DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 331 325 FL 800 342

AUTHOR Balliro, Lenore; Nash, AndreaTITLE English Only/English Plus. A Curriculum Sourcebook

for ESL and ABE Teachers.INSTITUTION Brookline Public Library, MA.PUB DATE 90NOTE 60p.PUB TYPE Guides - Classroom Use Teaching Guides (For

Teacher) (052)

EDRE PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Adult Basic Education; Bilingualism; Classroom

Techniques; *Cultural Pluralism; CurriculumDevelopment; *English (Second Language); Family(Sociological Unit); Immigrants; Land Settlement;*Language Attitudes; Language Maintenance; LanguageRole; *Literacy Education; *Official Languages;Social Bias

IDENTIFIERS *English Only MovemLnt; *English Plus Movement

ABSTRACT

An assortment of materials that may be useful inaddressing issues of language, culture, and power in theEnglish-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classroom is presented. Specificfocus is placed on tile movement to make English the official languageof the United States. Contents include materials developed byteachers and adapted from commercial texts, and suggestions forclassroom activities are also offered. The materials are appropriatefor native and non-native speakers of English and could be integratedinto an adult basic education (ABE) or General EducationalDevelopment (GED) curriculum. The packet is organized into foursections. The first addresses the value of bilingualism andpreservation of native languages. The readings explore individuals'feelings about their native languages and how languages affect familyissues. The second section talks about the English-only movement andits effects on the lives of immigrants. It also explores sentimentsand fears that may motivate the movement. Section three examinesalternatives to English-only, including the "English Plus" movementand the work of the Massachusetts English Plus Coalition. The fourthsection includes background materials for teachers who may want to dcadditional reading on English-only and English Plus, and severaluradapted materials for teachers' use. Two of the readings are inChinese. (MSE) (Adjunct ERIC ClearingAouse on Literacy Education)

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Developed by: Lenore Balliro and Andrea Nashin cooperation with Rebecca Pomerantz and Jenny Utecht

for the Massachusetts English Plus Coalition

U S DEPARTMENT Of EDUCATION

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Acknowledgments:

We have tried to make every effort to indicate the source of materials that we didnot create ourselves. If you see something that was not accurately acknowledged,please let us know and we'll make a notation the next time this is printed. Thanks.

Thanks to Lillian Perez and Sue Sayabovorn for translations.

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Introduction

We are a group of educators in adult ESL who are concerned about the increasein anti-immigrant sentiment in our communities, and its manifestation in theEnglish-Only movement. We have put together a packet of readings, pictures,dialogues, and literacy activities designed to help teachers and students explorethese issues in the classroom. This collection is not a curriculum in thetraditional sense. Rather, it is an assortment of materials that may be helpful inaddressing issues of language, culture and power, in general, and specifically themovement to make English the official language of the United States. We hopethat by facilitating critical thinking around these issues, the materials includedhere will help students clari6r their views and become better infomied aboutEnglish Only legislation.

This collection includes materials that we have created as well as material adaptedfrom commercial texts. We have also offered suggestions for classroom activitiesfor each piece. Though our focus is ESL, the materials are also appropriate fornative speakers of English; some of the readings could be integrated into an ABEor GED curriculum with teachers' variations on classroom activities Since wewanted to provide as many options as possible, some of the materials addresssimilar or overlapping issues. Others may be unsuited to particular languagelevels or linguistic groups. We invite teachers to mix, match, and adapt thesesamples to create materials appropriate to their particular groups of students.

The packet is organized as follows:

Part I: This section focuses on the value of bilingualism and the preservation ofour native languages. The readings explore how we feel about our nativelanguages and how language issues affect families.

Part II: This section talks about the English Only movement and the effects ithas had or may have on the lives of immigrants, including a look at the Lowell.Massachusetts referendum passed in 1989. Readings include a description of"English Only," accounts of its impact in "English Only" states, and a series ofopen-ended scenarios that invite students to imagine some ways that English Onlylaws might change their lives. This section also explores some of the sentimentsand fears that possibly motivate the English Only movement.

Part III: The materials in this section focus on alternatives to English Only,including an overview of the "English Plus" movement and the work ofMassachusetts English Plus Coalition. The materials aim to draw out studentviews and encourage creative thinking around ways we can support people intheir efforts to maintain their languages and cultures as they learn English.

Part IV: We have included background materials for teachers who may want todo additional reading on English Only/English Plus, We have also includedseveral unadapted materials that teachers could develop for classroom use.

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Key WordKey words are an effective way to help people brainstorm their thoughts and

feelings. For this theme, use the word "English" (written on the blackboard) to

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Possible follow up activities tobrainstorming:1. Discuss one category as a class and probe it more deeply(Why Important for

my future? In what areas? etc...)2. In small groups, have students select a category and discuss it further (Don't

need it in myneighborhoodWhy? What's in the

neighborhood? What about out

of theneighborhood?)

OR

3. Have each student select a response that they feel most strongly about. Have

them explore that response through 10 minutes of free-writing, then share their

responses with the rest of the class. (Example, write for 10 minutes about "Scary;

think ofexamples when English was scary, when it still is scary to speak it, what

you are afraid of, and so on.)

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Lucia's Story

Lucia: Vamonos, pues. (Let's go)

Mario: I don't want to go with you.

Lucia: Porque no? (Why not?)

Mario: Because you always speak in Spanish. It soundsstupid. When you speak Spanish, everyone knows we comefrom El Salvador.

Lucia: Tu familia habla espanol. Debes sentirte orgulloso detus raizes. (Your family speaks Spanish. You should be proudof your heritage.)

Mario: English is better. All my friends speak English.Anyway, I don't understand Spanish.

1. Who do you think Lucia is? Who do you think Mario is?What language is Lucia speaking? What language is Mario speaking?

2. What language does Mario want his mother to speak? Why?What does Mario think about Spanish? Does Mario want people to know that hisfamily is from El Salvador? Why not?

Does Mario understand Spanish? Why does he say he doesn't?

3. How would you feel if Mario were your son?Do your children ever feel like Mario? Do you want your children to learn yourlanguage?

4. Why do children resist their parents' languages?

5. What would you do if you were Lucia?What would you say to Mario?

4;)

Lucia's Story -- Suggested Activities:

Pre-reading: Pull out an evocative sentence, such as "Sometimes he isimpatient because I don't speak English." and use it to discuss your students' ownexperiences and/or to predict Lucia's story.

Writing: Before reading, give students the last sentence of the story and havethem write their own beginnings.

Grammar:--Try a modified doze activity for present tense verb practice. Omit the vethsand have students choose between first and third person verbs to fill the blanks

--Write the story in the negative.

Role play: a scene between Lucia and her son, or have students role play theirown similar experiences.

