• In more places, but especially in public places

• Regardless of your proficiency level (It doesn’t matter if it’s your second or third language)

• Regardless of your accent — everyone has an accent, and that’s great!

• Regardless of your concern for monolingual English eavesdroppers

This is a proposal for allies—those who do not directly experience linguistic prejudice, yet want to actively contribute to preventing it.

Dear ally: we need you to take a stand against linguistic xenophobia.

However, if you are the target of linguistic discrimination, it is entirely your decision as to when, where, and with whom to use Spanish.

If you fear that your physical or psychological integrity may be at risk, your only concern should be to stay away from harm.

Start small! Have a conversation with someone else about language solidarity. Invite that person to join you in your effort.

Spread the word! Consider bringing up the issue with a classmate while waiting for class to begin, with a friend at lunch, in social gatherings with others who have studied Spanish, on the bus or public transportation.

Begin by speaking a few sentences in Spanish every day, maybe at a coffee shop, perhaps at the supermarket.

Continue speaking as much Spanish as you can on the metro, at religious gatherings and athletic events, on the phone, while waiting in line at the DMV, at the gas station or the dentist’s office.

Challenge yourself (and others) to speak Spanish everywhere the language is not expected to be heard or used.

Don’t use fake Spanish like “no problemo” or “no bueno”

Don’t use real Spanish with an intentionally anglicized accent such as “hasta la vista” and “muchacho”

Use normal volume and intonation.

Want to speak Spanish with someone you suspect is a Spanish speaker?

• First ask them if they do in fact speak the language.

• Then, ask them if they are okay with speaking Spanish with you.
  

Avoid judging someone’s linguistic abilities based on their appearance.

Mixing languages within discourse and even within sentences (code-switching or translanguaging) is common in all places where languages and cultures coexist.

If it’s natural for you to go back and forth between languages, that’s fine!

Speak more Spanglish in public.

Insist on speaking Spanish in public even if nothing seems to change.

Don’t feel discouraged if your efforts aren’t noticed or celebrated by others.

Don’t abandon the endeavor the first time you are criticized for speaking Spanish in public, particularly if you are a second-language speaker.

Ally: this is not about you.

Changing culture together, creating a more egalitarian society takes time and consistent behind-the-scenes work!

Ally, ask yourself:

• Does a temporary embarrassment caused by speaking Spanish put you physically or psychologically at risk?

• Does using your native tongue make you a target for hateful comments and loathsome glares?

• Has your employer threatened to fire you for speaking it at your place of work?

• Have you ever been denied housing or medical services for using Spanish?

Speaking a minoritized language in public can at times be dangerous.

Perceive a negative reaction?

• If there’s an opportunity to talk with them, go for it.

• But if there's any risk of violence, do not engage. Your safety is a priority.

Some people might genuinely be curious! Think of how you can share with them why you are going out of your comfort zone to speak Spanish.

Consider your brief moments of discomfort as bricks that are laying a new foundation of more widespread, normalized* Spanish, which will in turn serve as a cultural device—a force field—to protect individuals from violent attacks.

*By normalized, we do not mean normal. Every single language is already normal. By normalized, we are referring to the process by which society subjectively determines how unmarked or socially accepted it is to hear or see a given language.