Language as Social Resistance: Learning from and Supporting Mam Migrants in Oregon

1 page.In 2013, the Oregon Judicial Department reported that the second most requested language for interpretation services was Mam, a language spoken by the Mam indigenous people of Guatemala. Despite their growing presence in Oregon over the past decades, Mam migrants are underserved and isolated because many are of undocumented status and have limited English and Spanish speaking ability. Informed by my internship with the Integrated Health Team of the Refugee Resettlement Coalition of Lane County, this research project presents how to best support Mam migrants and sheds light on how Mam migrants advocate for themselves. My research project asks how do Guatemalan Mam migrants residing in Oregon use their native language as a form of resilience? Along with pulling from studies on Mayan language revitalization, I conducted qualitative research through interviews with community members who are involved in providing social and interpretation services for Mam migrants. My findings show that Mam migrants in Oregon use the Mam language as a means of cultural longevity, social support, and communal education. My research findings suggest that to best support Mam migrants, social institutions and community members must embrace multilingualism and invest into indigenous language interpretation services. Additionally, for my internship, I created a repository of resources of intercultural health tools to be shared with immigrant activist organizations that support Mam migrants in Oregon