Note: For more advanced students, the dialogue and discussion questions thatfollow the story may be more appropriate. See the dialogue "At the Store" formore suggested activities.

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Lucky People Who Speak Two Languages*

Gwen Rollins speaks Spanish. She works at a day-care center. The center is in aSpanish neighborhood in a large American city. George Conway speaks French.He works for the United Nations. He translates statements from English intoFrench. Mollie Warburg speaks Japanese. She went to school in Japan when shewas a little girl. She still writes to many of her Japanese friends.

All three people are bilingualthat is, they speak two (bi) languages. They speaktheir own language, which is English. They also speak a second language. Theyspeak the second language almost as well as they speak English.

The United states had many bilingual speakers in the 1900's. Thousands ofpeople came to the United States from other countries. Big cities were full ofpeople who spoke languages besides English. People from Italy, Poland, andIreland all spoke different languages. So did people from Russia, China, andGermany. Many Jewish people who came to America from Europe were alreadybilingual. They spoke the main language of their native country, and they alsospoke Yiddish. Yiddish is a form of the German language.

The newcomersthe immigrantsrealized that it would be a good time to learnEnglish. It would help them succeed in their new land. So soon there were manyAmericans who spoke two languages. They were bilingual. As the years passed,the children of the first immigrants grew up. The immigrants often did notteach their children their native language.

You may have had this happen in your own family. Perhaps your greatgrandparents or other relatives came to America from another country. Do youspeak the language they spoke? Would you like to? Many people thin k it is toobad that many of the old languages have died out. They thin k our country wouldbe better off if more people were bilingual.

Today, some people learn a second language in school, not at home. A secondlanguage can help you get a job. You can be a translator like George Conway,who translated English into French. You can be a social worker with people whospeak their own language better than English. You can be a language teacher or ateacher of bilingual classes. If you travel, you will enjoy yourself and learn moreif you know the language of the country.

No matter where you live, it is important to learn the main language of thatplace. This main language will help you in many ways in your everyday Ilk. Itwill also help you get a job. It is important, however, to keep your original, ornative language, too. You are a lucky person if you speak two languages!

(*Source unknown)

All

At the Store

This dialogue dramatizes a scale that a student had witnessed in herneighborhood.(Note: the dialogue is in Spanish and English. We recommend that you adapt the dialogue andcharacters to reflect other languages and cultures when appropriate. For example, Ana couldbecome Marie.Rose, the language Haitian Creole.)

(Ana is in a grocery store with her son, Marcos. Barbara is the cashier.)

Ma: Marcos, dijalo. No lo toca. (Marcos, leave it. Don'ttouch it)

Barbara: Excuse me. We only speak English here.

Ma: I sorry. I no speak English.

Barbara: This is America. You should speak English if youwant to live here.

Ma: Qué cosa? I no understand. (What's wrong?)

Barbara: Why are you here if you don't understand?

Ana:

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Think About It

I. Make a list of people you know who speak two or more languages very well.Tell what languages they know and how they learned them, and why they learnedthem.

2. Do you Icnow people who no longer speak their original language? Why didthey give up their native language? Do you think it was a wise decision?

3. Do you agree with some people who believe our country would be better offif more people were bilingual? Why? Give reasons for your answer.

4. Do you think it is important for people to learn the main language of thecountry in which they live? Why?

5. Do you think it is important also to keep a first language? Why?

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Suggested Activities for "At the Store"

Finish the dialogue in pairs or small groups and:

1. Discuss the various reactions/feelings they might have.

OR:

2. Have each pair or small group role play their version of the dialogue te the rest of the class.Discuss the various reactions/feelings.

3. Cut apart and then order the =ambled dialogue.

4. Discuss the interaction between the characters by doing an agreedisagree activity. The followingis a sample to get you started. Add your own.

AGREE OR DISAGREE?

Ana and Barbara are friends

Ana wants to understand English.

Barbara jikes Latinos. (Haitians, Chinese, etc.)

Ana should learn English.

Barbara should team Spanish (Creole, Chinese, etc.)

etc.

5. Have small groups write stories or character sketches of the two characters or do this with thewhole class as a LAnguage Experience story. This may lead the way to an ongoing "soap opera"relationship between the characters, written by the students.

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What is English Only?

There is a movement in the United States called English Only. The peopleparticipating in the English Only movement want to make English the officiallanguage of the United States. If 33 states vote to make English the officiallanguage of the U.S. Constitution then the fifty states can vote to change the U.S. Constitution and make English the official language of the country. There isan organization called U.S. English that raises a lot of money to support EnglishOnly work.

In Massachusetts, there are also people who think English should be the officiallanguage. For example, in 1989, in Lowell, Massachusetts, 2/3 of the votersvoted for English Only. But their non-binding vote cannot change Masachusettslaw.

Many people who support English Only think there are too many immigrants inthis country who do not want to learn English. They would like to pay less taxmoney to help immigrants. They don't like to pay for bilingual services andbilingual ettucation. They believe that bilingual services discourage immigrantsfrom learning English. They believe that the use of different languages dividesthe United States and that English Only laws can help unite the country.

English Only laws would put in danger:

--bilingual assistance in voting and bilingual ballots

--bilingual translations in the courts

--interpreter services in emergency services like hot lines and emergency rooms,in state agencies and elsewhere

--bilingual education

--multilingual social services

--multilingual employment training

--multilingual drivers license exams

--multilingual medical services like pregnancy counselling and AIDS preventioneducation

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Official Language States

State

ArkansasArizonaCaliforniaColoradoFloridaGeorgiaHawaii*IllinoisIndianaKentuckyMississippiNebraskaN. CarolinaN. DakotaS. CarolinaTennesseeVirginia

Year

19871988198619881988198619781969198419841987192319871987198719841981

Legislation

StaiuteConst. AmendmentConst. AmendmentConst. AmendmentConst. AmendmentResolutionConst. AmendmentStatuteStatuteStatuteStatuteConst. AmendmentStatuteStatuteStatuteStatuteStatute

'Officially bilingualNative Hawaiian and English as coequal languages.

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What Do You Think?(Yes/No/Don't Know)

Suggested Activities:

Read the first two sentences of "What is English Only" to the class. If most students knowsomething about English Only, have students do this "quiz" in pairs as a pre-reading. Then havethem generate their own questions about English Only. Then have them read the text "What isEnglish Only" in small groups and do the "quiz" again.

If most students don't know anything about English Only, have them genetate their ownquestions about English Only. Then have them read the text in small groups and take the quiz.

Ali students, after taking the quiz, should then discuss the answers and identify which items arefact and which opinion. Make a list of the questions that remain about English Only. This canbecome a research project that involves reading more literature, having a speaker, holding a debate,etc.)

