International Women's Day (IWD) is observed annually around the world on March 8. IWD celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women from around the world. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality., Register to Celebrate International Women's Day on Tuesday, March 8, This International Women’s Day , we’re coming together to celebrate the leadership, strength, and courage of women and girls and to reinforce a commitment to women's equality. We hope to learn and grow with a day of events based on the IWD theme ‘Break the Bias ’. UMass President's Office employees and invited guests can now register for the 2022 International Women's Day on March 8, 2022…, Questions, Please contact Megan Momtaheni if you have any questions regarding this communication or registration.
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Held annually on March 31, International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) is a time to celebrate transgender and non-binary people around the globe and acknowledge the determination it takes to live openly and authentically. Transgender Day of Visibility was created in 2010 by trans advocate Rachel Crandall. Crandall, the head of Transgender Michigan, created TDOV in response to the…, Tiffany Cook from UMass Chan Medical School to facilitate a session on LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Communications, Join the UMass President's Office DEIA Team on, Thursday, March 31 at 1:00 p.m. , as Tiffany Cook presents "LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Communications: The Language of Belonging." In this 45 minute session, Tiffany will cover the following topics: Review terms, concepts, and language that are inclusive of LGBTQIA+ individuals. Demonstrate how to utilize LGBTQIA+ inclusive language in practice. Register to Attend, Questions?, Please contact the DEIA Communications team with any questions or feedback.
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Holi – March 18, Originally known as ‘Holika,’ Holi is an ancient Hindu festival of India that is one of the most loved and celebrated in the country. Sometimes referred to as the ‘festival of love’ with its vibrancy and positivity, Holi is used as a day to welcome in spring, unite people, and forget all resentments and negative feelings towards each other. It is believed that the Holi festival and its rituals…, International Nowruz Day – March 21, Nowruz, meaning “new day,” marks the first day of spring with over 300 million people taking part in the celebration of the vernal equinox. For more than 3,000 years in many regions like the Balkans, Black Sea Basin, Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Middle East, Nowruz has been a celebration of the new year. Nowruz is considered an “ ancestral festivity marking the first day of spring and the…, Shunbun No Hi (Vernal Equinox Day) – March 21, Shunbun No Hi or Vernal Equinox Day is a public holiday celebrating the first day of spring in Japan. It is part of a seven-day period of festivals called Haru no Higan. Due to needing the most recent astronomical measurements, the date of the holiday is officially declared in February of the previous year. In 1948, Shunbun No Hi became a secular holiday to comply with Japan’s postwar…, Questions?, Please contact the DEIA Communications team with any questions or feedback.
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As the first women to serve as chancellors at UMass Lowell and UMass Amherst, Jacquie Moloney and Marcie Williams know what it’s like to break barriers. Join UMass Lowell on March 22 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. for an engaging and inspiring conversation with these two celebrated pioneers in higher education. Part of the UMass Lowell Women's Leadership Conversations series , this free and virtual…, About Women's History Month, Women’s History Month is a dedicated month to reflect on the contributions of women to United States history. The celebration started as a weeklong event at a school district in Sonoma, California in 1978. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued a proclamation declaring the first week of March as National Women’s History Week. The U.S. Congress passed a resolution establishing it as a national…, Questions?, Please contact the DEIA Communications team with any questions or feedback.
