Ministers step into the fray over newspaper's Spanish page

Warrenville's church leaders are taking a public stand against bigotry in response to published letters blasting a weekly newspaper's decision to print a page in Spanish.

"We are concerned that persons living in Warrenville express hostility toward Spanish-speaking people living among us," ministers of eight congregations wrote in an Oct. 25 letter to the Warrenville Today newspaper.

Their statement came in response to a debate that began in September, when Warrenville Today started printing a page in Spanish. The paper is mailed weekly to all homes and businesses in Warrenville -- 6,000 copies in all.

The city's population of 13,363 is 10.1 percent Latino, according to the 2000 Census.

"How do you expect people to get involved in schools or the community if you don't communicate with them?" said Sharon Fisher, Warrenville Today's editor.

The page included stories on the Warrenville Hispanic Council and English as a Second Language classes.

The next week, a regular Warrenville Today columnist, the anonymous "Warrenville Curmudgeon," attacked the Spanish page.

"How are they ever going to ever learn English as long as we cater to them?" the columnist wrote. "I have to tell you I am not the only one that has had this reaction. I am the only one that has the guts to say something about it."

For weeks afterward, the Curmudgeon's comments sparked vehement letters to the editor that supported or bashed the columnist's views.

"Everyone has a right to their opinion and I have to say that I also was taken back to see the Spanish page in the paper," resident Elaine Crawford wrote. "I wanted to know what it said."

"Thank God people are saying what I wanted to say the second I saw all that terrible Mexican writing in your paper!!!" resident Phil Hendrie concurred in a letter. "It should be a law that before you can live in America you should have to know how to speak American."

In response, others called for tolerance.

"I think you are using your anonymity to get away with making cruel and judgmental remarks," resident Pam Bollweg told the Curmudgeon in a letter to the editor.

"I have to object to the idea that our paper is an 'English' newspaper," resident Jill Richardson wrote. "It seems to me, it is a community paper, and as such belongs to everyone in the community, not just those privileged to speak English."

The Curmudgeon didn't respond to the letters to the editor. The columnist couldn't be reached by the Daily Herald.

"Somebody voiced the fear (of immigrants) and then it became legitimate to express that fear," said Pastor Wende West of Trinity Lutheran Church, who signed the ministers' letter. "Fear is the opposite of love. So we address it. That's our calling."

So far, the ministers seem to have ended the exchange. Since their position was published, other letters to the editor on the subject ceased.