(Note: You may want to spend some time on discussing the difference between fact and opinion,as well as ways to support an opinion or position.)

English is the official language of the United States.

English Only laws would prohibit bilingual signs everywhere.

Bilingual education discourages learning English.

English Only advocates want our taxes to pay for ESL programs.

English Only laws prohibit bilingual ballots for voting.

An official language would unify the United States.

Immigrants want to learn English.

Seventeen states have parsed English Only laws.

Massachusetts has an English Only law.

Immigrants benefit from English Only laws.

Please fill in the chart with reasons to support the "EnglishOnly" movement (pro) and reasons not to support it (con). Youcan use the ideas from the article and also add your own.

PRO CON

English Only - English Plus: What is happening in Massachusetts?How Does It Affect You?

English Only

On November 7, 1989, the City of Lowell voted for a non-bindingreferendum to make English the "official language of Lowell." They voted tomake Lowell an "English Only"city. Because it is a non-binding referendum, thatmeans that English Only is not a law. It Is a statement by citizens that theysupport the idea of English as the official language. It is a first step to trying tomake English Only a law.

Here is what the Lowell referendum said:

Shall it be the policy of the people of Lowell that English is the officiallanguage of the city of Lowell and that our city government requests:

1. Our senators and C017NesS177811 tO vote for English as our NationalLanguage

2. Our state legislators make English our Official State Language?

Yes or No

1.What do you think this referendum means?2. Why do you think people voted for it?3. Do you know anyone that voted for it? Why did they?4. Would you vote for it? Why or why not?

George Kouloheras, a member of the Lowell school committee,said that he wants to see legislation passed making English the Official Languageof Massachusetts . He wants English Only to become a law.

This means that many campaigns or initiatives will be started around the stateto convince people to vote for English Only. Some cities will see non-bindingreferendum questions like Lowell's. Citizens will be asked: Do you think EnglishOnly is good? If yes, then vote for it. The reason for this is to build a strongfeeling that people in Massachusetts want English Only.

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Places I speak English

How

would "E

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Places I use bilingual servicesIf there w

ere no bilingual services,i w

ould

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Suggested Activities:

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"would."

3. Have students generate "w

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iscuss the 11410113 strategies students have listed for coping with the loss of services.

What w

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ould they rely on? Etc.

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English Only/English Plus Cartoons: Ideas for Adapting to theClassroom

Note: With all of the cartoons, the dialogue has been provided. "In the Workplace" and "Schooland Home" are in Spanish and English. "Emergency" is in Thai and English. The Englishtranslations are attached to each cartoon. We suggest that you adapt the languages to yourstudents. You can do this by translating the bubbles of dialogue into the language(s) your studentsspeak, white out the dialgue we give you, and replace it with the more appropriate language.

I. IN THE WORKPLACE(These two cartoons are meant to be sequential.)

DISCUSSION(To vary techniques in discussion, try whole class discussion, small group discussions, or pairdiscussions to ensure that everyone participates. Group students with like abilities together mixmore proficient students with beginners. Teacher can facilitate beginners, more advanced canfacilitate themselves, or more advanced can facilitate beginners. Then, the class can re-convene asa whole group to discuss the different interpretations.)

--Have students look at cartoon number I for a few minutes.--Ask some general description questions, then move into mote intetpretive questions so studentscan analyze the situation and relate it to their own experiences. Here are some sample questions:--What are they?--Who are they? (Identify the workers, supervisor)- -What are they talking about?--What language are they speaking? Why?--How does the supervisor feel? Why?--Why doesn't she want them to speak their own language?--Do you think it is OK for them to use another language at work? Why, Or why not?--Do you speak languages other than English at work? Why?- -What do you think will happen?

VOCABULARY--As students are discussing the picture, write down the new vocabulary on a sheet of newsprint.Have students copy. Ask students if there is anything else in the picture they want to know thewords for.

Example:--sewing machine, thread, factory/garment shop, material, fabric, supervisor, floor lady, boss, etc.- -adjectives: helpful, cooperative,( 1) angry, shocked, surprised (2)

WRITING

Beginning level: Have students generate simple sentences that the teacher can transcribe on theboard or students can write themselves.

Ex: She is sewing/ They are workinW She is angry

Intermediate/Advanced: Have students "flesh out" the story by developing the characters, givingthem names, providing background on the factory and the relationship between the supervisor andthe workets, etc. Students can write alone or in pairs, then read their stories out loud to the class.For editing, students can write on large sheets of newsprint, then the class can engage inediting/correcting.

GRAMMAR

--Pronoun practice and pronoun substitution--Rewrite the story re though it happened last week.

DISCUSSIONNote: You can "white out" the supervisor's dialogue and leave it blank. Ask studentswhat they think the supervisor is saying and why. Or, use the cartoon with the dialogue andadapt the following suggestions:

--What happened?- -What does the supervisor tell them? Why?--How do the women feel?--If there is an English Only law, can the supervisor make the women speak English?- -What can the women do?--Has this ever happened to you, or someone you know at work?--What did you do?

II. SCHOOL AND HOMENote: These two cartoons present two different scenarios, one "English Only"and orm "English Plus." They are not meant to be sequential; rather,they present two different possibilities of the same situation.

DISCUSSION -- School and Home I

--Who am they?--Where are they?--Does she understand the paper?--How does she feel? Why?--Should she sign the paper? Why?--What happens if she signs it?--What should she do?

--Do you get notices from your child's school? Do you get notices from other places in English?--Are they always in English?--What do you do?--Should the notices be in other languages?

VOCABULARY

--various kitchen vocabulary--family relationships--school notices and language in the notice--emotions (frightened, afraid, frustrated, ...)

3 2

School and Home -2-

--What is different in this picture?--Does she understand the paper?--How does she feel?--What should she do?

-What is the difference between the first situation and the second one? What could happen to thechild if she signed the paper?

FOLLOW UP

Have students role play follow up situations from both 1 and 2(Example, in #2, have the mothcr call thc school or visit the school and complain, etc.)

WRITING

Have students write a letter to the woman in #1 or #2 advising her what to do. In a multi-levelclass, some students can contribute language orally while someone else transcribes it.

EMERGENCY (1)

Note: There two cartoons are meant to be sequential. Cut them into two or cover thebottom part of the picture when you begin. Also, please refer to suggestions for writing,grammar and follow up from preceding cartoons.

DISCUSSION (Sample questions)

--Who are they?--Where arc they?--What is happening?--Whar should they do?--Did you ever have an emergency like this?--What happened?

--What do you think will happen to them?

