My daughter just began kindergarten in a Mandarin dual-language immersion school in Los Angeles. For our family, this milestone represents much more than just her entry into formal education—it’s a meaningful opportunity to maintain and nurture our heritage language. Bilingual education offers her a way to stay connected to her roots while growing up in an increasingly globalized world. Yet, the value of bilingual education extends far beyond language acquisition. It’s a powerful tool for advancing social justice, preserving intergenerational ties, and fostering cross-cultural understanding.
In the United States, where English monolingualism dominates, many communities face the threat of losing their heritage languages. Bilingual education provides an opportunity for children from immigrant and minoritized backgrounds to affirm the value of their home language and cultural identity in a society that often pressures assimilation. It challenges the longstanding history of marginalization that non-English-speaking communities have endured. By creating educational environments that celebrate linguistic diversity, we begin to dismantle the language hierarchies that have contributed to social inequities for generations.
Bilingual education isn’t just about preserving languages—it’s about creating spaces where culture can truly thrive. Dual-language immersion schools provide students, parents, and teachers with an authentic way to engage with their culture, offering what Dr. Helen Chan Hill calls a "lifeway." These schools create a space where individuals can live their culture as they know it, share their knowledge, values, and beliefs without fear of marginalization, and breathe their deeply rooted ways of life into the next generation. The practices, values, and traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation are allowed to exist as they were meant to, not just in the home, but in the school and broader community.
Ultimately, bilingual education is about more than just language acquisition; it’s about justice, connection, and community. It provides the next generation with the tools they need to navigate a diverse world while honoring the legacy of those who came before them. For my daughter and countless others, bilingual education offers a pathway to a richer, more connected life, where diversity is celebrated, and everyone can take pride in who they are and where they come from.