bulk of it spent, not teaching English to immigrants, but teaching coursework in native languages. (Mosier, 1994, p. 22)
It is interesting to note that the view from the right does nothing to acknowledge the body of research which indicates that bilingual education in the child's native language helps the student to learn content in the various disciplines which will later make learning in English more attainable. In addition, the quotation cited above names only Spanish as a "native language," when, in fact, in California at least, a multitude of different languages comprise bilingual education programs. Some areas have large Asian populations which must be addressed, also. Generally, however, Hispanics are scapegoated as the immigrants to be reckoned with if we are to save the motherland.
The "English Only" movement has been divisive both in California and Texas. As we have seen, Asians in California also comprise a significant group, especially in areas like Monterey Park--in fact, in Monterey Park, at first glance, there are Asian signs on Garvey and Atlantic Streets "to fool visitors into thinking they are in Beijing, Seoul, or perhaps Tokyo" (Wood, 1995, p. 4).
In San Antonio, Texas, baloons, fanfare, a parade, and loads of singing, dancing, and speechmaking were the order of the day as the city of San Antonio celebrated the grand opening of a new public library. In an acknowledgement of its Mexican heritage, San Antonio's public library was designed by Legorretta Arquitectos of Mexico City. The seven-level, 240,000-square foot facility soaked up 2,000 five-gallon pails of paint to attain its "enchilada red" radiance. As American Libraries, a defender of multicultural literacty reports, "In the spirit of San Antonio's heritage and the ties of Texas to neighboring Mexico, the library claims the nation's first bilingual/Spanish referencing system (1995, p. 635).
San Antonio's library has done what is abhorr...