Talking to Grandma

Last year, our work with the Language Preservation Project took us to Denver, Colorado. As we began to design and think about our programming for educators and families, we met with a lot of great people in the community who all had their own journeys with language preservation and loss. In this episode, we highlight the voices of Denver as they share their stories. It was a reminder to us of why we started this work. We hope you take away as much inspiration as we did.

The reason for language loss in a family can be deeply personal and complicated. In this episode, we talked with Dr. Vanessa Santiago Schwarz about the complex history of both her heritage languages, how that impacted her own relationship with language, and how she uses what she’s learned as an educator and mother today. Find out more about our guest on her website www.vanessasantiagoschwarz.com

Creating resources that bring beauty and joy to the people we serve has become a goal for The Langauge Preservation Project. In this episode, two LPP collaborators, Maried Rivera Nieves and Nansi Guevara talk about creating art and design with equity and representation in mind. Listen to how representation shaped their own stories of language and cultural loss and preservation! Learn more about Maried's work with Bank Street College of Education Center on Culture, Race, and Equity and Nansi's art.

As we start year 2 of our work with the Language Preservation Project, we want to share the stories of some of the other amazing folks we have worked with over the past year. The work we do is truly by us and for us. In this episode, Vero talked with Jenn Pressman & Irene Vergara, about making connections to language through little moments, food, and music! If you've struggled with finding ways to make connections to language for your kiddos, we have some gems of wisdom for you! You can find more about Jenn and Programa Familiar de Lenguaje on Facebook or Instagram (@programa_familiar_de_lenguaje)

In this episode, we talked with Errol de Jesus from Morenita Mommy about her commitment to raising her autistic son multilingual. Errol’s journey shows that while the complexities of life can take expectations and flip them upside down, forming community and connection can make language learning happen, even in hard times. You can find Errol on Instagram (@morenitamommy) or on her blog morenitamommy.com.

The journey of passing on a heritage language you are still learning can be scary. In this episode, Annie Lee shares with us how she reimagined bilingual parenting from a place of fear to a place of joy. If you have doubts and fears about your own bilingual parenting journey, join us in this conversation full of wisdom and reminders to give yourself grace!

Dr. Gloria Rosario Wallace shared how she grew up rejecting the harmful narratives about her language and identity and how she continues to affirm language and culture as an educator, leader, and parent. Listen to the many nuggets of wisdom Dr. Gloria has to share in this episode! You can find Dr. Gloria Rosario Wallas on Twitter @GRosarioWallace.

Parenting can be a juggling act. Throw in the hard work of passing on one or more heritage languages, and it can feel impossible. In this episode, Tamar Lawrence-Samuel shares her experience balancing grace and accountability on her multilingual parenting journey. If you need a reminder that what you are doing is enough, we got you covered with this episode!

The process of raising bilingual children in a monolingual society is incredibly difficult and can take a toll on the mental health of a parent. In this episode, we talk with social worker Diandra Morse, LCSW, not only about parenting and bilingualism but the language of the heart and the mental load for parents raising bilingual children. If you are looking for connection and motivation on your own bilingual parenting journey, this episode is for you! You can find more of Diandra’s work on Instagram at @bilingualplaydate!

Linguistic oppression has plagued many cultures over the years, leaving generations unable to speak to older generations. Dr. Veronica Benavides shares her family’s story of language loss and how she is reclaiming her heritage language and culture. Are you also on the journey to reclaim what was lost? Come along for the ride! You can find more about Dr. Veronica Benavides on our website www.thelanguageproject.co or Instagram @languagepreservationproject.