Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville/Albemarle, Piedmont Council for the Arts, and WriterHouse will host a Mother Language Day event honoring language diversity on Sunday.
Established in 2000 by the United Nations, Mother Language Day is an annual event that marks the date in 1952 when students in Bangladesh, fighting for their right to speak their native language of Bangla, were killed during protests. In addition to poetry read in a variety of languages, local Bangladeshis will show a short documentary and serve Bangladeshi food at a short reception following the event.
“We’re excited to be part of this collaborative event again this year,” Ellen Osborne, Literacy Volunteers Executive Director, said. “While we love helping people learn to speak English, we also value the languages and cultural traditions our students bring with them.”
Last year’s event featured admired poetry from a variety of the world’s languages including Polish, Arabic, French, and Bangla. Readers are still needed for this year’s event and can sign up by emailing [email protected].
Mother Language Day will take place from 5:30-7:30pm at CitySpace on the downtown mall (100 5thStreet NE). This event is free and open to the public.
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