Episodes
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Dr. Lizette B. Suxo (Suk-so) shared her journey to connect with her Andean culture and learn Aymara, an indigenous language from the region. Like many people trying to learn their indigenous heritage language, she had to dig deep to find resources, which inspired her to create a hub for people looking to connect with their Andean culture.
Dr. Lizette B. Suxo is an accomplished leadership coach. With over 2 decades of leadership in education, Lizette made a pivot in her career when she became a mom. Faced with important language learning decisions with regard to her son, and also in light of a recent rare disease diagnosis, the importance of raising her son as a multilingual global citizen quickly became a top priority. As a traveler of the world, Lizette has often worked to craft bridges between individuals and across communities. Learning the indigenous language of her ancestors has been a parallel learning experience for her as she raises a son who is bilingual and an emerging multilingual learner. After years of leading and learning in schools and school systems in the US and Latin America, Lizette is deeply interested in strengthening her connection to her cultural Andean roots by learning Aymara. While her family has spoken Aymara for centuries, their immigration to the US and Europe has resulted in a generation who does not speak it. Lizette aims to learn Aymara to ensure it does not disappear from her family and, as her teacher- or yatichiri - has said, “to learn our language is the preserve the ways in which our ancestors lived in the world. How they saw, felt, and experienced the world. How they made sense of it. If we lose our language, we lose that important vision and perspective.” Lizette is determined to strengthen her knowledge of Aymara so that she can build this connection with her mom (a native speaker) and her son, too.
The Ayllu is an online virtual Adinx community for those looking to connect with Aymara and Quechua resources and people in the U.S. and abroad). Their website will go live on June 21st, which is the Aymara New Year or Wilkakuti (the 'Return of the Sun,' in Aymara)
IG: @the_ayllu
Aymara language resources (Lizette's 'yatichiri's (teacher's) page)
FB: https://www.facebook.com/aymaryatiqana
IG: @elis.ajata.rivera
Quechua community resources IG: @quechuaproject
UNESCO article on Aymara: https://courier.unesco.org/en/articles/aymara-has-not-said-its-last-word
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Over the years, we disconnect from ourselves, our ‘ser’, the person we are before society and family and insecurities tell us who to be. This can mean losing language and culture from our lives. In this episode, we talk with Robyn Moreno about her new book, Get Rooted, and what it means to find our way back to our whole and unbreakable selves.
Visit RobynMoreno.com for free meditations, to sign up for her newsletter, and check out upcoming events and offerings.
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If you are a long-time podcast listener, you likely know that the emotional barriers tied to a heritage language can cause pressure or stress that non-heritage language learners don’t experience. In this episode, Wendy Ramirez shares the complexity of language as it's tied to our identity and navigating the barriers of shame.
Learn more about Spanish Sin Pena at www.spanishsinpena.com or @spanishsinpena on social media!
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Over the past decade, we’ve seen a shift in schools' perception of multilingual learners. Things like changing our language from “English Language Learner” to “emergent multilingual student” shows how we are moving from a singular focus on English acquisition to a more holistic approach to bilingualism and biliteracy.
In this episode, we dig into that conversation with bilingual educator and specialist Josie Scherrman - in addition to being an amazing educator, she is also my sister! She talked with us about her journey to reclaim her heritage language, Spanish, and how she is now cultivating learning environments that value and encourage students in their home language.
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Generational language wounds speak to the idea that languages aren’t lost just by chance or accident across the generations. Rather, there was trauma, discrimination, or deficit narrative that caused this language loss. In this episode, Dr. Veronica Benavides shares four steps you can take to heal generational language wounds!
Don't forget to subscribe and share this podcast with a coworker, friend, or family member!
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Welcome back to Talking to Grandma! We are excited to share this powerful conversation with Rhonda Broussard about the double erasure of Black bilingual Americans and the lack of access to dual language programs for the Black community.
Rhonda is an author, entrepreneur, and futurist. One Good Question: How Countries Prepare Youth to Lead is her first book. Broussard is an award-winning education entrepreneur and sought-after public speaker. She is the founder and CEO of Beloved Community, a national nonprofit committed to sustainable economic equity in schools, the workforce, and housing. She is a 28-year educator and researcher who founded and led a network of language immersion and international schools in the US.
For more information, visit rhondabroussard.com.
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Welcome back for a new season of Talking to Grandma! We hope you enjoyed our first season and the amazing guests that brought us stories of resilience, joy, and hope on their language preservation journeys. This season, we hear stories from people who envision a world where heritage languages are preserved and valued, creating tools, resources, and communities where there once were none.
Subscribe so you don't miss an episode!
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Trying to preserve heritage languages in a monolingual society is hard! For decades, languages have been lost for the sake of survival by many newcomers to the U.S. Now, there is a generational readiness to reclaim what was lost, but where do we begin?
In February, Talking to Grandma host, Dr. Veronica Benavides, appeared on KQED’s Forum and got to chat with Forum host Alexis Madrigal and Karen Garcia, a reporter with the Los Angeles Times. They dove deep into a conversation about reclaiming heritage languages and heard stories from callers in the San Francisco area. We are thrilled to bring this KQED Forum episode to our Talking to Grandma listeners.
Find more from KQED Forum!
Forum Website: https://www.kqed.org/forum Twitter: https://twitter.com/KQEDForum Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kqed_forum/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KQEDForum/ Reclaiming Your Family’s Heritage Language, Even if Your Elders Never Taught You: https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101892158/reclaiming-your-familys-heritage-language-even-if-your-elders-never-taught-you -
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.
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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
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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.
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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)
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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!
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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.
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The role educators play in shaping a child’s connection and identity with their heritage language and culture is crucial. In this episode, Dr. Carla España and Dr. Luz Yadira Herrera reflect on how they are changing how educators support emergent multilingualism in the classroom. If you're an educator of children with bilingualism in their bones, join us for this conversation!
You can find Dr. Carla & Dr. Luz at encomunidadcollective.com
Check out their book, En Communidad: Lessons for Centering the Voices and Experiences of Bilingual Latinx Students.
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