Denton (UNT), Texas- The United Nations has designated 2019 the International Year of Indigenous Languages to bring attention to issues of language loss and language revitalization. UNT is taking the lead among Texas universities in recognizing the International Year of Indigenous Languages by planning a series of events for Fall 2019, beginning with a keynote event featuring MacArthur Fellow Daryl Baldwin and Healing Sacred Voices on September 9, 3 PM in UNT Union 333.

Daryl Baldwin is a linguistic and cultural preservationist who works to restore the linguistic, cultural, and intellectual heritage of the Myaamia (Miami) nation to its present-day descendants through a multipronged approach of research, education, and academic partnerships.

Healing Sacred Voices and the UNT Native American Student Association will present on the strength in dialects, historical trauma, boarding schools, and language re-discovery. Healing Sacred Voices is an initiative of American Indian Heritage Day in Texas, a Dallas-based grassroots organization.

UNT is a registered partner on The United Nations' initiative. The UNT International Year of Indigenous Languages (IYIL @ UNT) committee is planning a series of events to celebrate indigenous languages and raise awareness concerning the challenges they face due to globalization, modernization, and the legacies of colonialism. It is a transdisciplinary collaboration across multiple colleges and departments at UNT, and links UNT with external partners such as the Fort Worth Museum of Science and Technology, Healing Sacred Voices, and American Indian Heritage Day in Texas. This event is made possible thanks to the generosity of the College of Information, who are sponsoring this event as part of their Discovery Series.

Visit the IYIL @ UNT site for the full list of events and more information: http://indigenouslanguages.unt.edu/

Contact:

Christina Wasson, christina.wasson@unt.edu, 940 565 2752