VOCABULARY: (Note: The temptation might be to develop this into a survival skills lesson ongoing to the hospital. That might make an excellent follow-up lesson, where you can bring inphotos of signs from all over the hospital, teach symptoms, medications, body palls, etc. For thepurposes of staying focused on language issues, it might be better to focus on the conflict in :hisset of

--Emergency, Emergency room, directory, etc.--Symptoms: fever, burning, breathing--Review of body parts

Emergency (2)

--Where are they now?--Who is behind the desl .What are they saying?--What can they do?--If English Onlris a law, could this happen?

FOLLOW UP

--Have students follow up with a story (collabotative, individual, pair work) about what happensto the couple and their child

--Role play possible follow ups: If translation services are available, what would happen? If notranslation, what could happen?

SUMMARY

Have students write about the problems English Only Laws might cause, based on the examplesfrom the cartoons. Have them add problems from their own experiences, or from readings.

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

Community Responds to English Only

Here are examples of the effects of English-only laws.*

In Arizona, parole hearings for non-English speaking prisonerswere postponed last year because the English Only law requiredall government business to be done in English.

In Florida, the fire department could not distribute fireprevention information in other languages than English.Hospitals had to use only English in the information they gaveto mothers.

In Colorado, a school bus driver demanded that all children onthe bug speak English.

In New York, a policeman hung up on a woman who called thepolice station, telling her that if she did not speak English shewas out of luck.

In 1984, three judges in Southern California ruled that courtclerks could not speak to their co-worker in Spanish, althoughthey were required to use Spanish to translate for the public.

In 1980, Dade County, Florida passed an ordinance which saidthat county funds could not be used to pay for activities whichinvolved a foreign language or which promoted non-"American" culture. This ended funding for ethnic festivals,bilingual hospital services and signs.

*Information from Massachusetts English Plus coalition, 1990

Suggestions for "Community Responds to English Only"

1. Cut reading into strips at perforated lines. Divide students into small groups or pairs. Giveeach pair or group a strip. (You might want to give loss experienced readers a shorter reading,more proficient readers a longer reading...)

2. Have each group read their strips. Assist with unfamiliar vocabulary or references. Have eachgroup summarize the reading in their own words and report to the tont of the class.

3. Make a list on newsprint of new vocabulary words so everyone can discuss and copy.

4. Have students as a elms locate on a map the states mentioned in the readings. Prepare a wallvisual to keep up in the classroom. Run a string from the state to the slip of reading, as illustratedbelow. As you or =dents locate more information in the news about effects of English only,expand the visual.

5. Role Plays: Assign each student a state. Act out the English Only consequences, havingstudents "flesh out" the kernel of information. Present to rest of the class.

1.

Zia

A

oh.

Fr.,ST COPY AVAILABLE

8/20/90

To the Editor:

Last week, my nephew did not get a job because he does notspeak Spanish. The boss said that my nephew needed to speakSpanish to talk to the other workers.

I am angry that this could happen in America. People canspeak their languages at home, but at work, school, and otherplaces, they should speak English. English is what holdsAmerica together. If people don't want to speak our language,they should go home to their countries.

Sincerely,

X,amal cilitAzkittie

P.S. My parents were immigrants and they speak English.

veision 1

3 7

31

immigrants and Work : Pre-reading activity for Letter to the Editor(note: Version 1 and version 2 refer to levels of reading difficulty. The letterscontain the same content, but version 2 has slightly more difficult vocabulazy.)

These questions get at some of the myths and fears people hold about immigrants.Have the class discuss their opinions as a preparation for understanding theconcerns of the Ann Landers letter that follows.

Agree/Disagree

_People get good jvbs if they speak English.

People use their native languages at work when they are hiding something.

Immigrants are taking jobs away from U.S. born Americans.

L;

30

8/20/90

To the Editor:

Last week, my nephew was turned down for a job becausehe could not speak Spanish. The supervisor said that he wouldnot be able to communicate with the rest of the night janitors.

I am outraged that this could happen in America. I don'tcare what language people speak in their br lies, but in thepublic spheres of work, school, government, etc., I thinkeveryone should have to speak English. English is what holdsAmerica together. If people don't want to speak our language,they should move to a country where their language is spoken.But we shouldn't let them take over ours.

Sincerely,

P.S. My parents were immigrants and they speak English

version 2

301

Discussion Questions for Letter to the Editor

How did Larry's letter make you feel? Why?

What does Larry want?

Why is Larry angry?

How many languages do you think Larry speaks?

Do you agree that immigrants "don't want to speak 'our'language?"

Why or why not?

Do you agree that people should only speak English in public?Why or why riot?

How would you answer Larry's letter?

(See next page)

33

3 14

WhatisMass.

EnglishPlus?

Massachusetts

EnglishPlus

is astatewide

coalitionofconcerned

organisations

and

individuals

students,

educators,

community,

laborandreligious

loadersdedicated

to

promoting

thevaluesofourmultilingual,

multicultural

society

Webelieveitistheright

ofeveryresident

ofthis

countrytonurture

bis/her'native

language

in

additiontoEnglish.

Weoppose

anyefforts

to

declareEnglish

theofficiallanguage

of

Masuchusetts.

WesupportincrUsed

availability

ofEnglislO

,

language

learningopportunites

sothatAlin

our;

societyhave

acceutoEnglish

Plus-English,

wehichwerecognize

isthepreeminent

language

inthiscountry,

plusthediverse

languages

and

culturesthat

bavecoexisted

throughout

the

country'shisiWto

Pleasejoin

Massachusetts

EngliskPlus.

Helpto

secureaMassachusetts

thatcelebrates

its -

diversity

ofpeoplenota

statewhich

suipasses

thefreedomofita

residents.

votes.. if

Wedon't

needanofficial

language

OfficialEnglish=

OfficialBigotry

Whathashappened

in

EnglishOnly

states?

Elimination

ofbilingual

911operators

and

healthservice

interpreters.

Restrictions

offoreign-language

broadcastit

advertising

andlibrary

books.

Threatstooutlaw

non-English-

speaking

witnesses

incourt.

Elimination

ofbilingual

information

or

transit,AIDS

education,

natalcare

a

education.English

Onlyrules

attheworkplart.

Employees

reporting

co-workers

fo

anotherlanguage.

Publicand

privateemployees

fi,

speaking

anotherlanguage

to

WhataretheIf

EnglishOnly

no

EnglishOnly

lawsdon'

English.95%

ofHispanic

pare

learnEnglish.

95%ofthechildre

alreadyhave

lea.

EnglishOnly

lea

organizationsagendas

such

FederationReforritumi

EnglisatiJSF

English Plus

Many people are afraid of making English the official language. They are afraidthat if English is the official language, hospitals might not have translators. Theyare afraid that bilingual education would be banned. They are afraid that theycould not speak their own language at wort No one knows what English Onlylaws would mean, but many people think they are not a good thing forimmigrants.

