Welcome to the rich heritage of language and culture from Mississippi. With over 60 languages used by students throughout the state, we appreciate a diverse background of cultures.
Mississippi World Languages and Seal of Biliteracy Program May 2024Fall 2023 was full of vibrant language, cultural activities, and conferences in Mississippi.
Hispanic Heritage Month celebration took center stage with school, college, and community functions. The Latin Fest in Jackson, on September 25 celebrated the confluence of Latinx diversity (history, heritage, and culture) with deep cultural conversations, music, and dance. A central feature was the display of flags at the event site, Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum, representing the state's various Central and South Americans. For more information and live sound bites from the event, see the MPT website.
Photo by Lacey Alexander, MPB News
- The Mississippi Foreign Language Association (MFLA) 2023 conference took place at the Mississippi University for Women, Columbus, MS from November 10-11, under the theme “From Classroom to Global Stage: Nurturing World Language Competence”.
- In the South of the state, Biloxi, El Pueblo organization, supports the Latino community by providing outreach support, immigrant legal services, and education support through ESL classes, Citizenship classes, and Education Empowerment and computer literacy skills. This year, El Pueblo’s Hispanic Heritage Festival was celebrated at the Forest Coliseum. To learn more about El Pueblo culture and foreign language programs and initiatives, click here.
- In the city of Pascagoula, Festival Hispano celebrated Hispanic heritage as a community event.
- Across universities, Hispanic Heritage events included the following:
- University of Mississippi: Hispanic Heritage film series.
- University of South Mississippi highlighted the history, heritage, and accomplishments of the past and present Hispanic and Latino Americans through cultural events.
- Delta State University presented “Voces Hispanohablantes en Delta State” – Hispanic Voices at Delta State, which culminated with a cultural gala showcasing the Mexican Cultural Dance Group in the Mississippi Delta led by Sra. Claudia Leticia Espinosa.
- Mississippi State celebrated with an array of events: discussions, poetry, dance, and authentic Hispanic cuisine.
- The Mississippi University of Women held a two- day event entitled “Cacao and Chocolate: A Powerful Legacy,” The event highlighted the findings from a research project by students. To read more on the interdisciplinary project, click here.
Mizuki Umebara, Japan Outreach Initiative (JOI) Coordinator, MS
The Japan Outreach Initiative (JOI) program is a joint initiative of the Japan Foundation and the Laurasian Institution. JOI aims to promote awareness and understanding of Japan by bringing volunteer Japanese coordinators to regions of the U.S. where there is relatively limited access to Japanese culture. During the two-year program, the coordinators engage their American community through Japanese-themed programming.
Mizuki Umebara is the Japan Outreach Initiative (JOI) Coordinator in Mississippi from August 2022 to 2024. She is based at Delta State University, the host site Japan Outreach Initiative (JOI) program for that period. As a JOI coordinator, she serves communities across Mississippi. Some of her responsibilities include cultural presentations at schools, libraries, and museums, Japanese Calligraphy, Martial Arts, Origami workshops, and Japanese food-making events. She has organized the Japan Club and a Japanese language program at Delta State. Through her activities, she hopes to bring new points of view and the joy of learning about different cultures to the people in Mississippi.
For more information on how Mizuki can engage Japanese culture at your school, organization, or community, please email her.
First place winners in the Children’s Spanish Literature, at the 2023 Educators Rising Mississippi State Leadership Conference: Selina Carranza-Lopez: a junior at Oak Grove High School, author, and Austin Mitcham: a sophomore at Lumberton High School, artist.
