Isolation of Hartford Illustrates Need for Official English

U.S. ENGLISH, Inc. Urges Connecticut to Pass Pending Legislation

WASHINGTON D.C. - Like many urban centers, Hartford, Connecticut is undergoing a major demographic transition. Unfortunately, the capital of Connecticut is also undergoing a process which could lead to severe linguistic isolation between the city and the rest of the state.

The New York Times reports that Hispanics account for over 40 percent of the population of Hartford, and that the city is becoming "Latinized." Last year, Eddie Perez became Hartford's first Hispanic mayor. The city web page is bilingual and after-hours callers to the mayor's office are greeted first by a message in Spanish. Half of Hartford's Hispanic business owners do not speak English. According to Freddy Ortiz, who owns a bakery in the city, "In the bank, they speak Spanish; at the hospital, they speak Spanish; my bakery suppliers are starting to speak Spanish. Even at the post office, they are Americans, but they speak Spanish."

According to the 2000 Census, almost half (46.3 percent) of the city's Hispanic population speaks English "less than very well." Almost a quarter speak English "not very well" or "not at all." As the city moves its essential services to Spanish, there will soon be no necessity to learn English. Even Mayor Perez notes that, "We've become a Latin city, so to speak. It's a sign of things to come."

The rest of Connecticut is overwhelmingly English speaking and this could create a situation where Hartford residents are increasingly isolated from other citizens of the Constitution state. U.S. ENGLISH, Inc. strongly cautions the political leaders of Connecticut to act quickly and decisively to prevent a linguistic ghetto from forming in their state capital. Two separate bills are currently pending in the state legislature that would declare English the official language of Connecticut and require that government business be conducted in English. This would bring back the incentive for immigrants and new arrivals to learn the common language of the state.

"Connecticut has a serious problem on its hands," said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. ENGLISH, Inc. and an immigrant from Chile. "Rather than trying to placate the Latino community by increasing bilingual government services and speaking Spanish on the campaign trail, the politicians should be trying to help every citizen learn English. Does the governor of Connecticut realize that almost half of the Hispanics in his capital city cannot speak English very well?

"Hartford is clearly on a path to linguistic isolation. In addition, the inability to integrate economically, academically and socially into our society has stranded too many Hispanics in low-wage menial jobs. In order to preserve unity and increase opportunities for everyone, Connecticut should declare English its official language and also make it easier for newcomers to learn English."

U.S. English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S. English, Inc. (www.usenglish.org) now has more than 1.8 million members.