Latinos Have Arrived

by Carmen Ospina -- Críticas, 4/15/2006

This April 30th, hundreds of public and school libraries across the country will join the nationwide celebration of books and literacy, Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros (Day of the Children/Day of the Books). In this issue’s feature, Oralia Garza de Cortés, who spearheads the Día Literacy Initiative for REFORMA, explains the history and meaning of the event and offers tips and resources for organizing programming for Spanish speakers.

This year is special, not only because it marks the 10th anniversary of Día, but also because the event will take place in the midst of a heated national debate on immigration reform. The debate is as much about law, economics, and fear, as it is about the language and culture that Día celebrates—or that very common voicemail message: “Para continuar en español, oprima el dos” (“To continue in Spanish, press two”).

Regardless of what Congress decides when it returns from a two-week spring recess, the most important legacy of the immigration reform will be the fact that so many undocumented immigrants came out of the shadows to demonstrate on the streets, giving up their anonymity and taking a political stand. In a metaphorical and a very real sense, Latinos have arrived. Both the government and the American public have now acknowledged the existence of an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants and the fact that they work for low wages, raise families, and pay taxes and social security in this country. The immigrant community, legal and not, is part of the American cultural mainstream.

For librarians and educators, this coming out of Latinos means “illegal” patrons finally have a face and a political voice. Yes, collecting Spanish materials and Spanish literacy efforts may come under a new wave of attacks by those who view foreign languages as anti-American. And yes, punitive immigration legislation may affect the availability of public resources destined to promote Spanish literacy in public institutions. But no matter what Congress decides, librarians and educators should take this as an opportunity to promote Spanish collections, educate their community about the advantages of a multilingual society, and show immigrants that they are welcome in the library, regardless of their legal status.

This Día, and the upcoming third annual Latino Books Month celebrated during May, are great opportunities to celebrate Hispanic heritage and to show American patrons that different languages (and flags, for that matter) can coexist and enrich their culture.