Addressing Racial Oppression: Counseling Jessica on Bilingualism

This essay addresses the issue of racial oppression and bilingualism through the fictional case of Jessica, a Mexican American student facing challenges in her Chicano studies class due to her lack of Spanish fluency. The essay provides counseling advice, suggesting that Jessica learn Spanish to bridge the communication gap and reduce feelings of discomfort. It justifies this advice by referencing studies on Hispanic population growth and the importance of learning one's parent language. The author reflects on the importance of bilingualism in reducing cultural barriers and improving communication, acknowledging a past belief that learning another language could be confusing but now understanding its benefits. The essay concludes by emphasizing the need to reinforce bilingualism to enable proper communication and erase man-made barriers amongst languages and cultures.

Running head: RACIAL OPPRESSION
Racial Oppression
Name of the Student-
Name of the University-
Author note-

1RACIAL OPPRESSION
Introduction
The following paragraphs will endeavour to shed light on the various aspects related
to the concept of bilingualism. Through a fictional case, the essay will endeavour to
recommend ways in which Jessica can resolve the situation. The essay will argue that the
inculcation of bilingualism can assist in proper communication and help erase many barriers.
The following paragraphs will also provide a personal reflection on the incident.
Discussion
Advice
As a counsellor, it is my duty rot provide relevant advice to my client, that is, Jessica.
Given the situation, I would have advised her to try to inculcate and imbibe the practice of
speaking and learning in Spanish. Though she is a Mexican American, I would have tried to
impress upon her the need to learn a language that is being spoken and used in a rampant
manner. I would have tried to impress upon he the need to establish concrete relation between
languages and cultural groups. Recent studies portray the fact that learning the vocabulary of
second language in a proper manner can assist in easing the various conversations and assist
in breaking the barriers between the myriad languages of the world (Alqahtani, 2015). Owing
to the pressing situation, I think it is important to be acquainted with the language that is
being spoken by many people. Therefore, I would have advised Jessica to learn the Spanish
language to erase the arising feelings of discomfort related to the interactions in Spanish. In
addition to this, i would have suggested her to establish non-verbal connections with the
Spanish speakers to alleviate her pains.

2RACIAL OPPRESSION
Justification
Some studies have expressed concern over the rising number of Hispanic population
and the rise in the disparities within the majority groups (Craig, M. A., & Richeson, 2018).
However, I believe that it is quite important to learn the nuances of the parent language. In
the case of Jessica, the solution of learning Spanish language by taking recourse to Spanish
classes can prove to be effective in reducing her discomfort at the Chicano studies classes.
Students often devalue the Spanish language (Gonzales, 2015). Statistics also unearth the fact
that many Mexican American people are trying to intermingle between the worlds of English
and Spanish (BBC News, 2019). The advice given to Jessica is relevant because her
involvement in actively learning Spanish can reduce her sense of disconnection with other
Hispanic classmates.
Reflection
After reflecting on the above-mentioned incident, I can mention that the aspect of
learning the parent language along with the prevalent language is extremely important. It is
seen that Jessica has to attend Chicano English classes where she had encountered the fluent
French speakers. .Thus, it can be said that it is quite important to learn and get acquainted
with the dual languages. According to my opinion, it is extremely crucial to amalgamate the
various languages and cultures to reduce the barriers. I had realised that learning the parent
language can assist in proper communication processes. As per my perception, had Jessica’s
parents tried to inculcate in her the importance of learning Spanish, the situation could have
been avoided. I used to harbour the thought that learning another language can create
confusions. However, I had learnt that bilingual inculcations can ease the process of
communication.

3RACIAL OPPRESSION
Conclusion
It can be concluded that the aspect of bilingualism can be implemented. In conclusion,
it can also be said that learning another language can reduce barriers. In conclusion, it can
also be said that the notion of bilingualism needs to reinforced and imbibed to enable the
process of proper communication and in erasing the man-made barriers amongst myriad
languages and cultures. It can also be concluded that the problems of bilingualism can be
resolved by proper inculcation of measures.

4RACIAL OPPRESSION
References
Gonzales, S. M. (2015). Abuelita epistemologies: Counteracting subtractive schools in
American education. Journal of Latinos and education, 14(1), 40-54.
Alqahtani, M. (2015). The importance of vocabulary in language learning and how to be
taught. International journal of teaching and education, 3(3), 21-34.
Craig, M. A., & Richeson, J. A. (2018). Hispanic population growth engenders conservative
shift among non-Hispanic racial minorities. Social Psychological and Personality
Science, 9(4), 383-392.
BBC News. (2019). Life in Spanglish for Latino youth. Retrieved from
https://www.bbc.com/news/10209213