During a recent meeting of Caribbean-American college graduates on a South Florida college campus, great frustration was expressed over the barriers to some well-paid jobs because of the “dreaded” bi-lingual requirement.
Being bilingual is a job requirement
Migrating to the US where English is the predominant language, few people from the English-speaking Caribbean anticipated among challenges they would encounter is communicating in languages other than English. For those settling in South Florida, especially Miami-Dade County, they often find one of the requirements to get a job is being bi-lingual, able to communicate in English and Spanish.
In Miami-Dade, characterized by large Hispanic communities in most cities, Spanish seems to be the primary language. Several businesses have signage in Spanish, and English- speaking Caribbean migrants contend daily with customers and staff in business places, professional offices, and the workplace who speak little or poor English.
Frustrations
Naturally, the inability to communicate freely in English, not to mention barred from securing jobs for which one is otherwise qualified because of the bilingual criterion, is frustrating. As a result, some Caribbean-Americans understandably question why English isn’t the mandated language in the region, especially in the work place.
Historical controversy
Historically, the English/Spanish issue has been a topic of controversy in South Florida. In 1980 as the Hispanic population in then Dade County increased, a group called Citizens of Dade United proposed a ballot initiative making English the official language of the county. With Cuban President Fidel Castro opening the gates of Cuba for thousands of Cubans to leave his country for Miami in the “Mariel Boatlift,” county voters readily passed the initiative.
Dade County English only ordinance
From 1981 to 1993 English was the official language in Dade County. During those years, the Dade County English Only Ordinance forbade the county government to fund programs not conducted in English or conduct business in any other language, and only relatively few jobs required the bilingual criterion. However, as the county’s Hispanic community rapidly increased opposition to the ordinance grew. In 1993 following the redistricting of the county commission into 13 voting districts, voters gave the commission a Hispanic majority, and voted down the English-only ordinance.
With the revocation of the ordinance, more Caribbean-Americans residing In Dade County followed those who previously relocated to Broward and Palm Beach Counties in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. One of the main reason for this population shift was that Spanish was far less prevalent in both counties.
However, this intra-migration didn’t end the language controversy in the region. As the Hispanic community grew, spreading to Broward and Palm Beach Counties so did the bilingual characteristic of the region. Now some employers in these counties have made being bi-lingual one of the criteria for employment.
Despite the frustration of people, including Caribbean-Americans, who only speak English, it’s unlikely Florida voters will again approve an English-only policy for any county or the state. Currently, over 50 percent of South Florida’s population consists of migrants who speak languages other than English, with the majority speaking Spanish. This pattern has expanded nationally where large percentages of population of states like New York, California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada speaks Spanish, and other languages.
English only riddance deemed anti-American
During the Obama administration, groups in Florida, Arizona and Texas initiated plans for a national English-only bill, but President Obama signed an executive order making such initiatives unconstitutional, calling them “anti-American.”
On the other hand, although a national English-only policy is unlikely to be a reality, it’s indicative lawmakers want to ensure immigrants learn and speak English. The immigration reform bill, passed by the US Senate in 2013, and most of the immigration initiatives being negotiated since then, requires undocumented immigrants seeking legal status to learn English.
Nonetheless, unless in the future, a national immigration policy requires all immigrants to speak English only, it’s quite possible the US, could become an official bilingual, English-Spanish, nation similar to Canada’s official English-French bilingual situation.
As this bilingual pattern increases, it becomes more necessary for English-speaking Caribbean-Americans, especially young people, to learn Spanish in order to effectively compete on the job market and communicate effectively with other ethnicities.
Years of immigration has made America a starkly diverse nation of races and languages. Even in the current volatile immigration debate where some seem determined to “make America white again” it’s unlikely America will ever have an “English-only” policy. It’s therefore practical, and advisable, that immigrants, including Caribbean-Americans, determined to fulfill their American-Dream make being multilingual, especially learning Spanish, the second dominant language, a distinct priority.
