This past February 6-7, in Washington, D.C., the Joint National Committee for Languages (JNCL) and the National Council for Languages and International Studies (NCLIS) held their ‘Language Advocacy Day 2020’ on Capitol Hill. The event brought together national representatives of the Language Enterprise concerned about the state of the nation’s language learning. Among those that attended and participated in Language Advocacy Day, was Morgan’s Dr. Zekeh Gbotokuma, an associate professor of Philosophy in the College of Liberal Arts. As a member of the delegation from Maryland, Dr. Gbotokuma and his fellow delegates visited with senators and congresspersons to advocate for the support of legislative priorities that would advance language. One of the offices visited was that of Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger.
The theme of this year’s event “Sharing the Multilingual Future of Our Nation” places at the forefront the commitment to ensuring that Americans have the opportunity to learn English and at least one other language.