We Will Speak

IMDb 10.0 2023 • 94 min • Documentary

Director

Michael McDermit

Country

US

Plot Summary

The Cherokee language is deeply tied to Cherokee identity; yet generations of assimilation efforts by the U.S. government and anti-Indigenous stigmas have forced the Tri-Council of Cherokee tribes to declare a State of Emergency for the language in 2019. While there are 430,000 Cherokee citizens in the three federally recognized tribes, fewer than an estimated 2,000 fluent speakers remain—the majority of whom are elderly. The covid pandemic has unfortunately hastened the course. Language activists, artists, and the youth must now lead the charge of urgent radical revitalization efforts to help save the language from the brink of extinction.

Top Cast

Keli Gonzales
Keli Gonzales Self
Carolyn Swepston
Carolyn Swepston Self
Schon Duncan
Schon Duncan Self
Marion Scraper
Marion Scraper Self
Eda Scraper
Eda Scraper Self