Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Leger Fernández introduced a H.RES  resolution recognizing the significance of the 1973 New Mexico Bilingual Multicultural Act on its 50th Anniversary. The resolution highlights the importance of cultivating education in both the mother tongue as well as English for the preservation of culture, identity, and indigenous knowledge. 

New Mexico is a pioneer and the first state in the United States to have a bilingual multicultural education law with the Bilingual Multicultural Education Act of 1973. This law is the only state legislation that acknowledged culture as an important part of language acquisition. The Bilingual Multicultural Education Act of 1973 was later expanded in 2004 and is a national model for state legislation. 

“Fifty years ago, my parents helped write and pass the Bilingual Multicultural Education Act so Keres, Tiwa, Tewa, Towa, Navajo, Apache, Zuñi, Spanish, and ASL would be taught in our schools. Today, I introduce this resolution in Congress to honor their work and recognize that language and culture are inseparable. Our students learn better if they take the language they speak in the living room, into their classroom,” said Rep. Leger Fernández. 

“New Mexicans understand the importance of culturally relevant content. Today, 70% of our school districts have bilingual multicultural instruction. Nearly 22% of the U.S. speaks a language other than English at home and roughly 245 indigenous languages are spoken across the country. Bilingualism is a treasure. There is a saying in Spanish which reads, “No hay lengua sin cultura, ni cultura sin lengua.”  without language we don’t have culture and there is no culture without language.  The wisdom in that saying is visible in every corner of our state, with our strong ties to land and family.  Let’s honor our herencia, cultura, and our traditions and protect everything that we love and hold dear.” concluded Leger Fernández. 

“The New Mexico Association for Bilingual Education (NMABE) expresses its firm support of the proposed congressional Bilingual Multicultural Education Act Resolution to recognize the 50th anniversary of New Mexico’s 1973 Bilingual Multicultural Education Act (BMEA). NMABE has been an advocate for bilingual education in New Mexico for the past 52 years. We believe that Bilingual Education benefits all students—those learning English as well as those who are learning other languages. NMABE embraces the rich cultural and linguistic diversity within our state and promotes its inclusion in the education of all students. We stand on the shoulders of those bilingual educators/advocates that came before us, such as Mela Leger and Senator Ray Leger, Congresswomen Leger Fernández’s parents, who along with many other leaders helped inform the legislation that led to this historic act.” Elisabeth Valenzuela, Executive Director of the New Mexico Association for Bilingual Education. 

“For too many generations, our multilingual and multicultural state has endured the pressures of assimilation and marginalization, all the while contributing its unique cultural heritage in service of the growth, evolution, and prosperity of this nation. Congresswoman Leger Fernández comes from a family that has contributed in just such an exemplar fashion.” said Adrian I. Sandoval, Director of the Center for the Education and Study of Diverse Populations at the New Mexico Highlands University. “Indeed, the Congresswoman’s mother, Mela Leger, was one of the many leaders that came together 50 years ago to inform legislation and develop programming that would ensure an Indigenous and Spanish speaking legacy in our state. I, along with others, benefitted from the bilingual multicultural education programming resulting from these efforts.” 

“I would like to express our immense support for the proposed congressional resolution commemorating the 50th anniversary of the New Mexico Bilingual Multicultural Education Act (BMEA) of 1973. From the beginning, this act has provided critical guidance in developing meaningful bilingual programming in our state while serving as an example of a law representative of our communities and cultures. As a native New Mexican and former bilingual administrator, I have seen firsthand how the foresight of our legislators has impacted generations of students. While there is still much work to do, we are grateful for the opportunities that dual language education provides for students.” said Michael Rodriguez, Executive Director of Dual Language Education of New Mexico. 

“In New Mexico, we’ve long known that our multilingual, multicultural heritage is our superpower. Our state was the first to pass state-based legislation to that effect 50 years ago. I’m very grateful and proud to see a federal resolution that honors and embraces the multilingual, multicultural identity of our entire country.” said Loretta Trujillo, Executive Director of Transform Education New Mexico 

WATCH: Rep. Leger Fernández’s floor speech honoring the New Mexico Bilingual Multicultural Education Act HERE.  

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