Our government is trying to help immigrants learn about American values while at the same time, keeping their own culture. DP
U.S. Promotes Assimilation Through Teaching of Political Values and English
By Karin Brulliard, Washington Post Staff Writer
www.washingtonpost.com: When discussing lofty concepts such as "rule of law," it helps to use real-world examples. So as Alfonso Aguilar spoke to a class of Vietnamese immigrants prepping for the U.S. citizenship test yesterday, he noted that in his parents' homelands -- Costa Rica and Italy -- people view stop signs as "recommendations," not mandates.
"Just like us in Vietnam," said Lam Phan, 59, a waiter, drawing chuckles from his classmates at the Long Branch Community Center in Silver Spring.
The mood was light. But to Aguilar, the classroom was no less than a front in an "assimilation movement for the 21st century." As chief of the U.S. Office of Citizenship, Aguilar has spearheaded a new federal initiative to get immigrants to embrace English and American political values at a time of surging immigration -- a trend that he warned could lead to a "country of enclaves."
"This swelling is going to continue," Aguilar said in an interview before the class. "This is just to take preemptive action to make sure the process of integration continues."
The government has launched a Web site that offers information to immigrants on benefits, English classes and volunteer work. It has provided training for civics teachers and distributed thousands of citizenship "tool kits," with flash cards and booklets, to libraries, community centers and faith-based groups.
The idea, Aguilar said, is not to ask immigrants to shed their cultures but to help them adopt American political values.
"We want to encourage people to celebrate their roots but at the same time to develop roots to their communities," he said.
Be sure to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment