It is time that as Americans we understand what educators. throughout the world already seem to know. that proficiency in many languages ultimately results in increased understanding of others. awareness of other cultures and traditions. and ultimately improvements in our Nations prosperity and welfare. Today. as a nation. we stand together joined by English as our primary language. and we hold hands as a nation. where our acceptance of diversity has given us greatness. Chief Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren once said. "We are now at the point where we must decide whether we are to honor the concept of a plural society which gains strength through diversity. or whether we are to have bitter fragmentation that will result in perpetual tension and strife." As a CubanAmerican who immigrated to this country in 1960. I was granted the honor of living here in the United States. a nation where differences. not similarities are the norm and. most of all. a nation where for over 200 years this plural society has been the standard and where speakers of different tongues and persons of diverse cultures. ethnic backgrounds and walks of life have come with one goal: To live. persevere. and succeed in the United States of America. the land of the free and the melting pot of the world. With the onset of the 104th Congress. there have been proposals made by various of my colleagues that seek to make English the official language of the United States of America and to eliminate bilingual written and oral assistance for language minority voters. Persons who have immigrated in the past. who do so in the present. and who will continue to do so in the future. already understand that in order for them to be able to do well in this great Nation of liberty and freedom. where equality is the law of the land. they must learn English and no law is needed to stress this. Moreover not only do over 97 percent of Americans speak English. but newcomers to our great Nation are learning English faster than ever. thereby making English as the official language a moot point. There are many benefits to having no official language in a country renowned for our diversity and home to communities where many different languages are heard.
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