Instead of English Only, many people want to see Massachusetts a state thatsupports English Plus. They think that it is important to learn and speak English.They think that it is important to have ESL classes. But they think it is not goodto elinfinate other languages. They think that differences or diversity is a goodthing.

English Plus Coalition

The English Plus Coalition is a group of people who work to educate others aboutEnglish Only and English Plus. They think that English Only is a bad idea. Theybelieve tha: it is the right of every person in the country to speak his or her ownlanguage in addition to English. They are not against people learning English.But they are against making English the official language of Massachusetts.

This is what English Plus Coalition does:

1. They go on television to talk about English Only/English Plus

2. They write things about English Only/English Plus and mail them to people orput them in the newspapers

3. They give talks about English Only/English Plus to different groups of people

4. They sell t-shirts that say Stop English Only: Support Language Rights sopeople will wear them and talk about English Plus to other people

This is what they want to do:

1. They want more people to join the Coalition

2. They want to introduce an English Plus referendum so voters can vote tosupport language rights.

3. They want to do more education to help people to understand the issues andconsequences of English Only/English Plus

Here is the flyer for the English Plus Coalition: (insert)

.340

Only EnglishSpoken Here?

Is this theMassachusetts

we want?

Massachusetts English Plus27 Beach Street, #3BBoston, MA 02111

(617) 357-4499

LWPat is Mass. English Plus?

Massachusetts English Plus is a fo..tewidecoalition of concerned organizations ..ndindividuals -- students, educators, community,labor and religious leaders dedicated topromoting the values of our multilingual,multicultural society

We believe it is the right of every resident of thiscountry to nurture his/her native language inaddition to English. We oppose any efforts todeclare English the official language ofMassachusetts.

We support increased availability of English-language learning opportunites so that all in oursociety have access to English Plus - English,wehich we recognize is the preeminent languagein this country, plus the diverse languages andcultures that have coexisted throughout thecountry'shistory.

Please join Massachusetts English Plus. Help tosecure a Massachusetts that celebrates itsdiversity of people not a state which suppressesthe freedom of ita residents.

We don't need an official language

N

Official English= Official Bigotry

Ahrt e : a Aj PS il 721 (4 S Cinalition haS nia+erictis (Fact sheets) aboureri)Wii Only in ol-her 14119 vages.

4 4 37

English Plus Legislation

Representative Nelson Merced has introduced legislation to say thatMassachusetts is a multi-lingual, multi-cultural state. This legislation says thatMassachusetts has always welcomed immigrants and that immigrants contribute alot to the state. It says that Massachusetts should promote diversity, but alsohelp people to learn English, too. It says that English is already the main ordominant language of Massachusetts. There is no need to make English theofficial language. It says that using different languages in business, government,and for individual people is a good thing and should be protected, noteliminated.

Here is a copy of the legislation:

fEfie Commontutattb of Itatosatbusetto

IN THE YEAR ONE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND NINETYa

RESOLVE

DECLARING MASSACHUSETTS A MULTI-LINGUAL

MULTICULTURAL STATE.

Reolbeb, THAT THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS IS A

MULTI-LINGUAL MULTI-CULTURAL STATE.

WHEREAS,the Commonwealth of Massachusetts hes traditionally welcomed thediverse ethnic and linguistic communities that mike up the Common% ealthand the nation, and

WHEREAS.these diverse ethnic and linguistic communities have contributed greatlyto the vitality, social development and economic prosperity of theCommonwealth, and

WHEREAS,it is in the best interest of the Commonwealth to continue to promotecultural and linguistic diversity along with proficiency in the English languagefor alt its residents, and

WHEREAS,English is already recognized as the predominant language of Mmachie.ettsand legislation imposing English is the only official language would impairefforts to welcome the full participation in our society of all linguistic andcultural groups,

Now, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the use of diverse languagrs inbusiness, government and private affairs, and the presence of diverse culturesis welcomed, encouraged and protected in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Presented by Reps. Pierced, McDonough, Rushing, Fox, Grace, Jordan ,Owens-Hicks, Fitzgerald, Hildt, Thompson and Honan.

3 3

Suggested Activities:

Swdents:

--Read the proposed legislation.

--Find the paragraph that summarizes the law.

--Find the paragraph that states the law exactly.

--Find the paragraphs that give the reasons for the new law.

Insinictor

--Divide the claw into four groups and give each group one of the paragraphs beginning with"Whereas." Ask them to interpret the paragmph as best they can and report back to the group.

--Discuss the strategies they used for finding the mewling.

--Have students underline vocabulary that is new for them. List the words on the blackboard andhave students guess their meanings based on the contextual clues in the reading. Then have themlook words up in the dictionary and compare their guesses with the actual definitions.

4C3g

What Can You Do?

You have read a lot of information about English Only and English Plus. Whatdo you think? What can you do about it? As a class, think of some ideas:

411111.11W

ii0

Here are some other ideas:

1. Join the Massachusetts English Plus Coalition. Here is the membership form.English Plus Coalition will accept a group membaship of your class or school soyou do not have to pay for the membership yourself.

Membership Form:

31- WinMigitiiiiiruiT:la $10 individual membershipCI $25 org. membershipCI donation $

Name:---

i

=111110 IM111,

Address:

Telephone:

Would you like to volunteer time or resources?Yes Cl No LI

May we use your name on a public list ofsupporters? Yes C) No 0Mail form and check to:

Massachusetts English Plus27 Beach Street #3B, Boston, MA 02111Tel: (617) 367-4499

4 I

2. Write a letter to the editor of the newspaper expressing your views on EnglishOnly. You can write it as a whole class or by yourself. Before you write theletter, discuss what you want to say. What do you want to say first -- What isyour main point? What are your reasons? What examples can you give? Howcan you end the letter?

(Suggestion: to instructor:You might want to bring in samples of short letters to the editor to lookat format, argumentation, tone, style, clarity, etc.. You may also want to discuss audience andpurpose. Then you might want to take the students through a draft --clearly stating a position,giving reasons and support, concluding. This could be in outline form or draft form. Thenstudents can edit and rewrite it. )

Dear Editor:

Sincerely,

ti2-

3. Write a letter to your representative or call his or her office, stating yourviews on English Only legislation.

Suggestion: Have people look up their representative. Do role plays with phones.

Dear Representative

Sincerely,

1

5i3

Part IV: Additional Resources

44

1 Chinese Trogressive Association

4:01fa A --IgLi ##CN

II.E

iffWorkfrs Center

Membership Newsletter September 2989

Ezagaish onay is Allive and Wen and ILivins MassacausatU

The deadline has passed, andthe U.S. English forces have notfiled the necessary papers to putan "English Only" referendumon the ballot for 1990. Althoughwe are not threatened by a refer-endum at this time, the EnglishOnly threat is alive and well inthe form of state legislation andin the daily experiences of theimmigrant communities.

