Hassan Warsame's command of English goes no further than three basic questions:
What’s your name? What's your address? What's your telephone number?
A native of Somalia, he fled his country and lived in a Kenyan refugee camp before coming to Kansas City in 1995.
"My goal was to master English,” said Warsame, 68, speaking through a translator, "but I know only this little."
He may need to learn more. Pressure on non-English-speaking people living in the U.S. to learn the language has increased as part of an overall immigration debate, and it promises to be a pivotal issue in the fall elections.
Last year, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed legislation making English the state's official language.
Read the complete story at kansascity.com
Comments