For many immigrants, speaking a second language is a core part of their identity. In some cases, they speak as many as four languages. For example, I am fluent in English and my native tongue Igbo. I also understand a smattering of Hausa (the language spoken in the Northern part of Nigeria) and French.
But once we move to a new country, we seem to do a poor job of transferring these gifts to our kids.
Tope Fajingbesi thinks we are doing worse than a poor job. She believes we are robbing our kids.
We are robbing them of the language.
We are robbing them of their cultural heritage.
We are robbing them of a core part of their identity.
And I think she makes a great point. The farmer lady and Global CFO of Ashoka joined me on The Newcomers Podcast to chat about the immigrant identity. We also explored
How she deals with unconscious bias
Food as a way to build community
The immigrant mentality
Why she thinks America hasn’t changed in the past 22 years she’s lived there
And why we must be deliberate as immigrants.
Enjoy!
Share this post