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We begin with one fact: on Friday, March 10, the Chicago Police Department estimated that it was ready to deal with 10,000 proimmigrant demonstrators along Jackson Boulevard. In actuality, more than 100,000 protesters showed up, essentially to repudiate the Hastert/Sensenbrenner “Border Security” Bill (HR 4437) that proposes, among other things, the criminalization of every undocumented immigrant. At the same time, in Grant Park, there was another demonstration in support of tightening local and federal laws to curb illegal immigration in the U.S. The organizers of this second demonstration were part of the Illinois Minuteman Project. It is worth noting that there were three times more journalists than protesters in Grant Park. Only five Minuteman members showed up.
What’s wrong with speaking English with an accent? Furthermore, what’s wrong with speaking Spanish (or any other language)? The effect of racism and discrimination is so subtle, so cruel, that it still persuades people that being able to speak one language is somehow better than being able to speak two.
