Supporting the goals and ideals of International Mother Language Day in bringing attention to the importance of preserving linguistic and cultural heritage through education.

IV 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 138 Supporting the goals and ideals of International Mother Language Day in bringing attention to the importance of preserving linguistic and cultural heritage through education. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 18, 2021 Ms. MENG (for herself, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. SUOZZI, Ms. NORTON, Mr. CARSON, Mr. SAN NICOLAS, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, and Ms. TITUS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform RESOLUTION Supporting the goals and ideals of International Mother Lan- guage Day in bringing attention to the importance of preserving linguistic and cultural heritage through edu- cation. Whereas the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cul- tural Organization (UNESCO) established International Mother Language Day on November 17, 1999, to pro- mote linguistic diversity and multilingualism; Whereas the annual International Mother Language Day celebration date, February 21, was chosen to commemo- rate the day in 1952 in Bangladesh where students died demonstrating for recognition of Bengali as a national language of Pakistan; VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:15 Feb 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR138.IH HR138 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 138 IH Whereas UNESCO establishes a different theme for the an- nual celebration of International Mother Language Day each year, promoting various aspects of linguistic edu- cation; Whereas according to the UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, out of the over 6,000 existing lan- guages in the world, more than 200 have become extinct during the last three generations, and 2,279 other lan- guages are classified as ‘‘endangered’’; Whereas the United States Census Bureau has identified at least 381 languages spoken in the United States, 169 of which are distinct Native American languages; Whereas according to the UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 145 languages in the United States are classified as ‘‘endangered’’; and Whereas the United States enjoys a rich and diverse cultural heritage and preserving existing languages is an essential piece to preserving this heritage: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) supports the goals and ideals of Inter- 2 national Mother Language Day; and 3 (2) encourages the people of the United States 4 to observe International Mother Language Day with 5 appropriate ceremonies, programs, and activities. 6 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:15 Feb 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR138.IH HR138 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS