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Congresswoman Leger Fernández introduced a H.RES  resolution recognizing the significance of the 1973 New Mexico Bilingual Multicultural Act on its 50th Anniversary this month in Washington, D.C.. 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. 

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In 1973, the Legislature had an inspired idea, said Elisabeth Valenzuela, executive director of the New Mexico Association for Bilingual Education: For the first time, the state’s lawmakers allocated funding for multilingual, culturally responsive education programs in a law called the Bilingual Multicultural Education Act.

The historic legislation — the first of its kind in the United States — acknowledged the many cultural histories and traditions present in the state, Valenzuela said, while providing teachers with the resources necessary to teach in multiple languages.

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