Accounts of Multilingualism and Multiculturalism in Mineola – How we can do better as educators.

SCRIPT

Jillian : Hello all! My name is Jillian and I am here with Kenia and Emily to discuss cultural and linguistic discrimination in our communities. Through research projects and interviews, Kenia, Emily, and I have found examples of discrimination in many communities and have gotten feedback from interviewees on how teachers can prevent discrimination in classrooms.

Kenia: These interviews have given us a deeper understanding of the multilingual communities that we are a part of.

Emily: Jillian, what community did you focus on? Who did you interview?

Jillian: So, I interviewed 2 friends from my hometown of Mineola. Mineola is predominantly Portuguese and Hispanic. Being Portuguese myself, I never really saw my community from the perspective of someone who was considered a minority. My goal for this project was to understand the unrecognized individuals in my community. One friend that I interviewed was Portuguese, and the other was Punjabi, Indian.

Emily: I am looking forward to hearing about your friend’s perspectives on life in Mineola!

Kenia: Me too, Emily! It will be interesting to discuss the similarities and differences between their experiences.

Jillian: The first friend that I interviewed was my Punjabi friend. She had attended the Mineola school district her whole life, and is still living in her childhood home. These are some of the main ideas that I picked up from my conversation with her.

My friend had a “rocky” experience growing up in Mineola. She dealt with a lot of racism and felt like a minority.
This rocky experience made her uncomfortable speaking her home language outside of her house.
She found that growing up around people who had different cultures than her had a positive impact on her upbringing. She was able to pick up new languages and learn cultural customs.

The second friend that I interviewed grew up Portuguese in Mineola. These are the main points that I picked up from my interview with her.

She felt that her culture was appreciated in her community. She had many friends who were also Portuguese, and attended a variety of Portuguese cultural events.
She also found that growing up around those who had different cultures than she did was positive. It made her more open minded. She was able to attend religious gatherings at her friend’s temple and also learn about Chinese New Year.
Though her culture was affirmed, my friend felt left out at times because she could not speak Portuguese. She was sad that she could not speak to her friends in her home language and was frustrated with language barriers between herself and her family members.

Kenia: Thank you for sharing these accounts with us Jillian. What stands out to me most is the contrast between your interviewees' experiences. Your Punjabi friend’s reflection reveals how being a cultural and linguistic minority can create emotional and social strain, including discomfort speaking her home language publicly and facing racism in school. On the other hand, your Portuguese friend describes feeling culturally affirmed, yet still experiences a different form of exclusion being disconnected from her own heritage language and family members because she was never taught Portuguese.

Emily: I agree, Kenia. For me, the way that Jillian's friend dealt with racism caught my attention. Hearing that she was being bullied was sad. I attended New Hyde Park High School, so I am familiar with this area. I've always thought there were just as many different cultures in the Mineola community, so to hear otherwise was shocking for me.Your Punjabi friend talked about how her social life was affected by cultural differences. She was surrounded by lots of individuals from various religions, and she decided to participate in diverse cultural events and learn about other cultures. Jillian’s friend from Portugal had different experiences. She connected with the cultural aspect despite not understanding the Portuguese language. She struggles to communicate due to disparities.

Jillian: Thank you Kenia and Emily for these insightful analogies of my interviews. This project was really able to open my eyes about the experiences of those closest to me.

I do have a question to ask the both of you - have you guys had any experiences similar to that of my hometown friends?

Kenia: Definitely. When I was younger and still learning English, I had many experiences similar to your Punjabi friend. Growing up bilingual and coming from a country where everyone spoke Spanish, I often felt the pressure of navigating between two languages. People corrected the way I spoke or made comments about my accent, and that made me very aware of how others were listening to me. But I also remember the moments of appreciation that meant everything. I had teachers who celebrated bilingualism , who encouraged me to use Spanish, and who saw my language as a strength instead of a problem. Some classmates were curious and wanted to learn Spanish words from me. Those small, positive interactions helped me feel proud of my language and reminded me that multilingualism is an asset.

Emily: So, it is evident from Jillian’s friends’ accounts as well as Kenia’s that there can be multilingual discrimination everywhere, no matter the culture. The question is, How can teachers do better to create a more welcoming space for multilingual and minority students?

Jillian: During my interview, I actually asked my friends this question. My friend gave me the idea that teachers should celebrate multilingual holidays! She shared that in 4th grade she learned about Diwali in school, a holiday that her and her family celebrate every year. She said that this made her feel validated. I thought that this was such a special and creative response to the question. Exposing students to various cultural celebrations could make students feel more included and less discriminated against.

Kenia: Another way teachers can create a more accepting space is by learning about their students' cultures and showing interest. Something as simple as recognizing holidays just like your friend’s memory of learning about Diwali can make a child feel proud of who they are. I think teachers play a major role in shaping how accepted minority students feel in the classroom. One of the most important things teachers can do is make students' languages visible and valued. Also, encouraging students to share words in their home language and allowing them to translanguage can make them feel validated. Translanguaging can also open up learning opportunities for students who are not multilingual. They can learn about their peer’s cultures and also learn new languages!

Emily: These are such great suggestions. Additionally, I think that teachers should provide space for students to share their stories and experiences. When students hear each other talk about their heritage, they build connections, empathy and feel less alone. Creating a community like environment in the classroom can make students more confident in themselves and comfortable in their surroundings.

Jillian: Thank you, Kenia and Emily, for your insight on my project and suggestions for teachers on inclusion and multilingualism. I think that if teachers make it their mission to embrace multilingualism, accept diversity in the classroom, create accepting classroom environments, and highlight each individual student’s culture, students will be less likely to feel excluded and discriminated against in their communities. We hope that through this podcast, our listeners can take these suggestions and build upon them. As educators, we have to continue to remind students that multilingualism is a superpower, not a burden. Thank you and goodbye!