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<\/a><\/p>\nHow come your children do not fluently speak Spanish like you do?<\/em> When a person asked me this question a few years ago, I felt the need to stop to do some self-reflection to respond with a better answer than \u201cIt\u2019s just easier\u2026\u201d I realized I was not raising my children to embrace my native language like my parents did before I moved to the United States. As a Latina mom who came to this country pursuing the so-called \u201cAmerican Dream\u201d for the sake of her children, I knew that part of that dream would not be possible if I was not willing to fully-emerged using the most spoken language in this nation. However, as I was getting to know more immigrant parents and noticing how their children were being raised leaving their Spanish behind, I started educating myself to educate others along the way. In my journey, I learned that if some research has shown that bilingualism not only could get us a higher-paid job<\/a> but also the possibility to improve our mental health<\/a>, then why not to teach my children to speak Espa\u00f1ol<\/em>. Nonetheless, the reasons why Latinx<\/a> not follow these researches that easily could be due to one important matter: Inclusion.<\/p>\n A Sense of Community and Inclusion Despite our Accents<\/strong><\/p>\n The Community Psychologists, Geoffrey Nelson and Isaac Prilleltensky (2010) claim that a community helps to \u201cfill human needs for support and connection\u201d (p. 37). However, when a group of individuals encounter discrimination not only based on their appearance but also their accent, this sense of belonging and inclusion could easily fade and involuntarily transform into cultural assimilation<\/a> or isolation.<\/p>\n Pew Research Center<\/a> claims that 65% Latinx (ages 18-29) have experienced discrimination or unfair treatment based on their race or ethnicity. As an example, one of the most popular job-search website states that employers tend to make judgments based on their prospective employees\u2019 accents. \u201cNot only may someone with a Hispanic accent be deemed \u2018less educated,’ but someone with a British accent may be seen as \u2018more intelligent\u2019,\u201d Monster<\/a> claims. Thank goodness, the times are changing!<\/p>\n Whom from our ancestors would have thought that the Latinx population would be reaching nearly 58 million<\/a> in the future (2016)? Just as Community Psychology has increased its attention to diversity and inclusion in \u201ctheory, practice, and training\u201d (Nelson: 2010, p. 39), Latinx families ought to understand that the benefits of raising their children, with the inclusion of Spanish as their second language, are in more advantage than the contrary. I truly know and I feel guilty of taking this matter in a light way. \u201cThey will learn when they grow up\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n I started believing that exclusively speaking English to my children would help me improve my English skills, as well as -perhaps to avoid possible discrimination towards them. I stopped<\/em> believing in my assumptions when I realized how valuable and rewarding is to embrace the language that best represents my culture, and started focusing on rescuing<\/em> bilingualism.<\/p>\n Helpful links:<\/p>\n Parents\u2019 Guide to Teach Spanish at Home<\/a>. SpeakingLatino<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Reference<\/p>\n Geoffrey Nelson, Isaac Prilleltensky. (2010). Community Pasychology: In Pursuit of Liberation and Well-Being<\/em> (2nd ed.). New York: Palgrave MacMillian.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n #UML #CommPsych<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Diana Santana How come your children do not fluently speak Spanish like you do? When a person asked me this question a few years ago, I felt the need to stop to do some self-reflection to respond with a … Continue reading