Is Our Language Policy a Way to Freedom or Oppression?

Some might say that capitalism has been our greatest strength—the free flow of trade based on supply and demand, the allowance of financial markets to balance themselves and the encouragement of entrepreneurs to bring new ideas to market in a constant and free flow. I would argue that capitalism is of course fundamental to our way of life, to our American society. However, I would argue that our greatest strength as a nation is something else entirely: it is our diversity and our tolerance. No other country has the mix of diverse cultures, living together in communities, often under one roof, as we do. And although we have had major bouts of intolerance including segregation, regressive immigration policies, racism, sexism, the United States has had more laws created to counteract breeches. Ours has never been a country of the homogeneous; our identity was born out of tolerance for others—for their religion, primarily. We are and have always been an amalgam of cultures, languages and mixed races. No other country in the world has more children born to families with dual language capabilities. Yet we are among only four countries in the world that adjudicates monolingualism as the “natural” state of being. We now know that we come into this world hard-wired for multiple languages, yet we continue on this path of demanding monolingualism. Language policies in our public schools for the most part in transitioning non-English speakers to English speaking which effectively obliterate their home languages.

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses…” penned Emma Lazarus in 1883 in her sonnet "The New Colossus." When in 1903, these words were emblazoned upon the Statue of Liberty they were not watchwords of a homogeneous society striving for one language, one culture, one way of operating. Rather, these are the watchwords of diversity. Her name is not the commonly heard moniker “Lady Liberty;” Lazarus called her the “Mother of Exiles.”  Exiles who bring their own special cultures, languages, morals, foods, and world perspectives to our shore have always been fundamental to our culture.  It is what has made the United States the republic it is today. Yet, we have legislatively, linguistically, culturally maintained a suppression of those characteristics in favor of making us fit into an unnatural state of “oneness.” Speaking anything other than English has been seen as divisive, anti-American. Rather than embracing and elevating to the highest esteem our multiple language abilities, our policies and practices have suppressed our capabilities and consequently oppressed our people.

The time has come to recognize our diversity as our greatest strength and legislatively, educational and economically shift our policies and practices. Our world power – and our ability to participate fully in a globally interconnected, digital world – will depend on it. 

If we are to participate fully as leaders in the next few years and on into the coming centuries, we must turn this around. It is a right and a social imperative, to teach and encourage multiple language use in our children. The need for a paradigm shift is staring us in the face.