| COLUMN/OP-ED | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
| State Rep. Babette Josephs |
|
Why we should all oppose English-only laws
By State Rep. Babette Josephs
Recently a rash of legislatures have passed statutes declaring that English is the official language of their state. Proponents say these policies help immigrants learn English and taxpayers will save money.
A little background: Yes, people who come to this country want to learn our language. They are daring folks who have left their families and, some of them, travelled half way around the globe in a new, strange, and somewhat frightening land; they know that they will not be able to get a job, open a business, advise their children, negotiate public transit, become an American citizen, or get along at all without a working knowledge of written and spoken English.
The proponents of English as our official language have emphasized that, and they are right. I support helping immigrants to acquire the best English proficiency possible as quickly as possible.
But in spite of my repeated asking, these supporters have never given me any evidence – no studies, no reports, not even any anecdotes – that might show that immigrants in states that have English-only policies learn any better or faster than those in other states. It does not exist.
But you ask what harm can English only do to immigrants? In order to answer that question I want you to think about an ancient Greek saying which I keep in my mind all the time: "The boys threw stones at the frogs in jest, but the frogs died in earnest." If you are an English speaker, especially if you are native born, this policy does not seem terrible. If you are someone new here struggling to get everything you need to survive and ultimately prosper, if you are missing your family and your home, if you are an international student at one of our superior institutions of higher learning, or if you are a tourist trying to negotiate a transit system or follow road signs you might feel differently, because you would be the frog.
Our state economy is very dependent on international students and tourists. Why risk alienating these good people – especially when there is no proof that English only does what its supporters claim it will do? Why send a message that is perceived by significant populations of workers, business owners, parents, religious worshipers, neighborhood activists, and others that they are not welcome here, because of a lack of language skills? This is bad public policy.
What I favor is not the stick but the carrot. I want us to devote more resources to English language learning services. Every agency I know of – at least in Philadelphia and its environs – has a big waiting list for these kinds of programs. There is a great hunger to learn English, to become a citizen, to assimilate. People who have come here for all sorts of opportunities crave the opportunity to update their English skills. Pennsylvania government is not stepping up, and cutting our education budget in half, as the Republicans have, is as much of a blow to legal immigrants as it is to the native born.
Do official English statues save taxpayer money? I suppose if folks counted up the cost of the few pamphlets and forms that are in languages other than English, they could show some expense. But I believe that savings pales in light of the contributions immigrants can and are making to business growth and job development.
What I want to see – what we should all strive for -- is something advocates call English plus. Yes, let’s make sure all our official documents are in our native language. But, let’s help children and adults who are here legitimately improve their English fluency by encouragement and opportunity. Let's pay attention to what our immigrant neighbors, friends, and co-workers are asking – help with English -- that’s what I want us to provide.
Rep. Josephs is the Democratic chairman of the House State Government Committee and represents center city Philadelphia in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
###agh/2011/ta
l:\print\columns\englishlang.182
| CONTACT: Amy Giancoli Hartman |