Below are some examples ofhow the English Only atmos-phere can affect immigrantworkers and what people havetied to do about it.

Copley Plaza IZenames MaidsImmigrant maids at the

Copley Plaza luxury hotel areasked to take on English nameswhich would be "simpler" forcustomers to remember. A maidnamed Esperanza Villegas wasrenamed "Elsa." Yin Wah Leebecame "Jane."

As the hotel workers' unionpresident Domenic Bozzottopointed out, this only occurs inthe back of the house, "wherepeople are treated as this name-less, faceless work force."

Jan Chovanec, the CopleyPlaza's general manager, claimsthat employees' names arechanged only with their ap-proval, but in fact many employ-ees would feel compelled tocooperate if asked to take on a"nickname" by their supervisor.

The hotel workers' unionLocal 26 organized membersand supporters to call the Co-pley Plaza manager and corn.plain.

Hogpital Worker IiarrassectMrs. Chart works in the

kitchen of a local government-run hospital, cutting meat Sinceshe speaks only Mandarin, shecan only say "hello" to her co-workers. Nonetheless, she hasfriendly relations with her co-workers, who are all Latino andBlack immigrants.

Mrs. Chan's supervisor is awhite man who is always yellingat her because she doesn't speakEnglish. One day when thesupervisor was yelling at her,Mrs. Chan decided to ignorehim. The angry supervisorswore at her, picked up a piece of

meat from the table, and threw itat her. Mrs. Chan was outraged.She threw the meat back at thesupervisor, but missed. At that,the supervisor went up to Mrs..Chart and hit her. Her face andarms were left bruised andscratched.

Mrs. Chart then went to themanager to file a complaintabout her supervisor. Althoughthe manager had previouslyadvised her to ignore the super-visor, even he expressed sup-port for Mrs. Chan.

Mrs. Chart informed themanager that she planned to suethe supervisor in court.Through CPA, she and her hus-band contacted a civil rightslawyer. But the coworkers wereafraid to serve as witnesses,making the investigation moredifficult. Mrs. Chan herself wasafraid to lose her job and did notwant a long and time consumingprocess. When the supervisor'slawyer proposed an out-of-court agreement, she agreed.

Mrs. Chart dropped the law-suit in exchange for a guarantee

continued on next page

Judge NullifiesLaw Mandating'

Use of EnglishMy Fl 1 1(1 IV UP.l4H1MEIt

SlilPiN.i,Yib itahtWASIIINaltiN. Feb. 7 A Feilei al

dist t to judge m P11114:111X has tie( liltedthat the state's constitutional ;linear!.:nem making the tallow "ofall poiverninvid flak thins and ail intri"01 Ai uli114 Is i violation of fedel allymob cted flee speri b

I he deo atm on 1 ursday was 11whist legal sethat k for the afficial Eng.fish movement, wit kit gatheredmutt termini m the lane; part of the19iltri, pat ocularly in the South andSanthwest its Muse areas experienced

!mgt. influx 01 A aim undinunigt ants

'thy pidge, Paid G Rosenblatt, p uledthat the A rsiona amendment "Is a pit .

un the use of ally languagefowl than Engthh by all officers andcmpioyees of all politnal subdivistuosin At mina while pet farming their alb.

shines " As sa(1), Judge Rosenblattsaid, it coutJ !Mahn legislators hamtalkiog to their i onstituents sir polgesfonn pedal ming man laws In a laicpow other than English.

Mulford Approves of RulingGov Ruse !Milord. a Democrat whir

uppased the lOSS campaign tointend the state emeatintion with tbcangnage provisiiin, said she *mufti notappeal the judge's i tihIit "I ant happyhie cora ts tided It unconstitutional,"she said, adding that the law was"flawi d hom 111,- beginning "

hi the absence of an appeal, JudgeRusenbidit's fluting sets a legal pi inci.plc 11141 is binding only m Anemiataller lawsuits ill aims won the Iangliage Issue ,ifsaind the cumin y

_

Cum inut'd.,n Vont UM. et,liinin 1

NEIV YORH TIMES, TitURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, MI. ..

fudge Voids Arizona Law..` Creating OfficialLanguage

Continued From Page Al

are In their embrynnic stages ni de notideal dt ectly with constitutional guysthins A San that reached the tinned

'States Supreme Court fast year was'dismissed un a technicality.

Officials of LI S English, a Washing:Ion based group that has spew beaded;the officialEnglish drive, agreed that'Judge Rasenblatt's ruling was a setback but sakt they did not expect U to

'dampen their campaign in state tests.!attires, eity councils and (*angles&

Fifteen states hi additum In Arizonahave legal provisions making Englishthe official language. Since 1978, lia-wait has had a constitutional provisioninakuig English and Hawaii:In 11Wstate's cif tidal hinguages.

Last year, legislators in SuffolkCuunty, N Y., by a vote of 11 to 7, re .jetted a measure that sought tu makeEnglish the euunty's official liniguageaiW required that most county businesstie cianhoted only in English A similarniOaSate Was appi ailed in Noveniber inuwell Mass., whet e them has been

shai p increase in the number of Cam .budian and hispanic immigrants.

Group Founded In lainU.S. English was founded in 1983 by

John Tannin, with the a long support offarmer Senator S I ilayakawa of Cali-fornia, a noted lingtost who IS Ilwgimp's luantrary than MOW Mf. 7 an-ton is a Michigan aphilsamologist whoin 1979 brooded the Eederahon forAmerican Immigration Helm .

S English emerged at a time of(leasing backlash against mut leder.allystipma ted pi agrams us bilingnaleducation and multilingual ballots Itsmessage, that the primacy of Englishmid its I oll- as hood wel ha yawned,

struck a chord with many people; thegroup said Rs ilues-paying member-Shin has climbed from a few hundred to350,099 in five years

By the end of 1981, 16 States hadadopted laws Of cvastflutional amend-mous making English their officiallanguage. But a spokesman for U.S.English said these laws had littleor noeffect an Ow day-to.day stmrations ofthese governments, nor did they Invpinge an previously enacted measureslike those mandating multilingual bat-hos or court interpreters for non-Eng-fish speaking defendants in crimmalWalt

in Arizona, Maria.Kelly Yniguez, aMale insurance claims manager, de-tided that speaking Spanish to claim-ants would put her In legal jeopardy.She then hied a constitutional chal.lenge to the law.

Judge Rosenblatt said Ms. Ynigues'sself censorship was "a precinct of herkgitimate sensitivity to the perilSposer LI the 1988 amendment. "A lawwhich reasonably results In such re-sirit thins is overbroad," he said.

