[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 7, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H1133]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



  BILINGUALISM IS A TREASURE
  (Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, 50 years ago today, New Mexico was 
the first State to adopt a law that recognizes language and culture are 
inseparable, that students learn better if they take the language from 
their kitchen into their classroom.
  Fifty years ago, my parents helped write and pass the Bilingual 
Multicultural Education Act so Keres, Tiwa, Tewa, Towa, Dine, Apache, 
Zuni, Spanish, and ASL would be taught in our schools.
  Like many New Mexicans, they understood the importance of culturally 
relevant content. Today, 70 percent of New Mexico school districts have 
bilingual multicultural instruction.
  Bilingualism is a treasure. Nearly 22 percent of the U.S. speaks a 
language other than English at home, and roughly 245 indigenous 
languages are spoken across the country.
  Studies have shown that having a second language helps students be 
better problem solvers, more creative, able to concentrate, and 
communicate better.
  ``Que viva nuestra herencia y cultura.'' ``Long live our heritage and 
culture.''

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