrections to U.S.ENGLISH, 1424 16th Street, N.W., Suite 714, Washington, D.C. 20036. Sidney Hook On "Faith In Liberal Democracy" Because our democratic system of governance relies so much on a common language-to argue, to pursuade, to work out an acceptable compromise-we find these words by the eminent philosopher Sidney Hook of special relevance. Dr. Hook was interviewed by U.S. News & World Report (June 18, 1984). IDEAS E PLURIBUS DUO? This is a conservative age indeed. Four years of the most right-wing President in half a century is not enough for an electorate that thirsts for another term of Mr. Reagan. The nation's leading liberal journal of opinion, The New Republic, has gone to applauding the American "rescue mission" in Grenada, and pooh-poohing the nuclear freeze movement. As if this weren't enough, the student government at Washington and Lee University has been leading a crusade, not to get the US out of El Salvador, or to pass the ERA, but to demand neckties in the classroom. At Harvard, the rallying cry was "Save the ivy." And so, it would seem, the current move against bilingualism follows the general trend to the right. California, the state which gave us the Proposition 13 tax revolt, is once again in the forefront of the new seemingly conservative tide. Last November, in San Francisco, the state's cultural center, voters overwhelmingly approved a non-binding referendum opposing the city's trilingual voting ballot. California's S. I. Hayakawa, a semanticist and former Senator, centers his campaign against bilingualism on a Constitutional Amendment to make English the official language. Although Hayakawa's bill is presently mired in committee, the monolingual movement will continue to march in the states, according to Gerda Bikales, Executive Director of US English-and an immigrant who learned English at age 16 and "knows it can be done." US English is currently pushing for a statewide vote against the multilingual ballot in (one guess) California, "the number one trend-setting state." Dade County, Florida has already adopted a local version of Hayakawa's idea: no public money can be appropriated for the use of Spanish within city limits. At the federal level, President Reagan's Secretary of Education, Terrel H. Bell, has repealed the Carter Administration's guidelines requiring bilingual education, calling the regulations "harsh, inflexible, burdensome, unworkable, and incredibly costly." All this might seem just another sign of increasing intolerance toward minorities, just another defeat for liberals. Yet the call for monolingualism . PAGE 14. may be less xenophobic and racist than it Though difficult, the bilingual The movement towards bilingualism-in the classroom and the voting booth-gained momentum as the Hispanic population growth rate exploded in the 1970s. The federal commitment to bilingual education multiplied from $7.5 million in 1968 to $139 million today. In 1974, the movement gained judicial sanction as the Supreme Court called for.schools to "take affirmative steps to rectify the language ieficiency" of linguistic minorities to ensure equal educational opportunity. Later, HEW guidelines resulted in "maintenance" bilingualism, where students retain their native language, and in some cases, neglect the transition to English. The multilingual SPRING 1984 ballot, used in areas with large populations of linguistic minorities like New York, Florida, and much of the Southwest, was born with a Congressional amendment to the Voting Rights Act in 1975. Hayakawa's Constitutional Amendment aims both to restore the transitional emphasis of special language instruction and to eliminate the multilingual ballot. Hispanics are fighting Hayakawa's initiative, arguing that all-English ballots effectively preclude many linguistic minorities from exercising their right to vote. According to a survey by the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund, one-third of Chicano voters would not have registered to vote but for bilingual ballots. Broadly speaking, Hispanics see diversity as the ideal, differences as desirable. Monolingualism is said to deny the right of minorities to be different; to force conformity in a naturally diverse society is said to be undemocratic, Argues Justice Cruz Revenoso of the California Supreme Court, "We should no, more demand English-language skills for citizenship than we should demand uniformity of religion." Multilingualism need not tear a society apart. Dennis Hernandez, attorney for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund points to well-functioning multilingual societies in Europe, like Switzerland, which has four national languages. HARVARD POLITICAL REVIEW Opponents of bilingualism and the bilingual ballot in particular, emphasize the obligations of citizenship as well as the rights. Knowledge of English "isn't much to ask," Gerda Bikales says, "as a price of full political participation." Past immigrants have gladly, if painfully, learned the language without any special help, she points out; it is ridiculous for immigrant groups coming to a new country to expect general public funds to be spent on special voting ballots and teachers. No special ballots exist for the estimated 23 million illiterates in the country, critics point out. Moreover, Bikales questions whether a real demand exists for bilingual ballots, pointing out that "only 1,000 Spanish ballots were used in