Montgomery County Council Tuesday issued a proclamation for International Mother Language Day to recognize that language is a reflection of a person’s culture, heritage and identity and brings diversity to a community.
Councilmember Natali Fani-González, who came to Maryland from Venezuela when she was a 10th grader and couldn’t speak any English, read the proclamation.
Multi-language speakers bring diversity and economic wealth to their new land, she said, adding that she is the only immigrant on Montgomery County council.
She invited three people who helped smooth her journey to her new home to stand with her as she read the proclamation.
Maria Flores, now the supervisor of world languages in the Prince George’s County Public Schools, taught her that her native Spanish included great literature, and made sure Fani-González was moved to AP math classes.
Tamara Hewlitt, director of the Department of English Learners and Multilingual Learners at Montgomery County Public Schools, explained when new students enter the district, “It is important that we do not shun the language they come with. We only add to the languages. It is so important that we honor the mother language.”
Former Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez guided Fani-González when she first showed an interest in politics.
International Mother Language Day, first proclaimed by UNESCO and later adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, underscores the role of languages in promoting inclusion and achieving Sustainable Development Goals.
According to the U.N., every two weeks a language disappears taking with it an entire cultural and intellectual heritage. At least 45% of the estimated 7000 languages spoken in the world are endangered. Only a few hundred languages have genuinely been given a place in education systems and the public domain, and less than 100 are used in the digital world.
Montgomery County council issued a proclamation Tuesday on International Mother Language Day to recognize that language is a reflection of a person's culture, heritage and identity and brings diversity to a community. @mymcmedia @NataliFGonzalez @asarralde pic.twitter.com/NLmywBvHQO
— suzanne pollak (@SuzannePollak) February 27, 2024
