Hispanic salesman knows English well[/caption]Carol Forsloff----Most new arrivals to America learned English, as knowledge of their language of origin did not pass to future generations; but in modern times ethnic groups are looking to revival of language and culture as a way to bind the old and the new and help youth take pride in their ethnicity.
In Wisconsin the Red Cliff Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa tribe has received a grant for the education of their children in their native Ojibwe tongue, which they will learn from the elders of the tribe. An immersion program will be developed through the Bayfield School District with the Ojibwe language immersion Charter School which is slated to open in 2015.
This has come about in response to the fact that the native American tongue, Ojibwe, is one of those that had dwindled in users among the younger generations. This effort of revitalizing the language for cultural bonding is one that speaks to many people who seek to elicit understanding, especially if the group comes from one of those who have been oppressed by the greater culture, as occurred with the native Americans as white settlers moved onto tribal lands and moved the indigenous peoples often to reservations far away from their birth homes.
The status of the Native American may be considered somewhat different than other ethnic groups, as the Americas are their land of origin. In other words, their languages could be considered part of the language systems indigenous to the United States. In some areas, however, ethnic studies that focus on one particular group are being reviewed as potentially divisive. In this case the focus is not just on language but on an entire cultural group that includes history, patterns of behavior and style as well as language. Some educators are questioning ethnic studies as separating the group from the mainstream education and knowledge, especially when the orientation is specifically toward the cultural group itself highlighted as the principal students.
Much of the conversation about ethnic studies has come about follow Arizona's enactment of a law banning ethnic studies. Critics declare that the ban is part of Arizona's anti-immigration stance specifically targeting Hispanics. Others say ethnic studies tend to focus on immigrants' culture outside of mainstream America when the accent should be on learning the new culture and language as part of assimilation.
This is what the Arizona Ethnic Studies Network has to say about ethnic studies: “Ethnic studies and programs such as MAS are about equality, not divisiveness; they seek to expore the complexity of power, inequality and conflict between, as well as within, ethnic groups. We support ethnic studies in K-12 schools, university classrooms and beyond.”
The Supreme Court has upheld the Arizona law.
And despite the arguments that Latinos don't learn English enough and the proposed new immigration law requires it, research has shown they have more incentive in modern times to learn English and are doing so at a more rapid rate than past generations.
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