Out there were repercussions outsidestate governinems, in the San GabrielValley of California, where commeni .t k-^b like Munterey Park have had an in.flux id Chinese and uther Asian immi .grants, there have been repeated pro .litisals for laws banning or limningcommercial business signs in tan.gouges other than English.

Similar Troubles ElsewhereThere have been similar troubles In

the work place: a supermarket cashierin Miami was suspended by his super.visor "for speaking Spanish" on thejob; a student employee at an Arizonacommunity colkge said a securitygnarll warned him not to speak Spimish

.11111..114-.

3-

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I '. : .." , ... .1:. . , - , . ..guish' Laws, : . '1. :, .. '''* .. Y4' ; .! ;

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P ':rit Okid ualstr 0 o twatuenea 1

ALA$K

1A Pawing - 0 mod In conwnlito glil Puled Engllik plus

Passed E2) or aws N

, c _AI.. ... ow . . ...t.. eI f..sa r e... rare . e , r e ea. r . e r

lowits

during his lunch break; Filipino hospi-tal employees in Pontona, Calif., saidthey had been nut to speak Tagalogduring their tont h breaks.

"People who support these laws arcnot doing it un an ideological basis,"said John Horton, an associate profes-sor of sociology at the University ofCalifornia at lilts Angeles, who is study-

litthe effect of hnmigratkin on localtics. "People are voting patriotism.

veryone's fur English being the bastelangaup."

But, he added, "there are differencesin terms of the pulpit who are support .

ing it and the people who are organis.Ing tor it." And he noted that it is "in .

teresting that the laws appearwhenthere's a massive influx of immigra.lion and a concern shout the UnitedStates' role in the world."

Katherine Ely, a communicationsadviser for U S. Engthih, dcnii.11 thatthe gimp's canip.lign had i st tst under-

'AST COPY AVAILABLE

11:2=92111:13W

1mNe red Tinino Feb

'tones. "Twenty-live percent ot ourmenibers are immigrants them-selves," she said. "Our members feelthat Enlgish is the door to oppiirtuni.

Her colleague, research snd COM-monk:811mi director Yale Newman,added that "the laws arc necessary asa statement of principle."

But Robert erischetto, executive director ut the Southwest Voter Re-search Project in Houston, said mostHispanic Americans view the cam-paten as "a cultural slap in the face ofHispanics."

"Symbolically, it sends a message toHispanics that we don't want you tobring your cultural baggage with youwhen you Immigrate," Mr, Brischettosaid.

"You cannot coerce unity," saidMartha Jimenez, an official of the Mex-ican-American Legal Defense Fund inWashington. "There is no threat te theEnglish bnguage."11113===15M1====..SEteriZIC=.` =1112::Crtffr 4

at Harborview Medical CenterHarborview

ty.,., emu yaws

Filipino workers upset overEnglish-Only policy

by Mary MimingAn Engiish-only policy dictated by

414144 within Harooryiew MedicalCenter has caused concern anion; Sli-m* workers, who fee the policy isunwarranted.

Mary Alyea Olmstead. accountingmanner at Harbornew, sent an inter-departmental policy memo on Septem-ber .M whfch stated that -English is theonly Impute to be apoken in the de-partment of General Accounting dur-ing work hours.'

ntememo was issued in response toa complaint filed by an accountant inHarborhew's Accounn Payable section.located in the Nippoe Kan/Kobe Park

Six out of the seven workers in Ac-counts Payable are Filipino. The, onlysecton's only Caucasian * woman ofFrench Canadian bediground filedthe Comptes:a apparently out at a Esti

ins that she was berg exctuded fromon-the- db information. It was tiled withthe Human RIchu Office at the Univer-sity of Washington. and !nought to theattentson of Accounts Manager Ohn-stud.

Alter the memo was issued. Filipinoworkers in the department seguested itbe resealed.

They say that distill trishing betweenwork and non-related conversanons tanot easy. If someone talks to then inEnglish. their natural lemons. wouldbe to 'peek in English. llut when afellow Stiehl° calls. the woof the Tsp.log language comas naturally.°

Olmstead tnaintatned the policy,saying the MOM was Inndleir

TWO subscluent memos modified theanginal: a memo issued Oct. 26 standthat the English-only rule, effecoveonlydunng work howl. was °for businessP roars rim ae.ftnairovvw° an per I

t t

purposes': and the most recent ot lanu-ary t7 answ,nor1 thott . dunni wOrk hours.E itch.% h must re spoken 'when discuss-ing work-related mitten.-

Failure to comply with the policy. theJanuary 12 memo said. "will be causefor disaplinary action."

Disapiinary acttan. according toOlmstead. would come &der verbalcounseling end a letter of counseiinc.It would bee number of times talkingto them and finding out what the sink.anon is," she sax,.

She Mints any monitoring for viola-tions would be done on an Internetbaste and that it mould be.iliklattesentthan monitonng any of the English-speaking ClUCestand.-

EU, the workers feei threatened. "Weare in a hostile enrstonmem. said oneworker. who asked to renen tandem-fled. 'No one warns to be sublected todisciplinary action for speekinc theirown language."

The workers are alsoconeerned a boutmotutonnr "The thing that would behappening." said one. -would be thatpeople would be watching over yourshoulders ill of the erne.-

Under Wend law. dfscrmunationbased on an indieduars 'race. color.religion. sex, or national ongtn" is un-lawtul aceerding to the 1964 Gni RightsAct. Title VII.

The legality of English-only rules inthe workptace has been the sublets ofseveral court cases which address ..nacarviectionbetweeti national engin andlatnuagc and the Equal OpportunityConlin:savant E200 employment-monnonng agency established try theCiini Rights Act has issued maorpolicy guidelines regarding English-only rules in the workplace.

According to EEOC Guidelines Sec-tion 1606.7, English-only rules ate dis-cnrnmatory when they &reapplied at alltimes. but may be applied at maintimes when the employer "can show therule is jusnfied by business necessuy."

The issue of 'business necessity' hasbeen the rationale used by Olmstead inher memo-diaated

"A lot of the conversations that a

;1ST COPY AVAILABLE

person might have that are business-*mai frith? have an effect an a nether

iheexotained. "Someolocavmtcht make a teretence to SOrnethingtharsgoingonwhethertrsacheckoran invoice and then somebody elsenught say they actually have that in-voice or that they have that check."

But workers in the office 94V that theamount of ireormatton shared in theoffice is not as great as it may seen.Although then ices ne sunder in na-nny. they actually work Independentiy,handling different sets of vendors.

