Great news for parents of bilingual kids: the first entirely bilingual brand of children’s toys has hit the market. Atlanta-based Smart Play, LLC launched Ingenio(TM) which features “10 portable, affordable toys and games that teach a comprehensive range of early learning skills in English and Spanish – fine motor, reading, writing, math, vocabulary, geography and problem solving.”
The news is refreshing to teachers and parents who have long desired Spanish language toys for their children, especially as nearly 25% of the country’s children between ages 3-6 are of Hispanic origin (a number that is rising). Bilingualism at a young age has proven benefits, such as “greater cognitive flexibility, improved powers of concept formation and enhanced creativity.”
An estimated 850,000 adults in the Greater Chicago area have limited English competency skills, according to Literacy Chicago. With many of their children in English-speaking public schools, this creates a huge problem for Chicago schools.
Parents may not need the English communication skills on the job, but without the ability to speak in English, they are unable to communicate with teachers and other parents, as well as their children. One example:
Although Maximina Esteban’s work as a house cleaner does not require her to speak English, her duty as a single mother of two sons does.
Born and raised in Chicago, Esteban’s children, 11 and 7, spend most of their days at school speaking English rather than Spanish.
Despite her attempts to get them to speak Spanish at home, they reply in English, especially her younger son. He understands very little Spanish and rarely uses it with his mother.
Literacy Chicago, which provides free English language training to adults, had their federal funding reduced by 13% for the 2010 fiscal year. They anticipate greater cuts in 2011. Other organizations with English literacy programs are facing similar cuts.
Explains Medill Reports of Northwestern University, “This threat of budget cutbacks makes immigrant parents particularly vulnerable. With fewer opportunities for free English instruction, they will continue to struggle to communicate with their children and their teachers.”
…a really amazing food blog called The Homesick Texan. Really as much about Hispanic-American culture/nostalgia as it is about food, the blog features gorgeous photos, mouth-watering recipes, and great stories about living the Tex-Mex life.
Should names of the likes of Cesar Chavez and other Hispanic historical figures be erased from the history books? Some people in Texas seem to think so, and so the State Board of Education will put the question to a vote.
The article cites a new study from the Southern Education Foundation that reports that for the first time in history, more that half of students in the 15 Southern states are children of color—African-American, Hispanic and Native American. Latina Lista sees this as a blatant reason not to cut minority leaders out of the textbooks.
These SBOE board members, along with their appointees, who adhere to the perspective that it is repugnant to teach children about the historical contributions of Latinos and African Americans show they are no better, and given recent quotes attributed to some who were involved in setting the Social Studies standards, are essentially rewriting U.S. history to conform to their distorted views of how they wish to see the United States.
Sad, but true — a local Chicago non-profit will be closing its doors after 18 years due to the economic downturn. The MultiCultural Development Center (MCDC) has been an area leader in education related to issues of diversity and cultural inclusion.
From the December 7 press release:
Through its many programs, thousands of participants gained new understanding and knowledge regarding the many people and cultures that make up the world in which we live. The goal of MCDC has been to help build a culture where the attitudes and actions of people foster mutual respect so that people of all backgrounds can fully participate in the workplace as well as in the community.
From 1991 to 2009, MCDC educated thousands of people by promoting cultural understanding and inclusiveness to enhance workplace performance and community relationships. The organization was best known for its educational events, led by presenters such as Dr. Roosevelt Thomas, Tim Wise, Angela Bassett, Jane Elliott and Lee Mun Wah, as well as its trademarked Chronology of World Cultural Events poster calendar.
Workforce Language Services is sad to see this great community resource go, and wishes everyone involved with MCDC the best in the coming year.
Nine years ago, over 12,000 Hispanic farmers sought to put an end to discrimination with a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. federal government. To this day, they’re still waiting for a resolution.
Their hope was that the suit would change the way the U.S. Department of Agriculture treats minority farmers. Hispanic farmers with claims against the government petitioned for class-action status, which they have not yet been awarded. Without it, each farmer has to litigate his own case individually, all over the nation.
“It makes no sense from a legal, logical or moral standpoint,” [farmers’ attorney Stephen] Hill said.
“There are lots of farmers who could lose what are otherwise valid claims, and I guess in the governments’ view they see that as money being saved. But saved at an incredible cost of what is equitable and fair.”
Families like the Chavez’s believe they were discriminated against and have lost much of their farm as a result. The family was unable to get low-interest loans from the USDA, and they say that they were discouraged from applying or given misinformation. “It was like they just didn’t want us to have the money,” said Vera Chavez.
The USDA has reported special efforts to promote civil rights and end discriminatory practices. They are reviewing farmers’ complaints by a special task force. Meanwhile, thousands of farmers wait their turn in this drawn-out case.
A news story out of Columbia, SC, where the Hispanic population is 14%, reports that Hispanics are not receiving adequate healthcare. Specifically, certain perceived limitations, like having a foreign accent or not knowing a doctor, are preventing Latinos from receiving the care they need.
