The December visit by the French president showcased the importance of the French language in the state. Some francophone and creolophone leaders and activists hope for a chance to make real progress.
On December 2, 2022, French President Emmanuel Macron addressed a crowd of francophone and creolophone leaders at the New Orleans Museum of Art. Jo Vidrine/Télé-Louisiane
By Jonathan Olivier
During French President Emmanuel Macron’s December 2 address to members of Louisiana’s francophone and creolophone communities at the New Orleans Museum of Art, he emphasized his country’s historic linguistic bond with Louisiana.
“The people of Louisiana considered that to choose a language was to continue to be faithful to one’s values, to a struggle, to their history, to an identity,” he told the crowd, later adding, “We’re going to continue to protect this language that has been defended and chosen.”
Macron chose New Orleans, one of the most important symbols of France’s historical connection to the United States, to announce the creation of a fund to expand French language programs throughout the United States called French for All. His trip to the Bayou State was the first from a French president in nearly 50 years, which also coincided with a stop in Washington D.C. to meet with President Joe Biden.
French for All “aims to make bilingualism accessible to a wider and more diverse audience, equipping the next generation of learners with the tools they need to succeed in a globalized world,” according to a news release from the French-American Cultural Exchange in the Education and the Arts Foundation.
Yet, since Louisiana is already deeply invested in French-language education, French for All isn’t necessarily targeting the state for such an initiative, according to Audoin de Vergnette, press officer for the Consulate General of France in New Orleans. Instead, Louisiana francophone and creolophone leaders are aiming to capitalize from the attention generated by Macron’s December visit.
Rep. Mike Huval, R-Breaux Bridge, plans to use the high-profile visit in order to demonstrate the importance of French in Louisiana to his fellow representatives. “It’s due to the French language that the president came to Louisiana,” said Huval, a native creolophone who shared a brief exchange with Macron. “We can see that this language is incredibly important.”
During his address, Macron emphasized his country’s historic ties to Louisiana before announcing his new initiative, French for All, which aims to strengthen French-language education in the United States. Jo Vidrine/Télé-Louisiane
Along with his colleagues, Speaker Pro Tempore Tanner Magee, R-Houma, and Senate President Page Cortez, R-Lafayette, Huval was pivotal last year in establishing the largest budget in state history dedicated to the French language, which totaled $4 million. During this year’s legislative session, which begins on April 10, Huval plans to work with Magee and Cortez, as well as Sen. Jeremy Stine, R-Lake Charles, Rep. Joseph Orgeron, R-Golden Meadow, and Rep. Beryl Amedée, R-Houma, to secure more funding for French in 2023. Huval said he believes that the momentum from Macron’s visit will work in their favor.
“The fire has been lit and it’s time to take advantage of that,” said Huval, who is serving his last year as a state representative due to term limits.
Initiatives that could be good candidates for receiving government funds include the Saint Luc French Immersion and Cultural Campus, a non-profit education facility located in Arnaudville. Saint Luc officials are currently working to finish renovations of the building they purchased in 2019 for $184,000. Other proposals advocates have discussed with legislators include continuing Télé-Louisiane’s French programming partnership with Louisiana Public Broadcasting, expanding bilingual signage, and increasing funding for immersion programs through changes to the state’s Minimum Foundation Program.
The state set a new precedent for funding these sorts of projects in 2022. The legislature passed HB261, which was authored by Magee, creating École Pointe-au-Chien, the first French immersion program in Terrebonne Parish and the first Native American school in the state. Signed by Gov. John Bel Edwards in June, the $3 million investment proves that French’s status in the state is growing, according to Christine Verdin, who is spearheading the creation of the school in the community of Pointe-aux-Chênes.
For Verdin, Macron’s visit is a sign that the state’s investment in her project was well warranted, and that funding for similar ones should be on the table this year. “Macron came here because I believe that the people of Louisiana are important to him and he would like to bring French back here,” said Verdin, who is a councilmember of the Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe.
Funding for French Immersion Programs
Louisiana French immersion programs already benefit from France’s help. French officials coordinate with the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL) to vet teachers who come to the state in order to instruct in immersion programs, allowing them to remain with a special visa for several years. Currently, there are around 5,500 students enrolled in 32 programs statewide. Some of these programs, such as the public charter school Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans, follow both Louisiana curriculum and a French version in coordination with the Agency for French Education Abroad.
French immersion education has been tasked with maintaining and growing a population of Louisiana francophones. Due to that reason, Jourdan Thibodeaux, a musician from Cypress Island who briefly met Macron, suggested that more needs to be done to support immersion programs.
Thibodeaux, who has a daughter enrolled in the immersion program at Cecilia Primary School, pointed out that it’s the only school in the parish with an immersion program. There are nearly 7,400 students enrolled in public schools across St. Martin Parish. “All of the children in St. Martin Parish are Cajun and Creole. So, why do we only have one French immersion program? Because we don’t have the money. So, for me, money is the most important factor.”
Rep. Mike Huval (right) and Jourdan Thibodeaux (center) briefly met French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit. Jo Vidrine/Télé-Louisiane
Since funding for Louisiana’s schools comes from a mix of local, state and federal dollars, Thibodeaux hopes that Macron’s visit sends a message to the state legislature. If the existence of French in Louisiana can attract the president of France, Thibodeaux reasoned that strengthening the language here can only work in Louisiana’s favor.
“Perhaps our government officials will be more engaged with our people, with our culture,” he said.
Intergovernmental outreach between Louisiana and France is what lured Macron to Louisiana in the first place. In August, Edwards went to France and the Netherlands in order to tour flood control facilities and seek economic development opportunities for Louisiana. In the aftermath of Edwards’ visit, the French Consulate and Embassy coordinated with local government partners over a period of several months to make Macron’s visit to New Orleans a reality.
During Macron’s December trip, he witnessed the signing of an agreement of understanding between Edwards and Catherine Colonna, the minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, which established intent to create a position for a French expert to aid in the transition to clean energy.
The efforts by Edwards and other government officials were well worth it, according to Lawson Ota, founder of Tours by Marguerite in New Orleans. He also lauded the efforts of New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who visited France for four days last July, but who was criticized for spending around $45,000, which included a first-class plane ticket. Ota has already noticed an uptick in French tourists who, he estimated, were lured to Louisiana by the coverage of Macrons’ visit.
“I think that the importance of his visit is to remind the francophones of the world that Louisiana exists, that Louisiana has an important place in the francophone world, and that we’re still here,” he said. “French isn’t just an anecdote from the past. It’s a part of our reality today.”
For Thibodeaux, these sorts of relationships are exciting developments that demonstrate French’s economic potential in Louisiana. While once the language was seen as a one-way ticket to the bottom rung of the economic ladder, today it’s an asset to speak multiple languages.
Thibodeaux said he sees French immersion serving as the initial step to grow Louisiana’s population of French speakers. What has to come next are economic opportunities that allow them to use French in their daily lives. “If you want to have children who speak French in the future, you need opportunities for them,” Thibodeaux said. “They’ll be able to find more opportunities compared to other people who only speak one language.”