Two recent news items demonstrate that good things are happening in Adrian on the front of making our community a welcoming and inclusive one.

At the Lenawee NAACP’s annual Freedom Fund banquet, a striking statistic was mentioned: Since the Adrian District Library added a position for an English/Spanish bilingual library assistant and started making a concerted effort to run bilingual programs, the circulation of Spanish-language material has increased by 350 percent. 

This demonstrates something important about inclusion: it works best when you make a proactive effort.

Another promising development is the expansion of translation services at Adrian City Commission meetings. In addition to AI-powered two-way translation now being offered, the city announced that a portable translation device will be available for conversations before or after the meetings.

There are those who will argue that government business should be conducted only in English, and that there’s no need to reach out to residents who speak other languages. But this argument ignores something fundamental about the nature of our country.

Throughout the history of the United States, the fabric of our nation has been influenced — and made richer — by people coming here from all over the world to pursue the American dream. Frequently, the first generation of an immigrant family continues to speak their native language, while the second generation learns English in school. 

This has been true throughout our country’s entire existence. If you want evidence, you need look no further than the history of newspapers in the United States. All over the country, you can see what languages people spoke at different periods in time by looking at what languages newspapers have been published in.

Here’s just one example: In Adrian in the 1870s, the speaking of German was so prevalent that, even though the city’s total population was less than 9,000, a German-language paper was published in town. It was called Adrian Anzeiger.

The city’s expansion of translation services is a welcome move. In addition, we are encouraged by the fact that city commissioners seem to be thinking seriously about ways to make Spanish-speaking residents welcome and valued in the halls of city government. We hope that commissioners keep pushing in this direction and that improvements continue.

Now, as it has been throughout our history, our country and our democracy are strongest when all people can fully participate in civic life. 

Nothing could be more fundamentally American than that.