Posts Tagged ‘english only’
Nevada Wants to Go English Only and Gets Called Out
1:17 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Bilingualism| Immigration| Nevada| language · 3 Comments
13 Apr 2007
English-only measures are popping up all over the country in an effort to create more barriers for undocumented immigrants. One of the latest proposals comes from Sin City, Las Vegas Republican State Senator Bob Beer and when it was presented before the Government Affairs Committee, the proposal wasn’t met with open arms.
“Your proposal is racist in intent and is being proposed to divide Nevadans at the cost of the rights of Hispanic Nevadans,” said Rene Cantu of the Latin Chamber of Commerce in Las Vegas, adding that Latinos make up one fourth to one third of the state’s population.
“You’re not Hispanic and you apparently don’t understand what the Hispanics are up against in this community,” testified John Mendoza, a long-time public servant who has served as a judge and district attorney.
Via / Colorlines
Santa Ana, California Putting its Money Where Its English Is
2:33 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Bilingualism| California| Education| Labor| language · 4 Comments
10 Apr 2007
While Newt Gingrich can’t decide if Spanish is ghetto or if he should use it to try and get Latino support, Santa Ana in Orange County, California is putting $4.5 million into getting residents to learn English.
The effort, which aims to have 55,000 residents learn the language over the next four years, includes an aggressive advertising campaign with messages posted at supermarkets, bus depots and elsewhere touting the advantages of learning a new language.
Teams of people also have been dispatched to the streets to promote free English classes, which are offered by the Rancho Santiago Community College District.
“Business owners are screaming for workers, but they need them to speak English,” said Mike Weisman, a chamber board member and partner at DGWB Advertising and Communications, which created the ad campaign.
Census statistics show that at least 51 percent of city residents “speak English less than very well.” More than half the city’s employees speak Spanish, and nearly every retail business has Spanish-speaking employees.
Ted Nugent says he didn’t single out immigrants
6:42 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Controversia| Immigration| Texas| language · 1 Comment
30 Jan 2007
Remember Ted Nugent? If you don’t watch FOX News Channel a lot, you probably don’t see much of him, but you’ll occasionally catch the aging rocker pontificating on topics such as the right to bear arms for the NRA or railing against animal rights activists. Now Nugent’s in the spotlight again for allegedly making remarks against immigrants who don’t speak English at the Texas gubernatorial inauguration on January 16th. Nugent denies the claims:
“In total defiance to the vicious lies and hateful allegations of `racism’ leveled at me by irresponsible, unprofessional and downright goofy media punks, I never said a word about immigration or language, specifically not the alleged slam against `illegal immigrants’ or `non-English-speaking’ anyone,” the outspoken 58-year-old rocker wrote.
However, AP quotes him as saying: “”I will intensify my fight for a united America by demanding all Americans speak English.” Apparently he also claims he isn’t a racist because he’s dedicated records to black musicians such as James Brown. Yeah…
Ted’s world views are certainly interesting.
Via / Yahoo! Entertainment
Georgia Police Learning Spanish
9:06 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Bilingualism| Georgia| Justice| language · Comments Off
3 Jan 2007
As the population in the South of the US becomes more and more Latino so do the language needs of the area. For all the talk about the English only movement, the fact remains that basic services such as police and other emergency services need to be provided to all and need to oversome language barriers. Georgia is taking the lead in helping to train its police force and emergency telephone operators in speaking and understanding basic Spanish. According to the Univision article, most of the Spanish learned include basic words for car parts and orders like “drop that weapon”, which make me wonder if the police really want to help Spanish speakers or just pull more people over.
Via / Univision.com
Image Via / GACP
More towns jump on discrimination bandwagon
1:01 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Controversia| Immigration| Texas| language · 6 Comments
13 Nov 2006
Lately, we’ve been telling you about towns across the country who are writing discrimination against undocumented immigrants into their local laws. Farmer’s Branch, Texas (a suburb of Dallas) just jumped on that bandwagon by proposing an ordinance to ban “illegal” immigrants from the town by making English the official language, among other measures:
A councilman has given city attorneys drafts of an ordinance that would make English the city’s official language and proposals to fine companies and landlords who do business with illegal immigrants.
