On March 1, President Trump signed an executive order declaring English the national language of the United States and rescinding decades-old federal guidance that required federal agencies to make their public services more accessible to non-native English speakers. In response, TCF senior fellow and education reform expert Dr. Conor P. Williams issued the following statement.
“This is a shameful departure from our country’s long and proud multilingual, multicultural history. As the American Academy of Arts and Sciences wrote in a 2017 report commissioned by a bipartisan group of members of Congress: ‘As the home of at least 350 languages in addition to English, we have a strong linguistic base and an unprecedented opportunity to engage other nations and cultures in ways that build lasting, mutually beneficial connections.’
“America’s multilingualism and multiculturalism predate its formation as a country. By the colonial period, this continent hosted hundreds of languages spoken by Native Americans, as well as large communities where German, Dutch, Spanish, French, English, Welsh, Portuguese, Swedish, and other languages were used daily. As the United States grew into its current form over the subsequent centuries, new waves of immigration enriched our country with cultural and linguistic contributions spanning from the arts and sciences to cuisine, sports, and the economy. Italian-Americans brought their languages and cultures to American dinner tables, the outfield at Yankee Stadium, and the Manhattan Project. Chinese-Americans knit together the American coasts via rail, revolutionized global architecture, and transformed the world of design. The country has benefited immensely from its ability to attract and integrate Spanish-speaking Latina physicists, polyglot soccer players from all over the world, epidemiologists from Africa, Indian business leaders, and countless other new multilingual members of our community.
“The United States’ ability to welcome and integrate immigrants into our country is one of its historical strengths. Key to this process is our tradition of providing fair access to public services such as education, health care, housing, nutrition, and more—in multiple languages. Our tradition of investing in translation and interpretation services has been key in making public systems more effective and more accessible to new members of the American community. This has been a critical element of the country’s approach to immigrant integration—and has contributed to making the United States richer and more secure. Policymakers in both major political parties have long recognized the value that multilingual, multicultural newcomers bring to the country—this is why lawmakers explicitly prohibited discrimination rooted in “national origin” when crafting Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
“As such, this executive order marks a stunning, shameful betrayal of one of the United States’ deepest, most cherished traditions. It isn’t just a bad policy that will harm our economy, national security, and citizens’ ability to access public services—it is fundamentally un-American.”
Tags: English Language Learners, educational equity
TCF’s Conor Williams on Trump’s Shameful English Language Executive Order
On March 1, President Trump signed an executive order declaring English the national language of the United States and rescinding decades-old federal guidance that required federal agencies to make their public services more accessible to non-native English speakers. In response, TCF senior fellow and education reform expert Dr. Conor P. Williams issued the following statement.
“This is a shameful departure from our country’s long and proud multilingual, multicultural history. As the American Academy of Arts and Sciences wrote in a 2017 report commissioned by a bipartisan group of members of Congress: ‘As the home of at least 350 languages in addition to English, we have a strong linguistic base and an unprecedented opportunity to engage other nations and cultures in ways that build lasting, mutually beneficial connections.’
“America’s multilingualism and multiculturalism predate its formation as a country. By the colonial period, this continent hosted hundreds of languages spoken by Native Americans, as well as large communities where German, Dutch, Spanish, French, English, Welsh, Portuguese, Swedish, and other languages were used daily. As the United States grew into its current form over the subsequent centuries, new waves of immigration enriched our country with cultural and linguistic contributions spanning from the arts and sciences to cuisine, sports, and the economy. Italian-Americans brought their languages and cultures to American dinner tables, the outfield at Yankee Stadium, and the Manhattan Project. Chinese-Americans knit together the American coasts via rail, revolutionized global architecture, and transformed the world of design. The country has benefited immensely from its ability to attract and integrate Spanish-speaking Latina physicists, polyglot soccer players from all over the world, epidemiologists from Africa, Indian business leaders, and countless other new multilingual members of our community.
“The United States’ ability to welcome and integrate immigrants into our country is one of its historical strengths. Key to this process is our tradition of providing fair access to public services such as education, health care, housing, nutrition, and more—in multiple languages. Our tradition of investing in translation and interpretation services has been key in making public systems more effective and more accessible to new members of the American community. This has been a critical element of the country’s approach to immigrant integration—and has contributed to making the United States richer and more secure. Policymakers in both major political parties have long recognized the value that multilingual, multicultural newcomers bring to the country—this is why lawmakers explicitly prohibited discrimination rooted in “national origin” when crafting Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
“As such, this executive order marks a stunning, shameful betrayal of one of the United States’ deepest, most cherished traditions. It isn’t just a bad policy that will harm our economy, national security, and citizens’ ability to access public services—it is fundamentally un-American.”
Tags: English Language Learners, educational equity