Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum). Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 256, the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Programs Reauthorization Act. There are many critical needs in Indian Country, and the Federal Government has an obligation to fulfill our trust and Tribal responsibilities. This commitment includes reauthorizing the Esther Martinez Immersion grants so that Congress ensures Indian students have the opportunity to study, learn, and speak their Tribal languages. The National Congress of American Indians says it best: A language ``encompasses and expresses a worldview shaped by centuries, in some cases tens of thousands of years of experience, knowledge, practices, spiritual beliefs, and relationships between a people, its neighbors, and its environment, which cannot be replicated in any other tongue.'' Language is paramount to one's identity. The gift of language allows a person to carry their culture from their ancestors to the present and on to the next generation to come. Esther Martinez grants have empowered Tribes to establish immersion programs, making it possible for more Tribal communities to maintain their Native languages and pass along centuries-old cultural heritage.…”