Project Vision 21

Francisco Miraval

I recently called a large nonprofit organization whose services I have been using for many years. As expected, the receptionist asked my name and the name of the person I wanted to talk with. She then transferred my call and I was surprised with what happened next.

Somebody, not the person I was hoping to speak with, took the call. I was unexpectedly speaking with a volunteer because, she told me, she spoke Spanish. She also said the person I want to talk with did not speak Spanish and, therefore, I had to talk with her (the volunteer.)

I told her language was not an issue for me and that I really needed to talk with the other person, not with her. I said I speak English with my particular answer, but that should not be a problem with the communication. The volunteer told me, “She will not understand you because your English is not good enough.” And that was the end of the conversation.

A few days later, I called a certain education institution to inquire about some of its community activities. Nobody answered, so I left a phone message with my name and phone number.

A few hours later, I received a phone call from somebody calling me from that institution. It was not the person I was hoping to talk with, but somebody else, who, speaking Spanish, invited me to enroll in the English classes being offered at that school. I asked him how he knew I spoke no English and I needed English classes. “Because you have a Latino name,” he said.

These two incidents reveal a stereotype of believing that because somebody has a Hispanic or Latino name, that person speaks only Spanish and he or she speaks no English or speaks English poorly, and, therefore, that that person needs English classes. This stereotype is patently false and should be rejected.

We all have our own stereotypes and we are all guilty of assuming wrong things about others on the basis of the name of that person or how that person looks. I am as guilty as anybody else of doing just that.

A few years ago, I attended a meeting of Latino immigrants in Denver. It was announced the meeting would be conducted in Spanish. I took a look around the room and I saw an African American gentleman sitting alone in a corner. I assumed he was a guest, so I went to him and I introduce myself in English.

I still remember his answer: “Why are you speaking English to me? Spanish is the only language I know.” He was not African American, as my stereotyping wrongly told me, but a visitor from Central America. I apologized to him and learned a hard and important lesson that day.

In this globalized and interconnected world, we can no longer accept the stereotype that Latinos do not speak English and all Latinos need English classes. It is not only incorrect. It is also ridiculous.