Language access does not divide us. It unites us.

Yunju Nam, PhD, associate professor in the School of Social Work, co-authored an op-ed in The Buffalo News with Regine Ndanga, MSW ’21, community health equity project manager at Partnership for the Public Good, about the importance of language access. They argue that President Trump’s recent executive order designating English as the country’s official language will not fulfill its stated goal to “unify American society” by rescinding a requirement for government agencies to provide language services.

They write: “If we want to build a more unified, equitable and prosperous society, we must reject the false promise of unity through exclusion. Language access isn’t a luxury – it’s a necessity. As good neighbors, we should ensure that everyone, regardless of the language they speak, has equal access to information, services and opportunity.”