[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 71 (Wednesday, June 7, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1043-E1044]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        DIVISIVE IN ANY LANGUAGE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 7, 2006

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend E.J. Dionne Jr. for 
his recent article published in the Washington Post entitled, 
``Divisive In Any Language'', in which it describes how the argument 
surrounding the English Language can become more of a tool to divide 
instead of unify.
  It is my belief that all who seek to enter our borders understand the 
vital importance of learning English, for it is the path to any route 
of social mobility. The immigrants of the past have understood the 
importance of learning English just as those who come today do. English 
must not be seen as a barrier to upward mobility, but as an extremely 
useful device that opens up the doors to opportunity.
  This ``American Dream'' that we speak of so often seems to now be 
under fire from those who have made the dream a reality, or who are the 
beneficiaries of a dream sought many years ago by their forbearers. It 
is now those who have since benefited from the ``American Dream'' who 
seek to shut the door on the hopes and aspirations of others.
  To create amendments in our laws and especially in the Senate 
immigration bill that explicitly say that English is the language of 
this land will indeed be disrespectful to our current large population 
of Spanish-speaking members. Dionne pointedly says this will be 
``legally and formally'' disrespectful in a way earlier generations of 
immigrants from--just a partial list--Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, 
Norway, Sweden, France, Hungary, Greece, and China'' were not.
  I acknowledge my fellow colleague in the United States Senate, Ken 
Salazar from Colorado for his realistic approach to this divisive 
ordeal. He declared that, ``English is the common and unifying language 
of the United States'' while also insisting on the existing rights of 
non-English speakers ``to services or materials provided by the 
government' in languages other than English''.
  Senator Salazar knows that the key to settling the issue is not by 
imposing restrictions and making amendments on people who speak English 
as a second language, primarily Spanish speakers. Our job here today is 
to get others to see the light, and to understand the real issue at 
hand.
  I enter into the Record the Washington Post article by E.J. Dionne 
Jr. for presenting this issue regarding the use of the English language 
with a personal perspective. Being brought up in a home where English 
is not the only language spoken, he knows firsthand the plight of the 
other side. More of us need to understand and put ourselves in the 
shoes of those we have come to discriminate against. Let us use English 
to bring ourselves closer together, for if it is the only common bond 
we have why not use it. It is in the best interest of this Nation to 
get this issue settled efficiently, and accordingly.

                [From the Washington Post, May 23, 2006]

                        Divisive In Any Language

                         (By E. J. Dionne Jr.)

       Yes, let's talk about the English language and how 
     important it is that immigrants and their children learn it.
       And please permit me to be personal about an issue that is 
     equally personal to the tens of millions of Americans who 
     remember their immigrant roots.
       My late father was born in the United States, and grew up 
     in French Canadian neighborhoods in and around New Bedford, 
     Mass. When he started school, he spoke English with a heavy 
     accent. A first-grade teacher mercilessly made fun of his 
     command of the language.
       My dad would have none of this and proceeded to relearn 
     English, with some help from a generous friend named James 
     Radcliffe who, in turn, asked my dad to teach him French. My 
     dad came to speak flawless, accent-free English. He and my 
     mom insisted that their children speak our nation's language 
     clearly, and without grammatical errors.
       None of this caused my parents to turn against their French 
     heritage. On the contrary, my sister and I were taught French 
     before we were taught English because my parents took pride 
     in the language of our forebears and knew that speaking more 
     than one language would be a useful skill.
       My mom would give free French lessons at our Catholic 
     parochial school to any kid who wanted to take them. When we 
     were young, we'd visit our cousins on a farm in Quebec during 
     the summer, partly to improve our French. (And Parisian 
     French elitists take note: I still love the much-derided 
     accent of the Quebec countryside, which many have compared to 
     the English of the Tennessee mountains.) I tell you all this 
     by way of explaining why I can't stand the demagoguery 
     directed against immigrants who speak languages other than 
     English. Raging against them shows little understanding of 
     how new immigrants struggle to become loyal Americans who 
     love their country--and come to love the English language.
       As it considered the immigration bill last week, the Senate 
     passed an utterly useless amendment sponsored by Sen. James 
     Inhofe (R-Okla.) declaring English to be our ``national 
     language'' and calling for a government role in ``preserving 
     and enhancing'' the place of English.
       There is no point to this amendment except to say to 
     members of our currently large Spanish-speaking population 
     that they will be legally and formally disrespected in a way 
     that earlier generations of immigrants from--this is just a 
     partial list--Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, Norway, Sweden, 
     France, Hungary, Greece, China, Japan, Finland, Lithuania, 
     Lebanon, Syria, Bohemia, Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia and 
     Slovenia were not.
       Immigrants from all these places honored their origins, 
     built an ethnic press and usually worshiped in the languages 
     of their ancestors. But they also learned English because 
     they knew that advancement in our country required them to do 
     so.
       True, we now have English-as-a-Second-Language programs 
     that have created some resentments and, in the eyes of their 
     critics, can slow the transition from Spanish to English. 
     Still, the evidence is overwhelming that Spanish speakers and 
     their kids are as aware as anyone of the importance of 
     learning English. That's why we have an attorney general 
     named Gonzales, senators named Salazar, Martinez and 
     Menendez, and a mayor of Los Angeles named Villaraigosa.
       Ken Salazar, a Colorado Democrat, introduced an alternative 
     amendment to Inhofe's that also passed the Senate. It 
     declared English the ``common and unifying language of the 
     United States'' while also insisting on the existing rights 
     of non-English speakers ``to services or materials provided 
     by the government'' in languages other than English. As 
     Salazar understands, the best

[[Page E1044]]

     way to make English our unifying language is to avoid making 
     language a divisive national issue.
       I make my living writing and speaking in English, and I 
     would preach to anyone the joys of mastering this Anglo-Saxon 
     gift to our nation. My wife and I encourage our kids to speak 
     the language with precision and to show respect for its 
     grammar, as did the nuns who taught me as a kid--even if some 
     of them spoke French better than English. Politicians who 
     care about the language might usefully think about how it can 
     be taught well, to the native-born as well as to immigrants.
       When I put my children to bed, I recite the same prayer 
     that my late mother said for my sister and me. The prayer is 
     in French. I certainly hope that it doesn't make my children 
     any less American to hear a few spiritual thoughts in a 
     language other than English before they fall asleep.

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