I have been watching the debate of English as the official language with great interest and, at times, amusement. I had hoped that with the election and the voter decision that the misguided and, at times, mean-spirited attacks by the opponents would end. Apparently I was wrong. The opponents don't seem to want to give up even in light of popular opinion.
As the daughter of German immigrants, I can no longer remain silent. I have decided to speak up. When my parents came to the United States of America, and I emphasize "United," they felt it a privilege to live here. With that privilege came the obligation and opportunity to learn English. There was no question about it. You just did it.
I started kindergarten knowing only a handful of English words, but I learned quickly and so did the rest of my family. We didn't have or expect special programs that handicapped us and falsely lulled us into believing we didn't need to learn the language of the country. We just learned it and were better off for it.
In addition to my German relatives, I also have relatives and friends who immigrated to the United States from Greece, Norway, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, etc. They, too, felt it a privilege to come here and to learn English. All are upstanding citizens and have no problem communicating because they made the effort to learn the language of our new country and didn't expect the citizens of America to learn theirs in order to communicate.
Learning English has not been this terrible thing that some would make it seem. Rather, it has been a uniting factor and a blessing in our lives.
Mary L. Gray
Lehi