Times are tough. Unemployment is high, financial uncertainty grows daily, and the government is edging further toward authoritarianism.

Context

This week, the Supreme Court ruled that federal agents can stop and briefly detain people based on factors such as:

• Apparent race or ethnicity
  
• Speaking English with an accent or speaking Spanish
  
• Being present in locations like farms or day-labor pickup sites
  
• The type of work they do

Read more in The New York Times.

In practice, this ruling means that judgments and biases about race, immigration status, and language are now even more likely to be weaponized in determining who “belongs” in the U.S.

In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor cited the Fourth Amendment and its guarantee of “the constitutional right to be free from arbitrary interference by law officers.” She warned:

“We should not have to live in a country where the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low-wage job.”

Read more in HuffPost.

In light of this ruling, our responsibility as a community is clearer than ever: we must commit to learning, practicing, and defending access to languages beyond English. Language learning is no longer just a “nice-to-have” for travel or résumé building. It’s an act of grounding, connecting, and resisting. 

Practice

Here are three reasons to commit to learning and speaking languages other than English (and especially Spanish), now more than ever.

1. Use It to Connect

In uncertain times, constant bad news can feel paralyzing. Turn off the phone, stop doomscrolling, and use your language to connect with people in real life. When we speak in a language that isn’t our strongest, it forces us into the present moment. We listen actively. We ask simple, honest questions. And we build genuine connections that strengthen community when fear and division try to pull us apart.

2. Use It to Advocate

Your developing language skills can be a lifeline for others. Join community groups, volunteer, or support immigrant community members as they navigate systems designed to exclude them. Even if your skills aren’t “perfect,” your effort can help someone feel seen, heard, and supported in a space that might otherwise silence them. Advocacy starts with communication.

3. Use It to Resist

Learning another language is, in itself, a radical act of resistance. It pushes back against the myth that there is only one “right” way to sound, speak, or exist in this country. It grows compassion and connection. It reminds others, and ourselves, that English is not the measure of belonging.

Conclusion

Language learning extends far beyond individual goals and personal achievement. 

It reinforces your voice, deepens your empathy, and strengthens your connection to community.

Our Spanish-speaking communities will not be silenced. 

Stand with them to help their voices grow louder. 

I stay committed to presenting safe spaces for our community to practice and use Spanish together. Additionally, from September to November, I will be hosting free Spanglish Sessions, where we will come together virtually on a weekly basis to practice our Spanish and grow more confident in our language abilities.

I invite you to come, use your language, practice your Spanish, and connect with your community.

“They tried to bury us, but we were seeds.” Dinos Christianopoulos