DE&I

Yes, October is chock-full of heritage months! This one celebrates Italian-American culture, cuisine and people! It’s a great month to learn more about the Italian-American experience.

Throughout October, you can pay tribute to the diverse ideas, cultures and communities across the world as part of Global Diversity Awareness Month. Remember that you can look beyond national cultures and counties of origin. Think about things like disabilities, languages, religions and more.

While Pride Month is all about identity, acceptance and loving yourself, LGBTQ+ History Month takes a look backward. Many LGBTQ+ figures have been erased from the history books or had their truths hidden. This month gives us the chance to look at the distance and recent past to see the history that didn’t make the textbooks.

A month-long awareness campaign, it focuses not on the struggles that those with disabilities face, but specifically on how they are assets to workplaces and communities. This is a great time to confront hidden bias in yourself and your company.

Much like Women’s History Month in the U.S., the Canadian celebration is about honoring the contributions of women throughout history while reflecting on how women are treated today.

This observance is used to both raise awareness of breast cancer and raise funds to seek a cure. Just be aware that some of the typical slogans used during this month don’t always land well with everyone. Look for inclusive ways to talk about breast cancer.

In October, take time to reflect on the realities of people with visual impairments and how your workplace accommodates them. Remember that not all people who consider themselves to be blind have zero vision.

The United States is home to the largest Polish population outside of Poland itself. While many of those with Polish heritage are centered in the Midwest (Chicago, specifically), Polish-Americans are in all of our communities and greatly impacting our culture as a whole. October was chosen for this observance as it is the month Polish settlers first arrived in the United States.

The first Domestic Violence Awareness Month was held in 1989. This month is an excellent time to raise awareness of domestic violence in all of its forms and make sure your employees understand that there are resources for them if they need to leave a dangerous situation.

Many Filipinos have settled in the United States, and there are many people throughout the country who identify as Filipino-American. October is the month to celebrate everything about them and their culture.

German-Americans make up the largest ancestry group in the United States, with about 43 million total. And what better month to celebrate them than the one that gives Oktoberfest its name?

Considered the most somber of Jewish holidays, Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement. Most who observe this occasion fast all day, pray intensely and complete a confession.

Sukkot is a pilgrimage festival where Israelites who could were commanded to travel to the Temple in Jerusalem. The primary celebration is the building of a sukkah. Celebrants eat in the sukkah for eight days.

There is a lot of controversy over Columbus Day given the history of the man himself. As an alternative celebration, National Indigenous Peoples’ Day was made a federal holiday in 2021. It focuses on helping people discover the truth of colonial history from the Native perspective.

Living life in the closet is hard and isolating. This day is meant to help those who want to come out to do so. This is also a good time to focus on why we don’t out people before they are ready and how speculating on someone’s sexuality can be harmful.

This observance has been held on October 15 of every year since 1964. It is meant to celebrate the achievements of individuals with blindness while also raising our general awareness of them in our lives and societies.

Set aside to raise awareness of bullying faced by LGBTQ+ youth, this is a pretty somber day. The best way to show support on this day is to wear purple and to reflect on how our own actions and words might contribute to a culture of hostility.

This Hindu celebration centers around multiple DE&Ities, but the underlying principle is to celebrate the victory of light over darkens. In many cases, sweets and gifts are exchanged.

This month is marked to honor the diverse history of Native-American communities. November was selected as the month of celebration since it is also home to Thanksgiving, a holiday whose origins are often misunderstood.

Hey, the fellas need a little awareness, too! This month-long fundraiser is meant to bring attention to health concerns men commonly face, from mental health struggles to prostate cancer and raise money for related charities.

Held the first Wednesday each November, this holiday was founded by Carole Spiers to help people better understand the role stress plays in their lives and to focus on ways to reduce stress.