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Held annually on March 31, International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) is a time to celebrate transgender and non-binary people around the globe and acknowledge the determination it takes to live openly and authentically. Transgender Day of Visibility was created in 2010 by trans advocate Rachel Crandall. Crandall, the head of Transgender Michigan, created TDOV in response to the…, Tiffany Cook from UMass Chan Medical School to facilitate a session on LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Communications, Join the UMass President's Office DEIA Team on, Thursday, March 31 at 1:00 p.m. , as Tiffany Cook presents "LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Communications: The Language of Belonging." In this 45 minute session, Tiffany will cover the following topics: Review terms, concepts, and language that are inclusive of LGBTQIA+ individuals. Demonstrate how to utilize LGBTQIA+ inclusive language in practice. Register to Attend
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The DEIA Communications team sends out monthly emails about upcoming diversity awareness events 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 April., Month-Long Observances, Note that Autism Acceptance Month is covered under the "Additional Awareness Events this Month" section below., Arab American and Middle Eastern and North African American Heritage Month, National Arab American and Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) American Heritage Month celebrates the culture, traditions, contributions, and history of the more than 3.5 million Arab Americans and MENA Americans in the United States. Arab Americans have ancestry from the world’s 22 Arab nations (Algeria, Bahrain, the Comoro Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco,…, National Volunteer Month, National Volunteer Month is a month dedicated to recognizing volunteering and the importance to make significant contributions to worthy causes. Many organizations in small towns, rural counties, and the largest cities would not function without volunteers. Volunteerism is encouraged throughout the month of April. , Ramadan, Ramadan is a holy month of fasting, introspection, and prayer for Muslims. It begins at sunset on Saturday, April 2 and ends on Monday, May 2, celebrating the month during which Muhammad received the initial revelations of the Quran, the holy book for Muslims. Fasting is one of the five fundamental principles of Islam. Each day during Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink from dawn to sunset.…, Scottish-American Heritage Month, Each April, Scottish-American Heritage Month highlights Scottish heritage and remembers the Scottish-Americans who have had an impact on U.S. society. The influence of Scottish ancestry is woven deeply into the fabric of America. Many of the founding fathers of our country were of Scottish ancestry. The Scots fled political oppression, poverty, and starvation to come to the new world of America.…, Week and Day Observances, Note that National Day of Silence (LGBTQIA+) is covered under the "Additional Awareness Events this Month" section below., Palm Sunday, Sunday, April 10, Palm Sunday is a Christian religious feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. For many Christians, Palm Sunday (also referred to as Passion Sunday) marks the beginning of Holy Week, which observes Christ’s “Passion,” or the period of his sacrificial suffering, death and resurrection as told in each of the four canonical…, Good Friday, Friday, April 15, Good Friday (Holy Friday) is a day when members of many Christian denominations, including the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, Oriental Orthodox and Reformed traditions, observe Jesus's death on the cross. The date of Good Friday varies from one year to the next based on the Gregorian and Julian calendars. This year Good Friday is observed on Friday, April 15. On these…, Passover, Friday, April 15 - Saturday, April 23, Passover, also called Pesach is a major Jewish holiday. It begins in the evening of Friday, April 15 and ends in the evening of Saturday, April 23. Passover commemorates the story of the Israelites' escape from slavery and departure from ancient Egypt. Strict dietary laws must be observed, and special prohibitions restrict work at the beginning and end of the celebration. The first night is often…, Easter, Sunday, April 17, Easter is a Christian festival which commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead three days after his sacrificial suffering and crucifixion by the Romans, as described in the New Testament. The Christian celebration of Easter stretches back to the 2nd century, although it is widely believed that commemorations of Christ occurred sooner than that. Easter customs vary across the…, National Transgender HIV Testing Day, Monday, April 18, National Transgender HIV Testing Day (NTHTD) recognizes the importance of routine HIV testing, HIV status awareness and continued focus on HIV prevention and treatment efforts among transgender and gender non-binary people. The only way to definitively know if you have HIV is to get tested. HIV testing is relatively simple, widely available and confidential. Health care providers, medical clinics…, Yom HaShoah, Wednesday, April 27 - Thursday, April 28, Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, is observed in commemoration for the approximately six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust by Nazi Germany. This day recognizes the Jewish resistance and the strength of the Jewish people. It is a day of mourning and remembrance, as well as education. This year, Yom HaShoah will begin in the evening of Wednesday, April 27, and end in the evening of…, Laylat al-Qadr, Friday, April 29, Laylat al-Qadr (also known as Lailat al Qadr or Laylatul Qadr) is observed on April 29, 2022. It is the holiest night of the year for Muslims and falls within Ramadan’s final 10 days. The name translates to “Night of Power.” On this night, a single act of kindness gives the blessings of 1,000 months. Muslims observe this night with prayer and devotional readings of the Quran., Additional Awareness Events this Month , The DEIA Communications team will send out email campaigns around the following awareness events this month: Autism Acceptance Month National Day of Silence (LGBTQIA+) - Friday, April 22, Questions?, Please contact the DEIA Communications team with any questions or feedback.
