Dual-Language Bilingual Education: Why Are African Languages Missing in Action?

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 3:05 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Epistemological Understandings Across Linguistic Contexts (Table 26)

Abstract

Being an African immigrant who recognizes the connection between language and identity has led Author 1 to advocate for the need for more dual language programs in African languages. A school district near Minneapolis, Minnesota will implement a Somali dual language program in Fall 2023, which will be the first program in the U.S. employing a sub-Saharan African language. This position paper includes background information on the development of this program and a critical reading of why there have not been prior DLBE programs in sub-Saharan African languages, which centers on the phenomenon of global anti-Blackness. We end with a call for action to recognize this deficit and work against anti-Blackness by increasing the number of such programs.

Authors

• Nozipho Moyo, Georgia State University

• Garrett Delavan, University of New Mexico

• Elyse Johnson, Georgia State University