"Por nuestra cultura hablarán nuestros libros. Our books shall speak for our culture."
Comprende? The Significance of Spanish in English-Only Times. By Steven W Bender. ISBN: 978-1-888205-08-4. $24.95.
Today, the contentious issue of Latino immigration has spurred backlash efforts to anoint English as the official language in federal and state government to the exclusion of Spanish and other languages, than English. Even cities have weighed in to restrict the legitimacy of Spanish in local government affairs. Last century, European immigrant groups stood accused of failing to assimilate in the American melting pot. But while European immigration has slowed, Latino immigration has surged. This steady immigration, combined with the geographical proximity that brought Latinos into the Southwest long before Anglo immigrants, assures a different cultural dynamic for Latinos than for other groups.
