Kurdish Youth in Nashville Learn Their Mother Tongue
In Nashville, also known as 'Little Kurdistan,' 64 students graduated from a KRG-backed Kurdish language course. The initiative, run by volunteers, aims to connect diaspora youth with their mother tongue and cultural heritage.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – In the heart of the largest Kurdish community in the United States, 64 young students in Nashville, Tennessee, have received certificates for successfully learning to read and write in their mother tongue, marking a significant step in preserving Kurdish heritage far from the homeland.
The graduation ceremony celebrated the students' newfound ability to connect with their families' native language. The school is a joint initiative established through coordination between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Education and the Kurdish Diaspora Federation in America.
Nashville is famously known as “Little Kurdistan” for being home to the largest concentration of Kurdish people in the U.S., with a population estimated to be between 15,000 and 20,000. The community, which began to grow significantly after the 1991 Gulf War, has established a vibrant cultural presence, making it a focal point for efforts to maintain language and identity for new generations born in America.
In a video message marking the occasion, KRG Minister of Education Alan Hama Saeed praised the collaborative effort.
"We are pleased with the high level of coordination between the Ministry of Education and the Kurdish [Diaspora] Federation; we saw its results when 64 Kurdish students received certificates for learning the Kurdish language. I congratulate them and their families," he stated.
The impact of the program was felt deeply by the students themselves. Sira Sadiq, a graduate of the course, expressed her gratitude to the organizers and teachers.
"We thank the organizers. We benefited greatly from our teachers, and we are grateful for their hard work," she told Kurdistan24 reporter Issa Hassan. "It is important for every Kurdish child to learn their mother tongue so they can read and write better. Long live the Kurds, long live Kurdistan!"
The school’s success relies on a group of passionate volunteers who dedicate their time to teaching the diaspora’s children.
"I am a mother and also a teacher," said Nazdar Jamil, one of the school's volunteer teachers. "It is very important that we teach our children the Kurdish language, and I call on all parents to do the same."
This initiative in Nashville is part of a broader movement across the United States, as Kurds in several other communities have also established schools to teach their children the Kurdish language, as well as their national history and culture.
Kurdistan24's correspondent in Washington, Issa Hassan, contributed to this report.
