The Language Barrier Standing in the Way of Puerto Rican Immigrants

How are Hispanics getting help with English and what obstacles or barriers are they facing? That is an extremely good question. Everyday, more and more Hispanics are making a move to the United States in hopes of a better life. The only problem is that many of them can not speak any English at all. Since the United States is basically an English speaking nation, it is important that Hispanics learn English to be able to adjust to life within the United States. But, that is easier said than done because it is not easy to get Hispanics the help that they need in learning English. There have to be people who are willing to tutor and fund programs. Of course, there are always obstacles or barriers that stands in the way of progress.

Are there differences between living in Puerto Rico and living in the United States? I believe that there are big differences. I came to the United States when I was five years old. I then moved to Philadelphia for one year, lived in Georgia for six years, and now I am currently living in Maryland. I always go back to Puerto Rico to visit my family. I love it there. I like living in the United States but there are many things that differ such as the location itself, people and the schools.

Are there differences between living in Puerto Rico and living in the United States? I believe that there are big differences. I came to the United States when I was fifteen years old. Although, I am currently living in the United States, I always go back to Puerto Rico to visit my family. I love it there. I like living in the United States but there are many things that differ from Puerto Rico such as food, education and weather.

“No Habla English”. “21 million people living in the United States cannot speak English. Citizens are not just speaking Spanish, but Chinese and Russian are rising fast.” (U.S. Bureau of Census, 2009) To force a citizen to speak a new language is discrimination. Non-English speaking citizens and immigrants that are without good English skills will fall academically, in the judicial system and when receiving proper medical care.

Last Wednesday on October 12, I was able to go to the talk of Nelson A. Denis about War Against All Puerto Ricans. Being born and raised in Puerto Rico, I already knew what Nelson was talking about, however it was still nice to fresh up on some history that I may have forgotten. It was also, nice to see Nelson A. Denis tell the audience how Puerto Rico got to where is now in a clear and unique way.

My grandparents were both born and raised in Cidra, Puerto Rico and so were their three children. They wanted to start a new beginning. Though the exact date is forgotten my grandparents moved to Cleveland, Ohio sometime in 1989. My grandparents were very poor when they lived in Puerto Rico since there were not many job opportunities and barely any resources, my grandparents could barely make ends meet.They wanted to give their children to have more opportunities and resources that they didn't have when they were younger, so they decided to leave their home in Cidra. They choose to move to Cleveland because they already had some family down here such as brothers, sisters, and even cousins.When my grandparents got to Cleveland they already knew they made the right decision for their family, Cleveland gave them a more stable life then what they had in Puerto Rico. There were better-educated schools in Cleveland for their children unlike in Puerto Rico, the food in Cleveland was way more affordable, medicine as well, and it was easier to find jobs that paid well.

Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans have been faced with many social injustices in the past; these include police brutality, racism, discrimination, poor housing condition and many more. After a time they grew tired and decided to take action against these injustices. This led many of them to became part of a social movements, fighting for a change which were successful . A few of these movements included the Chicano Movement which involved Mexican Americans; they use boycotting, and their manifesto, El Plan De Aztlan to fight against social injustice and also to fight for nationalism and self-determination. It was said to be one of the most successful movement. Another was the Young Lord’s Movement which was mainly Puerto Ricans but also

“Language is power. If you cannot understand or be understood you have no power. You are at the mercy of everyone.” – (Rudat, 1994, Stow, Dodd 356) Should Americans be required to learn Spanish as a second language? The construction of our nation stands on documents written in English, however English is not our official language nor has it ever been. America is a “melting pot” in which English is the most prominent language, followed closely by Spanish. Requiring Americans to learn Spanish is a great controversy; I strongly believe that it should be a requirement, because it improves academic achievements, career success, and cultural and social understanding. The controversy has great counter arguments such as the double standard Americans are held to, and further division of the country. Regarding the counterarguments, I still firmly believe that it should be a requirement because the integration of a second language in our schools is more beneficial to our country’s success as a whole.

Another large component of Puerto Ricanness is Race. All of the different cultures that have throughout history combined to form Puerto Rico effect their nationality, history, lifestyles, traditions, music, and foods.

From the late 1800's to the 1960's, Puerto Ricans began to rise to recognition as a dominating influence, creating chaos in American society. This comment is based on the immigration of Puerto Ricans to America, and the problems it caused.

Since the last part of the 19th Century, the official language of Puerto Rico has stirred debate. Until the early 1900’s United States authorities insisted that the official language should be English, at least for the instruction in schools. Their reasoning was to produce English speaking students that were enriched in American culture, in the same way that was conducted by schools in the United States. However, objection to this policy brought a change in a sense that Spanish overcame English as the official language in schools. Later, in 1991, the governor of Puerto Rico, Rafael Hernandez Colon, endorsed a bill that made Spanish the official speaking language of the

There have been sporadic movement of Filipinos stepping foot onto American soil. During 1907 up until about 1930, they were forced to become hired help assigned to the sugar plantations in Hawaii, underpaid and living in poor conditions. There were brief periods in which Filipinos were not allowed to step foot into America, but after acquiring independence from the United States in 1946, there was an increase of migration to the states. Ever since then, the Filipino race has been steadily growing here.

The migration of Puerto Ricans to the United States occurred in two major waves. The first wave was in the 1910s-1940s and the second wave was from the 1960s to the 1990s. Each wave of migrants brought new generations of Puerto Ricans to the United States. Both waves of migrants believed that they were going to live a better life in America and migrated to major cities such as New York City, Chicago, Hartford, etc. The early migrants looked for industrial jobs such as in cigar factories while the later migrants found agricultural work such as in tobacco fields. The communities in which they lived grew larger and larger due to chain migration and because of this, the need for politics evolved.

What was Puerto Rico like under Spanish rule, and how important is that rule to the formation of the Puerto Rican people today? To answer these questions, we must take a look at the history of the Spanish and their colonization of the island of Puerto Rico.

Not many may know that Puerto Rico is considered to be American territory. Soon people all over America will know because Puerto Rico could possibly become the fifty first state or could be separated from America completely. Most of Puerto Ricans would like statehood 61% to be exact, this citizens would like to be united with America once and for all. There are some Puerto Ricans would like to be free association and the amount is 33% citizens who want a relationship without political territory with a degree of statehood with America. The last percentage are the citizens who want to be independent which is 5%. As the percentage shows most Puerto Ricans would like to become the fifty first state of America and add one more star onto America.