‘English Only’ Is Not Key to Unity

I disagree with Gloria Matta Tuchman (“Official Language Is Best Means for Multiple Cultures to Flourish,” Orange County Voices, Aug. 18).

The late U.S. Sen. S.I. Hayakawa was wrong when, in 1981, he introduced a constitutional amendment to make English the official language of the United States. Hayakawa meant well, but as you might recall, he slept more often than not in the Senate chambers as they were debating the social issues of the day. English-only legislation is unnecessary and biased against Chicanos, especially in the Santa Ana Unified School District, with a 50,000-student population, of which 78% are Latino.

My education and experience as a teacher at the junior high, high school and college levels convinces me that “English only” is the wrong way to achieve a “national unity.” If our Chicano children are to be competitive in this global economy, they must be instructed in a multilingual and multicultural setting.

English-only legislation is an aberration proposed and supported by small-minded politicians. Furthermore, in 1848 the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed by the U.S. and Mexican governments, which gave California residents the legal right to keep their own language and religion. May God bless our country and plague the house of the English-only proponent.

JAIME VEGA-RODRIGUEZ

Santa Ana