the entire city of San Francisco" in a recent election. Bilingualism in general will divide the nation in the near future if not nipped in the bud, Hayakawa says. "10 or 20 years from now," he warns, "there will be a majority of individuals with Spanish background" in some Southwestern states. The calls for seccession from Canada in Francophone Quebec, the division in Belgium between the Frenchspeaking Walloons and the Flemishspeaking population, and the language riots in Soweto, South Africa-all are said to bear out Kant's realization that along with religion, language is the ultimate divider of people. students into five separate high schools based on ethnic background. The Hispanic call for bilingualism is less strident in its separatism, nonetheless, bilingualism may entrench a permanent race-consciousness. Unlike affirmative action, which uses racial groups as a temporary means of bringing individuals into the mainstream, bilingualism aims at maintaining ethnic group identity, never getting beyond race-consciousness. Minorities respond that ethnic separatism is forced on them by the white majority. If a black or Hispanic student sits only with other blacks or Hispanics in the college dining hall, he may do so for a very rational reason: the "black table" may be the one where he will be best received and most supported. Ethnic identification "becomes a rational interest," Nathan Glazer argues, if one is likely to receive support when turning to one's ethnic group: "The natural connection is a connection you can count on." In fact, many Hispanics see the current move against bilingualism as intolerant-filled with the Archie, Bunker mentality: "Any poysen who can't speak poyfect English ought to be de-exported the hell out of here." Dennis Hernandez labels US English "a racist-based organization." The people behind the group, Hernandez charges, are the same people who back A liberal can be against bilingualism. Hernandez says bilingualism is not separatist and "need not create divisions." But Harvard sociologist Nathan Glazer disagrees. Glazer suspects that the underlying pressure for bilingualism in America is political; "it has a touch of nationalism," which is "antagonistic to the United States." In fact, any call for ethnic identification may have an element of separatism and hostility. As Harvard's Daniel Bell notes, "social groups need some other group to hate." In its extreme form, ethnicity means Malcolm X, who for some time defined the white man as the devil, or the Berkeley public school system, which, for a while, segregated SPRING 1984 restrictions in immigration in hopes of "a white, blue-eyed and blond society." The whole melting pot idea is denounced as a thinly veiled attempt to force Anglo-American culture on various ethnic groups-premised, some say, on a certain, if unarticulated, racist belief that "Anglicization" is a step up on the ladder of civilization. Others wonder. The melting pot is said to meld together diverse culturestaking the best from each-and producing a new non-racial, idea-based culture, superior to any one of its parts. Assimilation is not supposed to mean that ethnic customs and ideas drown in the melting pot; Richard Rodriguez, an outspoken Hispanic critic of bilingualism, writes that assimilation "is reciprocal. As the immigrant is changed...the immigrant as surely changes the culture he enters." Culture does not survive by endogymy alone; cultures can grow and flourish when Individuals are persuaded that to keep certain elements of a culture alive is worthwhile. Now, as never before, ethnicity can be divorced from ethics, "protective" race-consciousness may be unnecessary, and the melting pot has a chance to cook. The longtime liberal Democratic dream of building what is now called a "Rainbow Coalition" of disadvantaged citizens, which rises above racial and ethnic differences, may be finally within reach.~~ Yet some fear that our nation is becoming increasingly segregated. Hispanics, who once wanted people treated as individuals, now value ethnic group pride above all else; race was to be irrelevant, now race is crucial, Black is beautiful, as is Spanish; segregation was bad, now it is necessary for group survival. The new race-consciousness, while certainly less noxious than the old white racism, still identifies people for what they are rather than what they do or believe-a most menacing notion; it's what the founding fathers rebelled against when they eschewed aristocracy, what abolitionists fought against when they saw human slavery, and what Hitler thrived on when he embarked on the Final Solution. Furthermore, in the United States, Gerda Bikales says, the common English language is "perhaps the only thing that holds us together." In the US, Bikales proudly notes, "we don't take to the streets," but settle disputes with words-thus "it is essential to have a common language." The movement against the multilingual ballot, then, is hot simply another bigoted attempt to block minority participation, like the literacy test or poll tax. For policymakers aren't "neutral" when they provide bilingual ballots or bilingual instruction in schools: both encourage ethnic identification and discourage assimilation. In debating the bilingual question, we must decide, once and for all, whether we consider racial and ethnic identification valuable, to be encouraged, or truly irrelevant. -Richard Kahlenberg PAGE 15 |