Washington, DC – The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) is disappointed over the recent decision by the Terrebonne Parish school board in New Orleans, Louisiana, to consider a policy that would require commencement speakers to speak solely in English.
The proposed policy arose after two Vietnamese American co-valedictorians at Ellender High School each incorporated a few sentences of Vietnamese into their commencement speeches at graduation. The students thanked their first-generation immigrant parents for their hard work and translated the words for fellow students to hear.
“It is deeply concerning that a school would think to censor students for their bilingual abilities,” said Floyd Mori, JACL National Director. “Their multicultural roots should be celebrated, not punished, and moreover we believe the school should embrace the values of these students who publicly stated a profound respect for their parents in a way that they could clearly understand.”
The JACL urges the Terrebonne Parish to strike down such a discriminatory policy and encourage tolerance of diversity and multiculturalism.
The proposed policy arose after two Vietnamese American co-valedictorians at Ellender High School each incorporated a few sentences of Vietnamese into their commencement speeches at graduation. The students thanked their first-generation immigrant parents for their hard work and translated the words for fellow students to hear.
“It is deeply concerning that a school would think to censor students for their bilingual abilities,” said Floyd Mori, JACL National Director. “Their multicultural roots should be celebrated, not punished, and moreover we believe the school should embrace the values of these students who publicly stated a profound respect for their parents in a way that they could clearly understand.”
The JACL urges the Terrebonne Parish to strike down such a discriminatory policy and encourage tolerance of diversity and multiculturalism.
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