| Written by Maria Elena Salinas |
| Monday, July 08 2002 |
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| "High school could only teach the art of using the brain to think independently and express ideas coherently. We have also learned that saying what you feel is not always allowed. Any student who challenges the system is labeled 'difficult.' This is something you will discover to be true in life, and it will give you the strength to survive." -- Angela Salazar, valedictorian, New Brunswick High School
As valedictorian of her graduating class, Angela Salazar wanted her classmates at New Brunswick High School in New Jersey to know about the life lessons she learned in school, but her message got lost in a sea of controversy about the language in which she made her speech. The young woman -- who arrived from Ecuador only four years ago, not speaking a word of English -- ended up sending a much stronger message to a much bigger audience.
A few days before graduation day, Angela informed her principal that she intended to give her valedictory speech in both English and Spanish. She was told that she could not do it. It broke with tradition and would not be allowed. But she insisted. The issue reached the superintendent of schools in her district. But she was still denied permission for a bilingual speech. Supported by her family, Angela decided to seek legal help to defend what she considered her constitutional right to free speech.
Angela had several reasons for wanting to give her speech in two languages. First of all, Spanish is the language of her parents -- the two people who worked so hard to get her to this point. And since 54 percent of the school's student body is Hispanic, other Spanish-speaking family members would be in attendance. Angela also pointed out that last year's valedictorian had given part of his speech in Spanish.
Finally, she reasoned, the school has a sign at its entrance that reads "Bienvenidos" ("Welcome"). She was surprised, to say the least, when she found out that the school did not welcome her bilingual speech.
In the end, Angela won the battle, but she made a few enemies in the process. She gave her speech in English, but when she began to read it in Spanish, a dozen of her classmates got up and turned their backs on her. Some said they did not agree with her break with tradition. Others said she went too far by making a legal issue out of the matter. To Angela, what she did was put into practice what she learned from her father: Fight for your rights, and defend what you believe in.
Her father ought to know. Like his daughter, Ivan Salazar is a fighter. He came to this country from Ecuador in 1989, in the same manner and for the same reasons so many immigrants do. He crossed the U.S.-Mexican border, escaping from financial and political difficulties in his native land. His intentions were to eventually be re-united with his family. In his country, he was a pathologist. In New York, he cleaned toilets, scrubbed floors, parked cars and sold hamburgers at fast-food joints.
After saving enough money and becoming a legal resident, Mr. Salazar was able to bring his family over. He now makes a living as a limousine driver in New York. His wife is a seamstress. His four kids all want to be doctors. Education, he tells me, is the most important thing a parent can give his children.
Angela's speech in Spanish was identical to the one in English. She talked about hard work, responsibility, friendship and the value of a good education. She thanked her teachers, her parents and her friends at New Brunswick High. Her speech was similar to thousands of valedictory speeches given at high schools across the Untied States. The only difference is that Angela reached people sitting in the audience who might have otherwise been oblivious to what was being said.
Too bad the dozen or so kids who turned their backs couldn't sit politely for a few minutes while Angela addressed the Spanish speakers in the audience.
Angela will be starting college this fall. She plans to study biology at Montclair State University in new Jersey and someday go to medical school. But her most valuable lesson might have been learned in the days before her graduation. Her fight taught her about freedom of speech, about respecting the culture of your parents and about the importance of fighting for what you believe in. Those are all values worth learning -- in any language. |
