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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
The International Day of Commemoration in Memory of Victims of the Holocaust has been celebrated annually on January 27th since 2006. This observance was initiated by a United Nations General Assembly proclamation in November 2005 to honor the anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau on January 27th, 1945, by Soviet troops. The […]
As a Harvard-trained historian, Carter G. Woodson, believed that truth could not be denied and that reason would prevail over prejudice. His hopes to raise awareness of African American's contributions to civilization was realized when he and the organization he founded, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), conceived and announced […]
Recognizing the role of women and girls in science, not only as beneficiaries, but also as agents of change. Find out more about what the Women and Girls in Science Assembly are doing at https://www.un.org/en/observances/women-and-girls-in-science-day
Random Acts of Kindness Day began in 2004 in New Zealand as a way to encourage and celebrate kindness and paying it forward. Promoters of the day suggested paying for another person's meal in a drive-thru, letting someone go ahead in line, buying extra at the grocery store and donating it to a food pantry, […]
Women’s History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7th, 1982 as “Women’s History Week.” Throughout the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as “Women’s History Week.” In 1987 after being […]