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Over the past few months, the IRC has been highlighting teachers working with multicultural, multilingual students who are going above and beyond. This is part of our companion series celebrating parent and community leaders who are advocating for multilingual students. Meet Laura Navarro, a dual language advisory council member and advocate in Naperville.
Laura Navarro’s journey toward being a multilingual advocate started on Facebook. Before her daughter began at Naperville’s dual language program, she wanted to build community with other dual-language families.
“I wanted my daughters to feel comfortable and empowered to speak Spanish,” she says.
In seeking out that community, she created a Facebook page called Bilingual Families of Naperville to build community with other multilingual community members. The group now hosts more than 300 members, and although Navarro says she initially sought out Spanish speakers, she has been intentional about sharing events, resources and advocacy opportunities across a variety of languages and cultures.
“It can be an uncomfortable feeling for some, to not understand a language being spoken around you. However, the more languages we hear, the more comfortable you become. The more languages you are exposed to, the better it is for all of us,” she says. “It becomes more of a normalized experience for all of the residents of Naperville. I post different cultural events that I see because when one of us wins, we all win.”
What started on Facebook evolved into an active in-person community. As she built connections and relationships, she found other individuals who wanted to advocate for more authentic representation within Naperville’s Latino community. Together, they launched the Alliance of Latinos Motivating Action in the Suburbs (ALMAS), a membership-based organization that hosts free community and membership events where culture, language and connection can thrive.
That advocacy has had real-world impact. Before ALMAS was created, through the growing Facebook community, Navarro and another member reached out to the children’s department at their local library to start a Spanish storytime for children, and recently the director approached the group about a vision for future storytimes in languages other than English and Spanish.
ALMAS hosts a variety of programming, including a community event for Dia de Los Muertos, an important cultural celebration in Mexico and diaspora communities. Navarro says in her conversations, both online and in-person to invite residents to the event, she was struck by the similarities across cultures.
“In conversations when I’m explaining what that holiday is, people share their own culture and how they celebrate similar things,” she says. “As much as I’m trying to create this space where we want to be valued for our differences, I end up finding how much we have in common.”
When her children entered the Dual Language Program, Navarro became involved with Naperville’s Dual Language Advisory Council, and says she’s found her people in the Dual Language Program. She hopes to continue expanding her work of advocating for students and families and for school staff as well.
“I come upon resources and individuals who are always willing to help regardless of what language they speak,” she says. “I see my role as coordinator as just a part of the ebb and flow of helping and uniting one another.”
Navarro encourages her fellow parents and caregivers of multilingual students to find a way to get involved. She advises parents who are unsure if they have the skills to volunteer or are on the fence because they are monolingual that their talents and voices are valued, and they should consider volunteering.
“If you’re empathetic, patient, and have a desire to serve, I believe you should act on that,” she says. “It could be as simple as helping a neighbor or volunteering an hour of your time at a community or school event. Don’t hold back. Many would be thrilled to have more assistance.”