One worker adds that. '11 you doscanethieg lilte a devtattan front thepolicy, Ws really obeous. We have tonewer not only to the hospital but alsoto ring County. YOU Mit can t do what-ova you want, because it has to gothrough a pieces., and theses a goodsense of chedt-and-balance wuhin themuss."

The only thing the workers say theywant is the inthdrawat of ad threememos. A forml complaint is notplanned as ye. however.because theyhave thosen to settle the inoblen ut a'mom subtle way.°

Diony Candles. President of the Fili-pino Arnencan Polltical Action Groupof Washington (FAPAGOWl. satd hisgroup will invuopte the matter. °Thisis a usy serums student that clam timnie ant Memos.' hesa id. The basicapproach at FAPAGOW. Care Iles says.is to look at the pioblem lei a profes-sional manner wtth the end in view ofwrist can be dom.'

One of the things the group hopes todo is puUin suppon 1113MoMet Fill omitAmerican organsuhofts such as theSlipino Amencan Caucus.

Cassified Stat f Association 925.Sery-ice Employees Intentational t AFL-001represents mural of the workers.Spokesperson Marlene Pediegosa saysthe unfelt ts concerned about the issue.

Management is usually supposed toCOMilt with workers before tint:wringpolicy thence). she said. The English-only memo could prove to be 'Yen, di-visive in the workplace." the added. Itdoun t provide a good atmosphere'

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UNITYFor Peace, Justice, Equalily & Socialism

ENGLISH-ONLY TARGETS MASSACHUSETTS

A dangerous political cloud hasformed over the national landscape whichthreatens to drown the US. in a flood ofracist and anti-immigrant hysteria. Thisstorm cloud is the English-Only movement,seeking to pass English-Only laws inenough states to force the passage of a US.constitutional amendment making Englishthe "Official Language" of the U.S. Thismovement has come to Massachusetts.

Language Equality inMassachusetts

Already anti-immigrant and minorityattacks and ideology are all too real in ourstate, one with large Portuguese, Spanish,Chinese, Creole, Vietnamese and Khmer-spealdng communities. INS raids, acts ofanti-Asian violence, cuts to multi-lingualsocial services and education programs, andattacks by political figures such as GeorgeKouloheras and John Silber are only a fewexamples which describe the current politi-cal atmosphere in which English-Onlyforces operate.

The English-Only movement and thepassage of an English-Only referendum inLowell is one of the latest and more organ-ized attempts in the Reagan-era by right-wing forces in Massachusetts to shut lin-guistic minorities out of the political proc-ess. Backed by resources from the nationalEnglish-Only organization, U. S. English,Kouloheras was successful in fanning upracist sentiment in Lowell and taking ad-vantage of people's ignorance of the issue into pass his bill.

Upon the passing of Lowell's referen-dum, Kouleharas vowed to see the passageof statewide legislation making English the"Official Language" of Massachusetts. With

this, multi-lingual social and governmentservices and bilingual education programsmay be banned. Equal rights, services, andaccess for linguistic minorities could bedenied. Situations such as 911 operatorsrefusing to answer callers in any languageother than English, as had happened in Eng-lish-Only Florida, could be the norm.

Why English-Only,Why Now?

To understand the roots of the English-Only movement, we must look at the chang-ing U. S. economy. With its general declinein the world economy since the 1960's,American monopoly capitalism has soughtto maintain its profits by attacking andfurther exploiting workers, minorities, im-migrants, and women. This was the basis ofthe Reagan-era onslaught of union-bustingattempts, anti-immigrant laws, erosion ofwomen and minority rights, and massivecuts in social programs. In addition, Ameri-can capitalism has invested much of itslong-term future in the South and South-west, hoping to exploit those region's lowwages and natural resources. Industry,populatian, and political power have beenshifted to the "Sun Belt" in this last decade.

The powers-that-be worry about theprofound implications of minority empow-erment movements to these strategies.These movements would threaten the ex-pansion of the lower stratum of the workingclass, those working more and paid less.Greater Latino political representation couldmean higher corporate taxes, stricter envi-ronmental laws, more stringent health andsafety legislation in the Southwest, 41 ofwhich jeopardize the glittering profit mar-

( ver)

gins of corporate America. En lish-Only isan effort to undermine the growing Latinopolitical empowerment movement

Who is Behind English-Only?U.S. English is the main force behind

English-Only. It was formed in 1981 andwas initiated and lavishly funded by theFederation for American ImmigrationReform (FAIR), an anti-inunigration groupwhose founders fear that Latinos will takeover the U.S.

While U.S. English claims that Eng-lish-Only legislation is intended to unitethe American people with ow language,their proposals will effectively undermineLatino, Asian and other linguistic minori-ties' welfare and political advancement.They oppose funding for multi-lingualsocial services, government communica-tion with non-English speakers, interpreterservices in court, multi-linpal ballots, andadvocate for restrictions on bilingual edu-cation. English-Only advocates particu-larly target bilingual education programs.Bilingual education strengthens the con-sciousness of linguistic minorities and theirability to resist By eliminating these pro-grams, it will be impossible for four mil-lion non-English-speaking children to getany kind of effective education. If they areunprepared to compete in a highly techni-cal job market, they will just have to keepon cleaning office and hotel rooms forminimum wage and less. The English-Only movement is a tool with whichAmerican capitalism can aush the abilityof linguistic minority conmiunities, espe-daily in the Southwest, to fight for theirrights.

English-Only laws have alreadypassed in 17 states. As part of its nationalstrategy, English-Only forces need to win astatewide referendum in a northeasternstate and is currently targeting Massachu-setts and New York.

So

English-Plus Gains MomentumAs powerful and well-funded as U.S.

English and the English-Only movementare, they are not invincible. Already sev-eral of U. S. English's national spokesper-sons have resigned, including WalterCronkite and Linda Chavez. English-Onlymeasures have been defeated in more than12 state legislatures, including Colorado,Oklahoma, and Texas. In New Mexico, theauthor of the proposed English-as-the-offi-cial-language legislation voted against herown bill because of strong public pressurefrom the progressive community. To date,New Mexico, Washington, and Michiganhavd succeeded in becoming English Plusstates, and Arizona courts recently over-turned its English-Only laws. .

The question for minority peoples inthe U.S. has never been whether or not toassimilate. Rather it has been whether thissociety allows for their truly equal and vol-untary integratkm, and for the creation of amulti-national culture. If minority peoplesare segregated, it is because monopolycapitalism has excluded them frOm fullparticipation in the economic, political,social, and cultural life of society. True de-mocracy which includes full democraticrights, equal economic and educationalopportunity not forced assimilation isthe basis by which to unite the Americanpeople.

For Latinos, Asians and other linguis-tic minorities, the struggle for languagerights is a democratic one a struggle to beable to choose. Say no to English-Only !

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