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Miami is one of the most bilingual cities in the U.S. More than 70 percent of residents speak a language other than English at home, and Spanish is often heard more frequently than English in everyday life.
But that doesn’t mean language is always neutral. In today’s climate — where immigration laws are tightening and identity feels politicized — what language you speak can change how people see you and how safe you feel being seen.
My friend and I visited three neighborhoods: Little Havana, South Beach, and Brickell. In each, we went to a handful of cafés, markets, and small shops twice — once speaking Spanish, once English — keeping everything else the same. We weren’t looking for dramatic reactions. We wanted to observe how language shaped everyday interactions: eye contact, tone, and small talk in a city where speaking Spanish can feel like belonging or exposure.
In Little Havana, Spanish wasn’t just common; it was expected. Even though we weren’t native speakers, people responded warmly. By choosing Spanish, we showed we were willing to adapt rather than expect others to. That small gesture of trying seemed to reassure people.
A grocery store cashier guided us from an overripe papaya to a better one. At a coffee window, ordering in Spanish led to easy conversation about how long we had lived in Miami. When we returned speaking English, the kindness remained — but there was a pause. We no longer blended in; we were outsiders being accommodated.
In South Beach, the dynamic flipped. English was the clear default, the language of tourists and transactions. Speaking it, everything moved quickly: polite smiles, smooth service, clear communication. Spanish, however, sometimes disrupted that flow. At one smoothie bar, the cashier hesitated before switching languages. She still got our order right, but the interaction felt stiff, as if we’d added friction.
Yet at another café, a bilingual barista smiled and said it was “nice to hear,” as if Spanish offered a rare moment of authenticity in a tourist-heavy area. English helped us blend in. Spanish made us stand out — sometimes awkwardly, sometimes warmly.
Brickell, with its mix of professionals and international residents, felt the most neutral.
English worked perfectly; Spanish didn’t disrupt anything but sometimes added quiet connection. At one boutique, a store associate leaned in after a short exchange and said,
“Thank you for speaking Spanish. We use it among ourselves, but not much with customers.” Spanish didn’t change the outcome, but it shifted the tone — from transactional to genuine.
It wasn’t about who gave better service. It was about what each language signaled: trust, belonging, or suspicion. We had the privilege of choosing how we moved between languages. But for many people in Miami — especially immigrants or undocumented residents — that choice isn’t about comfort. It’s about safety. In a state where ICE raids have targeted homes, schools, and workplaces, what language you speak in public can feel risky. Spanish can open doors or trigger suspicion.
So yes, Miami is bilingual, but both languages don’t carry equal weight. In Little Havana, Spanish helped us blend in. In South Beach, English was armor, keeping interactions smooth and impersonal. In Brickell, both worked, but with different signals depending on who was listening.
Language doesn’t just communicate your message. It signals who you are, who gets trusted, and who gets second-guessed. If you move through this city — or any place like it — without worrying about what language you speak, that’s a privilege worth noticing. The first step to being an ally is seeing who doesn’t have that choice.
Kaira Krippendorff
Kaira Krippendorff is a Miami-born high school senior who writes about identity, language, and gender in her community.
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