DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The city of Dearborn Heights triggered a national backlash last week when it unveiled a police badge that had the city’s name spelled in Arabic.
With a population of just over 63,000, 41% of the people in Dearborn Heights speak a language other than English at home, according to the U.S. Census.
Dearborn Heights is not alone.
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That city is not alone in Wayne County.
In Hamtramck Public Schools, 62% of the 2,907 students were English Learners in 2023-24, meaning English was not their native language and they had difficulties understanding it. In the city of Hamtramck, 71.6% of the people at home speak a language other than English.
In Dearborn, 45% of the 19,644 students were English Learners. In the city, 53.3% of the people speak a language at home other than English.
Are accommodations reasonable?
A debate has long been brewing about whether residents in the U.S. should learn English or whether governments should accommodate to the native languages. The debate comes with a price tag: the federal government spends about $890 million a year giving school districts money to help with English Learners. Michigan gets about $13 million a year of that money.
In March, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that made English the official language of the United States.
“A nationally designated language is at the core of a unified and cohesive society, and the United States is strengthened by a citizenry that can freely exchange ideas in one shared language,” Trump’s executive order stated.
The statement continues, “In welcoming new Americans, a policy of encouraging the learning and adoption of our national language will make the United States a shared home and empower new citizens to achieve the American dream. Speaking English not only opens doors economically, but it helps newcomers engage in their communities, participate in national traditions, and give back to our society.”
What is “language justice?”
There are 30 states that have made English its official language, according to Ballotpedia. Michigan has not done that.
However, under the Joe Biden administration, the concept of “language justice” was gaining momentum.
Professional organizations such as the Conference on College Composition & Communication (CCCC) have claimed that making English the official language is “language protectionism.” The CCCC claims that making English the official language “is unnecessary, dangerous, unfair, ineffective, educationally unsound, counterproductive, oppressive and dehumanizing, and unconstitutional.”
In Colorado, the Denver public school district became the first school district in the country in 2023 to adopt “language justice” as a long-term goal. That district policy encourages non-English speaking students to speak in their native language while learning as opposed to being educated in English. The district’s goal is to hire more translators and provide technology to let the students learn in their non-English language. Advocates for “language justice” claim forcing English on non-English speaking U.S. residents is oppressive and rooted in racism.