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The rainbow infinity sign is the symbol for neurodiversity. The full spectrum of colors represents the diversity of the autism spectrum as well as the greater neurodiversity movement. Autism Acceptance Month is a month dedicated to promoting inclusion and to breaking down the harmful misconceptions that are associated with autism. In contrast to Autism Awareness Month, which is also widely…, What is Autism?, According to the Autism Self Advocacy Network, "Autism is a developmental disability that affects how we experience the world around us. Autistic people are an important part of the world. Autism is a normal part of life, and makes us who we are. Autism has always existed. Autistic people are born autistic and we will be autistic our whole lives. Autism can be diagnosed by a doctor, but you can…, "We think differently", "We process our senses differently", "We move differently", "We communicate differently", "We socialize differently", "We might need help with daily living", However, the most important thing that they note is that not every autistic person will relate to all of these. As they say in the article linked below, “There are lots of different ways to be autistic.” Learn more about Autism by visiting ASAN’s “ About Autism ” page., What is Neurodiversity?, Neurodiversity refers to the diversity of all people, but is frequently used in the context of autism and other neurological or developmental conditions. The neurodiversity movement emerged during the 90s and is aimed at increasing acceptance and inclusion of all people by embracing neurological differences. Learn more about how you can make the workplace more inclusive for neurodiverse people by…
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May 18 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT, Join Disability:IN and their corporate partners for a Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) webinar on accessible procurement. A corporate commitment to a disability diverse and inclusive workforce requires that digital products and content be fully usable by a company’s employees and job applicants with disabilities. Accessible procurement is key to that commitment. Join this panel of…
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The DEIA Communications team sends out monthly emails about upcoming diversity awareness events 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 Observances, Note that Mental Health Awareness Month is covered under the "Additional Awareness Events this Month" section below., ALS Awareness Month , ALS Awareness Month is a campaign to spread awareness of and raise funds for research for a cure for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease). ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Find out how you can get involved in fighting ALS at the ALS Association website ., Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Month , Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Month is a time to reflect upon and celebrate the remarkable role of the AANHPI community in our nation’s history. The AANHPI community is incredibly diverse, comprising over 45 distinct ethnicities and over 100 language dialects. Visit the National Park Services AANHPI site to access various resources on the historical contributions of the…, Haitian Heritage Month , Haitian Heritage Month is a celebration in the United States of Haitian heritage and culture. Boston was the first city to celebrate Haitian Heritage Month in 1998 and is home to one of the largest populations of Haitian immigrants in the United States. The month of May was selected to coincide with Haitian Flag Day on May 18. , Jewish American Heritage Month, Jewish American Heritage Month is held in May to recognize the more than 350 year history of Jewish contributions to American culture. The month was first recognized in 2006, when President George W. Bush proclaimed it an official heritage month. Visit the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center (JHC) website to learn about the history of Jewish families, institutions, and communities in New…, Older Americans Month, Every May, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) leads the nation’s observance of Older Americans Month (OAM). In 2022, ACL's theme "Age My Way" will focus on aging in place - how older adults can plan to stay in their homes and live independently in their communities for as long as possible. Visit the ACL Administration for Community Living site for more information., Week and Day Observances, Note that Global Accessibility Action Day and Memorial Day are covered under the "Additional Awareness Events this Month" section below., Eid al-Fitr , Sunday, May 1-Monday May 2 , Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Eid al-Fitr is otherwise known as the “Festival of Breaking the Fast.” It is a Muslim holiday for special prayers, family time, gift giving, and charity. In 2022, Eid al-Fitr was celebrated beginning on the evening of Sunday, May 1, and ending on the evening of Monday, May 2. , Cinco de Mayo, Thursday, May 5 , Cinco de Mayo, the fifth of May, is a recognized holiday in celebration of the Mexican army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The Battle of Puebla occurred during the Franco-Mexican War, which spanned from 1861-1867. While this is a minor holiday in Mexico, it is widely celebrated in the United States in commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage., Vesak (Buddhism), Friday, May 6, Vesak is one of the most important Buddhist festivals and is usually celebrated in May or early June. It was on the Day of Vesak two and a half millennia ago, in the year 623 B.C., that the Buddha was born. It was also on the Day of Vesak that the Buddha attained enlightenment, and it was on the Day of Vesak that the Buddha in his eightieth year passed away. , International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, Tuesday, May 17, International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia is a day to celebrate diversity and to raise awareness of the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTIQ+) people. This year’s theme is “ Our Bodies, Our Lives, Our Rights .” , World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, Saturday, May 21, Established by the United Nations in 2002, following UNESCO’s adoption in 2001, the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development is an occasion to promote culture and highlight the significance of its diversity as an agent of inclusion and positive change. It represents an opportunity to celebrate culture’s manifold forms, whether the tangible and intangible, creative…, Declaration of the Bab (Bahá’í), Monday, May 23, One of nine Bahá’í holy days, the Declaration of the Bab recognizes May 23, 1844, the day when the Bab announced that he was a messenger of God and foretold the coming of another messenger of God in the near future., Ascension of Baha’u’llah (Bahá’í), Sunday, May 29, The anniversary of the death of the founder of the Bahá'í faith, Bahá'u'lláh. This solemn anniversary is a day of rest, and is often observed by reading or chanting from the scriptures., Additional Awareness Events this Month , The DEIA Communications team will send out email campaigns around the following awareness events this month: Mental Health Awareness Month Global Accessibility Action Day - May 19 Memorial Day - May 30, Questions?, Please contact the DEIA Communications team with any questions or feedback.
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