With the outcome of last night’s election, there is anxiety around what the results will mean for English learners, newcomer students, and multilingual education as a whole. While we can’t answer questions about what is in store, we do know one thing: we’ve been here before.
Californians Together started as a response to the passage of Proposition 227—a 1998 ballot initiative that eliminated bilingual education programs in favor of ineffective English-only instruction. Activists and educators who dedicated their lives to supporting English learners banded together to fight this initiative. Though we were not successful in defeating it, we set the foundations for what would become our powerful coalition. This work birthed the movement that would eventually lead to Prop 227’s repeal in the form of Proposition 58—a 2016 ballot initiative that restored multilingual instruction.
Whether we are faced with initiatives that directly harm English learners, or anti-immigrant and anti-multicultural sentiment at-large, we are prepared. We’ve been here before and our mission and vision remain the same. We are committed to undoing systemic injustice and building an education system that works for all students—no matter where they were born or what language they speak with their loved ones.
We see this as a time to renew our promise, to remind our communities of the protections in place for English learners and immigrant students, and to work with policymakers to ensure every child is respected and affirmed in the classroom and beyond.
-Martha Hernandez and the Californians Together Staff