[Latinos are] three times less likely to have a consistent source of medical care and one and a half times more likely to use the emergency room as a primary source of healthcare. Making unnecessary trips to the emergency room is one of the most common mistakes Hispanics make, and it can cost them hundreds of dollars.
The article report on some recent data from the Pew Hispanic Center:
46 percent say they believe their accent contributed to their poor care.
43 percent say they believe their inability to pay contributed to their poor care.
37 percent say they believe their race or ethnicity caused them to receive poor care.
A group called “Promotoras de Salud” is trying to get information out to the Latino population about where to go when sick and other resources that will help make their experience with health care more successful.
A hotel owner in Taos, Texas recently asked that all his Hispanic employees “shorten” their names to something a little more “American.” According to an article posted by Asylum, the new boss mandated the following upon his takeover:
1. No speaking Spanish in front of the boss.
2. Everyone’s fired and has to re-apply for their jobs.
3. It’s “strongly suggested” that employees shorten their long, silly Spanish names. (”Who has the time to say ‘Marcos?’ Why not Mark or Bill?” That’s actually a real example.)
Roberto Ruiz of the San Antonio Public Policy Examiner sees this as a strong case against America’s declaration as of late that we live in a “post-racial” society. He also points out that Hispanics make up the majority population in Taos.
It usually comes as a surprise to people when I mention that our republic does not have an “official language.” Wisely, this nation’s founders decided not to declare an official language, their reasons included “a belief in tolerance for linguistic diversity within the population, the economic and social value of foreign language knowledge and citizenry, and a desire not to restrict the linguistic and cultural freedom of those living in the new country.”
In a previous blog post, “What’s in a Hispanic name,” we’ve looked at the Hispanic naming system and how it is often confused in the United States, resulting in a loss of culture and identity for many Hispanic Americans (click here to go to the post).
Hispanic population growth leapt 15% from 2007-2008 in Luzerne County, PA, topping the nation with this milestone. Hispanics now make up about one-third of the small county’s population.
The county is opening its arms to the new diversity, whose growth could be caused by an exodus from more expensive urban areas like New York and New Jersey. In the city, jobs are harder to come by, and so is affordable housing. Linda Trompetter, director of the Luzerne County Diversity Commission and the Diversity Institute at Misericordia University, says she has noticed the changing face of the community and it’s new needs.
“We need a lot more education and working together to deal with the issues that arise because of it,” such as the need for increased English as a Second Language instruction in schools, healthcare services and issues of tolerance.
Trompetter is receiving more and more requests for cultural competency training from local businesses, hospitals and school districts. The trainings teach people how to “interact effectively with any group of people whose culture is different than our own,” and how to respect those differences.
To read more about this issue from the Hazleton Times, click here.
Spanish is discussed in four sections: language as differentiator, language as unifier, language as culture, language as currency. To start, Spanish has played an important role in American culture for many generations, although in the past, there was a strongly repressive attitude against its use. As a result, many children born to Spanish native speakers in the U.S. never learned their parents’ language.
This has resulted in a retro-acculturation trend, wherein the second generation seeks to reclaim their lost linguistic and cultural heritage. And that, in turn, has created birth of a new marketing industry to Hispanics living in the U.S.
Hispanic marketers have a lot to consider. For one, Spanish speakers are regionally very diverse, which can dramatically affect the target audience.
For years one of the biggest challenges for marketers targeting the Hispanic market has been about achieving a delicate balance between relevance and commonality. If we use Puerto Rican slang, will we offend the Domincans, Cubans and Mexicans in the same market? If we are too “current” and popular will we seem to “Naco” for the older and higher income consumers? Famous cases of language slip-ups and lack of sensitivity haunt the halls of most all Hispanic agencies that have been around any significant period of time.
Read more about the language and cultural implications of Hispanic marketing in the U.S. in the full article.
Great news for parents of bilingual kids: the first entirely bilingual brand of children’s toys has hit the market. Atlanta-based Smart Play, LLC launched Ingenio(TM) which features “10 portable, affordable toys and games that teach a comprehensive range of early learning skills in English and Spanish – fine motor, reading, writing, math, vocabulary, geography and problem solving.”
An estimated 850,000 adults in the Greater Chicago area have limited English competency skills, according to Literacy Chicago. With many of their children in English-speaking public schools, this creates a huge problem for Chicago schools.
Should names of the likes of Cesar Chavez and other Hispanic historical figures be erased from the history books? Some people in Texas seem to think so, and so the State Board of Education will put the question to a vote.
From the December 7 press release:
Nine years ago, over 12,000 Hispanic farmers sought to put an end to discrimination with a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. federal government. To this day, they’re still waiting for a resolution.
A news story out of Columbia, SC, where the Hispanic population is 14%, reports that Hispanics are not receiving adequate healthcare. Specifically, certain perceived limitations, like having a foreign accent or not knowing a doctor, are preventing Latinos from receiving the care they need.