Second-grade students at Benteen Elementary School participated in a presentation organized by the City of Atlanta’s Mayor’s Office of International and Immigrant Affairs (MOIIA) to mark International Mother Language Day.
International Mother Language Day, held every year on February 21, aims to promote linguistic and cultural diversity. This year, MOIIA volunteers from various backgrounds visited Benteen Elementary to introduce their native languages to the students.
“We’re very lucky to have the Mayor’s Office of International Immigrant Affairs come to Benteen Elementary School and showcase some of the languages that the students may not have been exposed to before,” said Isabel Marsh, multilingual college and career readiness coordinator for Atlanta Public Schools (APS). “This is incredibly important because even though we do have a dual immersion program in APS and the students are exposed to Spanish, Atlanta is an incredibly international city, as is our district.”
Students learned about languages including Kreyol/French from Haiti, Bangla from Bangladesh, Quechua/Spanish from Peru, and Igbo and Yoruba from Nigeria. Volunteers provided information about each language’s country of origin and taught basic words.
Redowan Kaushik introduced Bangla and shared details about Bangladesh’s history before displaying a hand-embroidered blanket. Ruth Prophete led activities focused on Haiti by reading a bilingual book and presenting Haitian crafts. Alejandra Ximena Paz Ramos represented the Peruvian consulate; she discussed the Incan empire and helped teach Quechua words alongside another volunteer. The session also included a group dance to “Valicha.”
For Nigeria, Cornelius Ani explained traditional clothing associated with different cultures in the country during his Igbo activity. Captain Tajhiek Anwar Baoll, Enoch Demar, and Dilla Jackson led Yoruba activities that included teaching greetings and performing a drum piece.
“It’s important that our students are exposed to those languages and cultures, and recognize the strength that we have in the diversity of having those languages represented,” Marsh said.
