For the love of language and culture (in education)

Make no mistake, Jennifer Lopez weaving in Español during her American song tribute at the inauguration was the opening act for what is to come.  We, the multilinguals, have been preparing for this moment. We are ready to go Pa’Lante in all the beautiful, dynamic languages we speak.  Watching Dr. Miguel Cardona affirm in his native language, [Yo] Soy Miguel Cardona, at his Senate confirmation hearing is just another preview of the major role language and culture plays in who we are, our identidad (Watch Senate Hearing).  As we start to witness a more powerful and intentional shift to integrating language and culture as the norm in schools, Jacquelyn León, fundadora of Locally Made, Globally Grown, had the pleasure of virtually “sitting down” with Mila Braz.  Mila, a creative extraordinaire, speaks about her cultural and language journey from her home country to the United States.

JL: Hola. Obrigada for sitting with me and sharing você language and culture story. First, tell us a little more about you.

 MB: Thank you for choosing me to share the pieces that make me whole.  I am Mila Braz.  I am an adventurer, a dreamer, an artist, a dancer, a jokester, a sister, a daughter, a friend, and most importantly a Black womyn* from a small country, who has had the opportunity to travel abroad.

 JL: Before we jump fully into the interview, I want to catch your reaction to the recent inaugural events.  Did you watch the performance by Jennifer Lopez? Can you share your reaction to her use of Español during her medley of traditional American songs?

 MB: Unfortunately, I did not watch the entire performance; the little clip I was able to catch made me extremely happy for her.  She represented her culture and her people. I hope they are as proud of her as I am. Even though she represented the Puerto Rican culture and not mine, as a womyn, a Brown womyn from a different background – it was gratifying to watch.  I have had many opportunities and experiences presented to me as part of my travels.  One day, I too can say to my people, Let’s Get Loud.

 JL: We have always known how cool it is to be bilingual in a place like the United States, and now many, many more people know what a cool Superpower it is to speak more than one language.

 Let’s get started. You said you are from a small country. Tell our readers, where are you from?

MB: I am from an archipelago of islands called Cabo Verde – direct translation Cape Verde. It is nested off the West Coast of Africa.

 JL: At what age did you journey to the United States?

 MB: Our journey happened during the 10th summer of my life.

 JL: Can you recall and share with us your memory of your first day in a U.S. school? What grade where you placed? Did this grade correspond with the last grade you completed in your home country?

 MB: My first day of school was the start of 6th grade in the U.S.  I had graduated 5th grade in Cabo Verde. I remember bits and pieces of it. I was wearing the school uniform which consisted of a navy skort, knee high white socks and a collared white shirt.  I remember that morning getting a vaccine, then being driven to the school by my aunt who then introduced me to the principal.  I was walked to my class, which at the time as science with Miss Sintagrana.  I will never forget her.  She was extremely welcoming and taught the ESL classes. She is from Argentina and used her first language, Spanish, to communicate and connect with us students.  Most of my classmates were all Hispanic students.  I was the only Portuguese speaking student.  But they all spoke Spanish slowly to me and made me feel super included in all aspects.  Prior to school starting, I took a placement test to gauge the level of English I could understand/speak.  At that particular time, I was learning a lot because I was surrounded by cousins who were my age and a 3-year-old nephew who all spoke English fluently.

JL: What languages do you speak? What was your experience learning English?

 MB: I speak Criolo.It is the Cape Verdean language made up of a mix of Portuguese and African words intertwined.  I also speak Portuguese, Spanish, and I am semi-Fluent (I can read/understand more than 50%) in French.  Learning English was relatively easy for me.  I have always liked languages and being that I speak Portuguese, it helps when I look at a word and search through my mental rolodex for a similar Latin-based word to make the connection of that it could mean.  My main challenge is pronunciation due to the differences in alphabet.  In Portuguese the ‘the’ sound is not used.  This is one that I struggle with.  Words such as thought and taught usually come out with the same sound when I am speaking if I do not pause to think about the pronunciation. Another is the letter ‘h’ in Portuguese. When I first arrived in the U.S., my oldest sister had a huge collection of old romance renaissance novels. She passed them to me, and I spent months binging through books by Danielle Steele, Nicholas Sparks, Fabio etc. In a matter of 6 months I went from knowing and identifying several items/words in English to fluent English passable for a two-way conversation. Additionally, this taught me ‘old English’ terms such as maiden head, petticoats, saloon etc.

JL: I want to end with three “learning lens” from you to the world. First, what is a practical advice you can give a student stepping foot into their first U.S. classroom?

 MB: I would tell students to never be ashamed of their native language.  Being bilingual is something to be admirable.  The capability to speak two languages fluently is amazing.  This means your brain works two times more efficiently than others. You are intelligent.

JL: Second, what tips would you give to a teacher who is welcoming into his/her classroom a student who speaks a language other than English?

 MB: From my perspective, not to put new students on the spot and ‘force’ them to speak English.  Every child learns at their own pace.  Patience is a must. It is a most rewarding feeling as a bilingual child to learn a new language and share it with their peers and teachers.

JL: Last, you are multilingual.  You have maintained your mother tongue as you navigate through your personal and work life.  How would you describe the value of speaking Criolo and what impact it has had on your personal, social, and economic well-being?

 MB: For me, speaking Criolo helps me to maintain that sense of home; running barefoot in the backyard, getting bits and pieces of mango slices from my grandpa.  It makes me feel close to my culture and family.  It has been an added plus to my life.  Especially meeting new people. They are interested in learning about my language, culture, and country.  It is definitely an ice breaker in social settings.  I strongly believe it has helped me to see life in a different perspective and therefore make decisions that have better help me to advance.

JL: Thank you, Mila Your insights are invaluable.  I hope your story will help a child proudly recognize how language has power and a teacher affirm the rightful place of all languages in their classrooms.

*Author’s Note: The change from woman to womyn was an intentional manuscript alteration by the author.