Educators Rising is a career and technical student organization (CTSO) with intra-curricular learning opportunities integrated into existing education and training programs. As a community-based movement, Educators Rising provides “Grow Your Own programming through the Educators Rising Curriculum”, supporting student activities. At the annual Educators Rising Mississippi State Leadership Conference, middle and high school students are given the opportunity to compete and showcase the skills they have gained in their education and training programs. The finalists go on to the National Conference. This year, Educators Rising Mississippi State Leadership Conference was held at Delta State University in Cleveland, MS, from February 23-24, 2023. Children’s Spanish Literature is one component of the competition, where students present their novel short stories on aspects of culture with illustrations. The first-place winners for the Children’s Spanish Literature at the state level are Selina Carranza-Lopez and Austin Mitcham. Selina Carranza-Lopez is a junior at Oak Grove High School, with her book entitled “El Primer Día del Tercer Grado con Juan el Diosario”. Austin Mitcham, the artist for the book illustrations is a sophomore at Lumberton High School. Both students are members of Lamar County’s Educators Rising Student Organization. They will attend the Educators Rising National Competition in Orlando this summer.
Exchanges is an interactive virtual program at Delta State University that engages ESL students from Universidade Evangélica de Goiás in Brazil and international institutions looking for an opportunity to practice English with American students. The program is hosted each semester and coordinated by Prof. Samuel Ferreira. For more information on how to be a part of this wonderful experience, contact Sylma Samuel Ferreira
The Mississippi Foreign Language Association announces its Fall Conference: November 10 & 11, 2023.
Find details here. Proposals are still being accepted for presentations. The theme is:
“From Classroom to Global Stage: Nurturing World Language Competence”
Are you bursting with innovative teaching methods? Have you conducted impactful research in language acquisition? Do you have an idea that will inspire fellow educators? MFLA wants to hear from you! Share your expertise and contribute to the growth of world language education in Mississippi and beyond. Submit proposal here
NML’s State Liaison from Mississippi, Sylma Samuel Ferreira, was honored with a state-level award from the Board of Trustees of Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) in Mississippi during Black History Month. She received the state-level 2023 Institutions of Higher Learning Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award. The award recognized her “for serving as a role model and strong advocate for the advancement of diversity at Delta State University and the State of Mississippi”. See the article in the Delta State University events page.
Pictured l to r: Trustee Dr. Ormella Cummings, Chair of the Board of Trustees’ Diversity Committee; Sylma Samuel-Ferreira; and Dr. E.E. Caston, Interim President, Delta State University
The Mississippi Department of Education:
The Mississippi Department of Education has updated the information on the Mississippi Seal of Biliteracy. See the document below.
Read about the Mississippi Seal of Biliteracy
The Mississippi Foreign Language Association – MFLA www.mflams.org/
Welcome to “A New Seed to Harvest in the Magnolia State” a message from Toni Stillman, President of Seedtime Multilingual, Inc.
When most people think of the State of Mississippi, it is unlikely that they conjure up a multicultural climate with multilingual language learners. After all, historically, language and culture have been the main event on a backdrop of race and reconciliation. I won’t ask for a show of hands, but few are familiar with the incredible diversity that exists in the state, especially in the Gulf Coast Regions.
Seedtime Multilingual, Inc., was born out of the desire to build on my teaching philosophy that culturally competent students are more informed about the world and able to compete as global citizens. The organization provides access to foreign languages: English as a second language, Japanese, and Spanish. We aim to support and follow our learners as long as they need assistance, encourage and assist with student exchange opportunities and promote bilingual literacy.
Our program desires to fill the gap between institutions’ struggling language programs and decreasing student enrollment. Seedtime Multilingual students will be confident in their proficiency and ability to excel when they enter the target language classroom. Our curriculum aligns with state standards for language courses. We also facilitate combining STEM with a foreign language so that students go beyond earning a language credit to growing and developing a valuable skill.
This post may be a subtle reminder of the effect of globalization on local societies, which does not exclude the state of Mississippi. Culture plays an integral role in all economies, so as we reflect on Mississippi blues, bluegrass, country music, vibrant agriculture, and biodiversity of flora and fauna; we hope that one day, Mississippi will lead the multilingual revolution. Seedtime Multilingual® is a proclamation for the State of Mississippi, where international business fuels a growing economy. Mississippi welcomes you to the “SeedZone.”
Contact Toni Stillman, President of Seedtime Multilingual Inc., for more information.