Eleven states and many municipalities designate the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This day recognizes the long history of indigenous stewardship and contributions prior to Christopher Columbus’s arrival in North America to present day.
November is Native American Heritage Month, also referred to as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, and this month honors the cultures, histories, and importance of indigenous communities in the United States. This month has been recognized since 1990 when President George H. W. Bush designated November that year National American Indian Heritage Month. […]
November is National Family Caregivers Month! This annual observance was first celebrated in 1994 by the Caregiver Action Network to recognize those caregivers who provide unpaid support to family members, friends, and neighbors. President Bill Clinton first signed a presidential proclamation in recognition of this month in 1997, and all subsequent presidents have made similar […]
Men die on average 5 years earlier than women, and for largely preventable reasons. A growing number of men – around 10.8M globally – are facing life with a prostate cancer diagnosis. And across the world, one man dies by suicide every minute of every day, with males accounting for 69% of all suicides. Movember […]
You may be aware that November 11th is the day when Veterans Day is observed each year, but did you know that this day was originally called Armistice Day? In November 1919, President Woodrow Wilson declared November 11th a holiday to observe the end of fighting in World War I that had occurred the year […]
Women's rights activists have observed November 25th as a day against gender-based violence since 1981. This date was selected to honor the Mirabal sisters, three political activists from the Dominican Republic who were brutally murdered in 1960 by order of the country’s ruler, Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961). On December 20th, 1993, the UN General Assembly adopts […]
December 1st is World AIDS Day. According to worldaidsday.org, “World AIDS Day takes place on December 1st each year. It’s an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV, and to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness. Founded in 1988, World […]
International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPWD) is observed each year on December 3rd. The United Nations created this day in 1992 to formalize its ongoing work to ensure that people with disabilities are celebrated throughout the world. IDPWD provides a day each year to celebrate how the spectrum of abilities enriches the diversity of […]
December 10th is International Human Rights Day. Celebrated annually, this observance commemorates December 10th, 1948, when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The United Nations explains: “The UDHR is a milestone document, which proclaims the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being – regardless […]
Since 2019, World Braille Day has been celebrated annually on January 4th. In November 2018, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to honor this yearly observance in acknowledgment that inclusive written materials are essential to achieving full human rights. World Braille Day is celebrated on January 4th in recognition on Louis Braille’s birthday, […]
World Religion Day is celebrated annually on the third Sunday in January by members of the Baha’i faith. This holiday was initiated by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States in 1950 and has been celebrated each year since then. The purpose of this day is “to call attention to the […]
This annual holiday falls on the third Monday in January each year in honor of Dr. King’s birth on January 15th, 1929. The campaign to make this a national holiday began shortly after his assassination in 1968 but was not approved as a national holiday until 1983. It then took 17 more years for it […]