Reality Liberation Front

Normally, I restrict my writing to policies at the federal level, but I feel I would be neglecting my obligation it I didn’t devote some time to the Nashville Metro Council’s upcoming vote on an “English Only” amendment.

The proposed Charter Amendment, sponsored by Councilman Eric Crafton, reads:

“English is the official language of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee. Official actions which bind or commit the government shall be taken only in the English language, and all official government communications and publications shall be in English. No person shall have a right to government services in any other language. All meetings of the Metro Council, Boards and Commissions of the Metropolitan Government shall be conducted in English. The Metro Council may make specific exceptions to protect public health and safety. Nothing in this measure shall be interpreted to conflict with federal or state law.”

One of my college friends mentioned this amendment on his Facebook page…leading to a prolonged, and at times tense, discussion. Nashville Scene writer Jeff Woods tackled the topic (in his own, inimitable style) in his blog…and this too led to a significant online debate. One thing seems certain…both sides of the argument are passionate in their views, and more than willing to argue their positions.

The obvious fiscal arguments are being made:

1) The amendment would apply to so few programs, given the wording, that it is hardly worth doing and would probably only net a savings of $495 dollars a year after applying the cost of implementation (Crafton states an entirely unreasonable figure of $100,000 in savings). The cost of election to decide the matter…it will cost much more than the projected savings.

2) The amendment sends a signal to the business community that might prevent foreign-based companies from coming here, or doing business here.

3) The amendment would certainly result in a slew of costly lawsuits (likely citing Title VI violations) that would negate any fiscal benefit.

4) The amendment might result in millions of dollars of federal funds being withheld; funds that are channeled through the Metro Council to other departments.

But really…there’s a more fundamental issue, isn’t there? While the rest of the country is receiving, and hopefully acting upon, a message of unity…diversity…inclusiveness…Nashville would appear to be taking a step towards xenophobia…intolerance…ignorance. This amendment is clearly less about “saving money” or “streamlining government” and is instead pandering to the “this is America, people should speak American” crowd.

And why? Nashville has experienced a major influx of Latinos in the last few years. To many Nashvillians, this has been seen as a threat (although an irrational and unsubstantiated one), particularly in the area of employment. While some might find this hard to believe, the same Nashville residents who have learned it is unacceptable to make racist comments about black people will approach you and say something truly despicable about “Mexicans” (they tend to lump all people from south of the United States into this term…a practice that is both rude and overtly ignorant). They can’t grasp the concept that their statements represent the same kind of racism. And…they simply assume you will agree with them. Additionally, Nashville is home to one of the primary organizations that provides homes in Nashville to refugees of war torn countries…and with all the conflicts of the last ten years (think Kurdistan, Haiti, Somalia, Bosnia, Liberia, et cetera) the number of immigrants continues to grow.

The other thing (besides the obvious racism) that these people neglect to consider…was highlighted in President Obama’s inauguration speech Tuesday: we ARE a nation of immigrants…we are intended to be a nation of immigrants…and our diversity is our strength. Perhaps they are also unable to realize that there is statistically a very good chance that their ancestors DID NOT speak English when they immigrated to the United States. From our earliest days as a country, many millions have arrived speaking only Italian, or French, or German, or Russian, or some other language. Many times they have formed communities based upon their shared language (and shared inability to speak English). Often, they never learned it…often their children or grandchildren were the first to learn English and/or attend school. These are our proud and revered ancestors…they are why we are here. They are part of who we are.

…America was never intended to be only a home to English-speaking immigrants…

…a date was never set for when we would close our doors and say, “sorry, we’re full…no more foreigners.”

…to propose otherwise, is simply….un-American.

The website containing the anti-Amendment fact sheet and other links is here.