Princeton, NJ - On August 17, highly-regarded Diversity Inc. carried a story about Huachuca City, AZ Mayor Ken Taylor’s “outburst over receiving a bilingual U.S.-Mexico Border Mayors Association invitation.”  The article said the Mayor “refused an invitation ‘in Spanish/Mexican.’”  The New York Times also reported on the case.

“I will NOT attend a function that is sent to me in Spanish/Mexican,” Taylor wrote to John Cook, Executive Director of the association and former mayor of El Paso, TX.  Quoting from the email, Diversity Inc. reported that Taylor told Cook that “One nation means one language, and I am insulted by the division caused by language.”

The U.S.-Mexico Border Mayors Association, says its website in English and Spanish, is “a leading authority on border issues” that seeks to “speak with a unified voice as we make recommendations to our State Legislatures and the U.S. Congress that will help the Mexico and United States border region grow and prosper economically.”

Cook’s and Taylor’s exchanges continued, with increasing rancor from Taylor and with pleas for speaking with a unified voice from Cook.  According to Diversity Inc. – bless them – Taylor’s last blast said: “If Mexico is NOT stopping drugs, crime, and terrorists from coming INTO our country from Mexico, then Mexico is not a friend and I don’t care to help. I have better things to do than fighting the problems they export to us.”

Some facts can help here:

·         Spanish is the de facto second language of the United States, spoken by about 40 million people.

·         The United States is the world’s third largest Spanish-speaking nation (after Mexico and Colombia).

·         “Mexican” is not a language.  Mexico’s first language is Spanish.

·         A large percentage of Huachuca City residents speak Spanish.

·         Effective communication, especially in cross-border engagements, requires use of English AND Spanish.

·         Common courtesy in U.S.-Mexico communications calls for using both languages.

·         Spanish is the second most used language on social media.

·         Spanish is the second most used language on the internet.

·         Spanish is the second largest native language in the world, after Mandarin.

·         The Hispanic population and electorate in Arizona and in the nation are growing; to disdain them and their votes is not smart. 

·         Spanish-speaking Americans are an asset to the United States of America. 

·         Spanish is the most studied second language in the United States.

·         Many countries are officially bilingual and even tri-lingual (e.g., Switzerland), and use their languages to advance national interests.

The Research Institute of United States Spanish (RIUSS) is compelled to give a “thumbs down” to Mayor Taylor’s comments and attitude.  “RIUSS finds attitudes such as that of Mayor Taylor out of step with America’s history as a nation of immigrants and with its values, history and future,” said Leticia Molinero, President of RIUSS.  “We are not a political organization.  Our purpose is to commission and disseminate research on the oral and written use of United States Spanish; hold symposia, conferences and webinars on United States Spanish; and serve as a clearinghouse on United States Spanish.”

A nonprofit membership organization, RIUSS seeks to serve by building bridges of communication between English- and Spanish-speakers, thereby promoting better services to all.  And this includes Huachuca City, Arizona.  For more information on the Institute visit www.RIUSS.org.