To say "I believe in diversity" has as much weight as saying, "I believe in weather," Carlos Cortés told ASCD members at his lecture, "The Dilemma of Multiculturalism: What It Means for Schools."
Cortés, a history professor at the University of California at Riverside, stressed that "we have always been multicultural; it's just the nature of our multiculturalism that is changing. Multiculturalism does not mean equality," he cautioned. "Slavery was a multicultural system. The struggle in America today is the struggle to move from vertical multiculturalism"—in which some groups dominate—to "horizontal multiculturalism," in which all groups have equal opportunities.
- Demographic changes—The combination of immigration and differing birth rates means that "Anglo" whites will become less and less of a "majority" with time.
- Intragroup diversity—There are increasing differences within specific ethnic groups.
- Affinity grouping—It's natural for people to want to be with those similar to themselves.
Despite growing differences, however, Cortés pointed to a common American culture, based on a common belief in democracy, common founding documents, and a common language. The Founding Fathers chose not to have an "official" language, he explained, but they did want English to be the "national" language. Everyone should learn English "not because of force of law," he argued, "but because of force of need."
Most bilingual advocates want all students to learn English, and they recognize that teaching English is "not cultural destruction; it's cultural addition. To add a language is not to destroy a language," Cortés said.
But bilingual students should not have to sacrifice their education in other areas to learn English. "No child should be denied the right [to] the most powerful education" possible, even if he or she does not yet know English, he asserted. "English should not be an obstacle; it should not be a prerequisite to education."
Educators must embrace multiculturalism, "not to please them, now that they're here," he said, "but because that's what America is." Society will teach young people lessons of multiculturalism whether or not schools do, but public education offers a way to help make that learning experience a positive one, Cortés asserted.
Schools should help strike the balance between "Unum extremism," which leads to the oppression of less powerful groups, and "pluribus extremism," which leads to anarchy.
Cortés referred to an Arab proverb as a metaphor for multiculturalism: "The dog barks, but the caravan moves on." While people bark out contending visions for a diverse society, the caravan of cultural diversity continuously advances.
Schools have the opportunity to help mediate those competing visions in preparation for a diverse future, he concluded. "Let's get away from the posturing, folks," he said. "Let's get away from the clichés. Let's get down to the business of helping children."
