Diversity Calendar
The DEIA Communications team keeps a calendar of upcoming diversity awareness months and days recognized either nationally or internationally due to their cultural, historical, or religious significance. See below for several diversity dates to be aware of in the month of May.
Month-Long Events:
- ALS Awareness Month
- Haitian Heritage Month
- Jewish American Heritage Month
- National Military Appreciation Month
Date-Specific Events
- Friday, May 5: Cinco de Mayo
- Friday, May 5: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day
- Friday, May 5: Vesak (Buddhism)
- Wednesday, May 17: International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia
- Saturday, May 20: Armed Forces Day
- Sunday, May 21: World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
- Tuesday, May 23 – Wednesday, May 24: Declaration of the Bab (Bahá’í)
- Sunday, May 28 – Monday, May 29: Ascension of Baha’u’llah (Bahá’í)
Additional Awareness Events this Month
The DEIA Communications team will send out individual communications around the following awareness events this month:
- Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Month
- Mental Health Awareness Month
- Older Americans Month
- Global Accessibility Awareness Day – Thursday, May 18
- Memorial Day – Monday, May 29
Recommended LinkedIn Learning Course: Foundations of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Those who attended the International Women’s Day panel session will find that this LinkedIn Learning course compliments much of what Dr. Nicole Melton and Lisa Calise discussed with Ashley Hunter and Jacquie Kittler. In this course, Dereca Blackmon covers key terminology, how biases can impact recruiting and hiring, as well as the importance of inclusive communication, sponsorship, and mentorship.
Complete the Foundations of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Course
Recommended Road Trip: UMass Amherst exhibit, “Portraits in Red: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.”
Monday, May 1 – Friday, May 15 (Weekdays Only)
Nayana LaFond began her series of paintings “Portraits in Red” with one painting, "Lauraina in RED," in 2020 to raise awareness about the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls held annually on May 5. She then put out a call for pictures and stories of other missing and murdered indigenous women, which led to the exhibit. The portraits have become a continuous project as LaFond receives photos and stories regularly and has an ongoing queue of 20-30. Through her work, LaFond hopes to make sure the missing and dead are never forgotten, raise awareness about this serious issue, and provide the families she works with help healing.
Communication developed by Kristina England.