DE&I

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.

Many workplaces have bilingual signage, but is Braille among the languages used on yours? National Braille Week aims to help people understand why Braille is so important and to encourage businesses to embrace it.

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.

Started in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, this day focuses on empathy and just being good to each other. It’s a great time to focus on the little and big ways we could be a little kinder to each other – and to ourselves.

Another observance launched by the United Nations, this day is meant to bring awareness to how we react to people from other cultures, with differing religions, languages and abilities and more.

This day celebrates both Dutch-American culture and its peoples, but also the relationship between the United States and the Netherlands.