How Not to Woo A Latino Voter
10:27 am By Maegan La Mala · Immigration| Politics| language · 1 Comment
30 Jun 2006
Who would have thunk it? According to an article posted on the Washington Post’s web site, the harsh positions taken on the immigration issue by conservatives in the the House of Representatives may be hurting President Bush’s Latino cred. According to the article:
The latest blow to Bush’s efforts to woo Hispanics came last week, when a band of House Republicans unexpectedly balked at renewing the 1965 Voting Rights Act, partly because of a 30-year-old requirement that many local governments provide bilingual ballots.
Ay who needs voting rights anyway right? Forget the fact that the Voting Rights Act is more than just about Latinos. According to Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King:
Multilingual ballots divide our country, increase the risk of voter error and fraud, and burden local taxpayers.
Except that many of those requiring multilingual ballots are taxpayers.
Via / The Washington Post
English: Official language of Pennsylvania
3:10 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Controversia| language · 3 Comments
29 Jun 2006
Remember the Geno’s Cheesesteak debaucle in Philly? Well, I’m sure Mr. Geno is smiling today as a new bill to make English the official language of Pennsylvania was passed yesterday in the state’s House.
The measure would make English Pennsylvania’s “official language” and require state and local governments to print official documents in English only. It passed 159-34.Supporters say the bill would save taxpayers money and, in the long run, help all nonEnglish-speaking residents by essentially forcing them to learn the language.
“It will help non English-speaking people become more assimilated into society and help them become more prosperous,” said Rep. Scott Boyd, a West Lampeter Township Republican.
Oregon Bomberos Don’t Work in English Only by Law
9:33 am By Maegan La Mala · Bilingualism| Oregon| language · 1 Comment
27 Jun 2006
Oregon isn’t buying into that English only nonsense, in fact not being bilingual, speaking English and Spanish, can get you fired if you’re a firefighter. Because of the problems of wildfires in Oregon, there is no language requirements for firefighters. According to Jim Walker with the Oregon Department of Forestry:
What we do know is 85 percent of the crew makeup is of Hispanic descent.
Because of this in 2003 a State law was made requiring bosses who manage firefighting crews be bilingual to ensure communication and safety. But not everyone is happy about this requirement. Some people are losing their positions because they cannot speak Spanish.
Via / The Denver Channel
Image Via / CNN
Utah Enforces It’s English Only Law
2:19 pm By Maegan La Mala · Controversia| Internet| Politics| language · 3 Comments
16 Jun 2006
Utah has a state law in its books from 2000 that makes English the official language of the state and the Governor, Jon Huntsman Jr. intends to use it. He shut down a state-owned informational website because it contained Spanish. The site, www.espanol.utah.gov, was started only a few weeks ago as a Spanish language companion to the state’s official website. The site contained information on how to access services including state health and tax services. Well seems like the English only speaking population didn’t appreciate the gesture and called the Governor’s office to complain that the website violated state law.
A Recent History of English Only
10:47 am By Maegan La Mala · Bilingualism| Controversia| language · Comments Off
23 May 2006
Talk about a flip-flopper, well at least when it serves him. According to an article posted on AlterNet today, President Bush has gone back and forth on the English only issue, not surprisingly, how he leans depends on what result he’s looking for.
In September 1999, then Texas Governor George Bush told an audience during the New Hampshire presidential primary, “English-only would mean to people ‘me, not you’.”
Now that Bush is facing sliding approval ratings and criticism from fellow Republicans on his postion on immigration, he’s all about English.
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- Pedro Julio Serrano on the Murder of Lopez Mercado
- Bay Area Community Members to Hold Vigil and Release Statement about Murders in Maryland and Puerto Rico
- Transgender Day of Remembrance and Latin@s
- Dear Troll(s):
- Puerto Rican, Latino Clergy, Theology Professors, Community Members To Condemn Brutal Hate Killing of Gay Puerto Rican Man
- Vigils for Justice y en Memoria de Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado
- Russell Athletic rehires fired union organizers
- When Things Go Wrong…Terribly Wrong.
- Official VivirLatino Statement on Lou Dobbs Leaving CNN
- Sexual Violence Against Women in Immigrant Detention
