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 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 148 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 21, 2023 Ms. MENG (for herself, Mr. CARSON, Mr. GOLDMAN of New York, Mr. GRI- JALVA, Ms. NORTON, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Mr. SABLAN, and Ms. TITUS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability 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 when students died demonstrating for recognition of Bengali as a national language of Pakistan; VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:01 Feb 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR148.IH HR148 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HRES 148 IH Whereas UNESCO establishes a different theme for the an- nual celebration of International Mother Language Day each year, promoting various aspects of linguistic edu- cation; Whereas 2022 marked the first year of UNESCO’s Decade of Indigenous Languages, intended to raise awareness of the critical loss of indigenous languages and the urgent need to preserve, revitalize, and celebrate them; Whereas according to the UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, out of the over 7,000 existing lan- guages in the world, at least 230 have become extinct since 1950, approximately 2,473 other languages are classified as ‘‘endangered’’, and approximately 3,000 lan- guages could disappear before the end of the century; Whereas the United States Census Bureau has identified ap- proximately 350 languages spoken in the United States, at least 150 of which are distinct Native North American languages; Whereas according to the UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 280 Native North American lan- guages were spoken in the continental United States when the Europeans arrived and more than 115 are al- ready extinct, with many more critically endangered; and Whereas the United States enjoys a rich and diverse cultural heritage and preserving existing languages is an essential piece to preserving this heritage: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) supports the goals and ideals of Inter- 2 national Mother Language Day; and 3 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:01 Feb 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR148.IH HR148 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HRES 148 IH (2) encourages the people of the United States 1 to observe International Mother Language Day with 2 appropriate ceremonies, programs, and activities. 3 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:01 Feb 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR148.IH HR148 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB