The 快活app is committed to living our values of diversity and inclusion. Our community and institutional success is dependent on how well we engage and embrace the rich diversity of our faculty, staff, administrators, students and alumni.
Advancing听a听key听strategic initiative outlined in the听Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Action Plan, the听Heritage Months Initiative听will听contribute to the听creation of听a campus climate and culture that听strives for excellence in inclusion听in all aspects of听the 快活app鈥檚听operations.听Join us in this celebration!
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August 26 | Women's Equality Day
On August 26, 1920, women were granted the right to vote, which was the culmination of massive, peaceful civil rights movements that spanned decades. Today, we commemorate the passage of the 19th Amendment and celebrate the strides women have made since that day to attain equal rights, opportunities and recognition in all facets of society. The suffrage movement is mirrored in our communities by ongoing efforts to achieve full equality for women and has evolved to center the inclusion of women and people of diverse gender identities who come from historically marginalized groups.听听
快活app seeks to further this mission in our community and beyond through several initiatives on campus that have the common goal of advancing the representation and empowerment of women. The Women鈥檚 Coalition at 快活app bridges various women鈥檚 groups across campus and strives to center the experiences of women from marginalized or underrepresented backgrounds. More resources and information on 快活app鈥檚 initiatives can be found at Women鈥檚 Coalition.听听
快活app honors Women鈥檚 Equality Day and the hard work of individuals who have advanced goals of gender equality in our community and across the world.听听
Latinx Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 to October 15 in the United States as a way of recognizing the contributions of those who have ancestral ties to South and Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. These days are significant to the Latinx community as they honor anniversaries of independence from European colonial rule for many of these nations.听
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) community have long endured persecution and harm as they have sought equal rights and basic access to health care, employment and marriage. In听October of 1994, Rodney Wilson, a high-school educator from Missouri鈥攊n collaboration with community leaders and fellow educators鈥攂egan the practice of celebrating LGBTQ+ History month. The 鈥+鈥 in the 鈥淟GBTQ+鈥 moniker indicates a continuing evolution of our understanding of gender and sexuality. It represents the gender identities or sexual orientations not yet systemically recognized or affirmed. LGBTQ+ History Month purposely听coincides听with National Coming Out Day on the 11th听of October and celebrates the liberation of living as openly LGBTQ+.
This month, we recognize people who experience disabilities, a minoritized identity that may not be immediately visible. It is in the service of recognizing their needs and advocating for their rights that, 30 years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law as an important foundational step. While Disability Employment Awareness Month is necessary to highlight those who contribute to these collective successes, we must acknowledge that the struggle to correct disabling infrastructure and community norms extend to more than just the work environment. Disability rights advocates urge a more nuanced and comprehensive approach to advance the rights of this community by recognizing听, and working to eliminate barriers to working, thinking and learning.
In 1990, the U.S. Congress designated November as Native American Heritage Month. This time period has particular resonance for us at the 快活app due to our historic relationship with Native and Indigenous peoples on the land that 快活app calls home. As documented and described in the findings of the听听and other听, figures prominent in the founding of 快活app bear culpability for the violence and injustice perpetrated against Native peoples鈥攕pecifically at Sand Creek. This tragic, historical legacy is something we struggle with to this very day. We do this with the acknowledgment that the land where the 快活app now sits is the ancestral homeland of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, and that there is much work still to be accomplished.听This work will take the active participation of each of us, the entire 快活app community.
We celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday in honor of the person he was and for showing America a pathway to make peace with our painful history. In Dr. King, the Black resistance movement found a champion with the revolutionary vision, the political savvy and the oratory ability to spark our imagination and capture the nation鈥檚 conscience. Though he was not the first to advocate for racial equality, with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Dr. King and many of his allies incorporated within America鈥檚 governance framework the enduring ideal that all people are equal and thus deserve to be treated as such.
Black History Month is a dedicated time to recognize the contributions of Black peoples to the world. It was in 1915, almost half a century after the abolition of slavery, that historians Carter G. Woodson and Jesse Moorland celebrated what was then termed 鈥淣egro History Week.鈥 In 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month, asking for the public to 鈥渟eize an opportunity to honor the often-neglected achievements鈥 of Black people. This month is also a time to reflect on the historical and contemporary injustices perpetrated against an entire race and imagine a world that should be different.听Black and African American communities continue to struggle in the grips of unjust criminal justice and education systems that continue to diminish the lives and opportunities of their people. These are systems that require re-imagining and re-building and we all share in that work.
In March, we celebrate Women鈥檚 History Month in recognition of women鈥檚 service and contributions to the continued progress of humankind.听In 1987, Congress declared March as National Women鈥檚 History Month in perpetuity. 快活app encourages our community听to continue the conversation about the role of women in historical and contemporary life as we build a more equitable and just society.
In April we celebrate Autism Acceptance Month. According to the Autism Society of America, the prevalence of Autism in children has risen from 1 in 125 in 2010 to nearly 1 in 59 over the past decade. Autism advocates hope that, as awareness and acceptance of Autism increases within the larger population, the stigma of diagnosis and the social barriers that hinder people from living full and meaningful lives will dissipate.
For centuries, members of the Arab community have come to America鈥檚 shores, sharing with this country their gifts, talents and unique perspectives. As we welcome others from around the globe, we also welcome migrants from the 22 Arab nations who arrive to seek opportunities, flee persecution or simply look to build a better life. As a community and as an institution, we have a supporting role to play in helping them to realize their dreams and aspirations here in America.
In May, we celebrate听.听May was selected听to commemorate these communities to recognize two historical contributions. On May 7, 1843, the first Japanese people immigrated to the United States and May 10, 1869听marks the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad, the majority of which was crafted by听Chinese immigrants.听In honoring the contributions of Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi Americans, we also acknowledge the lived experiences of members of these communities, both in the past and today. This includes deeply meaningful accomplishments, vibrant cultural contributions and, unfortunately, challenges in the face of hate, violence and racism.
On April 20, 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed that May would be Jewish American Heritage Month.听The month of May was chosen due to the highly successful celebration of the 350th Anniversary of American Jewish History in May 2004. As we uplift Jewish communities for Jewish American Heritage Month, we must also note the world鈥檚 historical and, unfortunately, continued antisemitism. Yet, despite centuries of marginalization, Jewish Americans have persevered. We acknowledge the Jewish community鈥檚 challenges while at the same time celebrating the Jewish community鈥檚 successes.
Pride Month was first celebrated in the 1970s during what is considered the inception of the modern 鈥榣esbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, two-spirit, and more鈥 (LGBTQIA2+) movement. Inspired by the passionate and transformative June 1969 Stonewall Riots, Pride Month has grown and evolved significantly over the past 50 years. Intersecting identities have become a fundamental part of the modern LGBTQ+ movement, ensuring other social justice issues and salient identities are not left behind.
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We recognize that our community and institutional success is dependent on how well we engage and embrace the rich diversity of our faculty, staff, administrators, students and alumni. With that shared value in mind, throughout this academic year, we will听publish a series of articles to celebrate the Heritage and History months. Also, if you are aware of any events that are happening on campus or have an idea for Heritage Month events, we'd love to hear about them and promote them campus-wide.
This October we celebrate both Disability Employment Awareness Month and LGBTQ+ History Month. Despite the normative understanding of what it means to be a productive contributing member of society or who we are allowed to love and how we are supposed to behave, members of these minoritized communities have made substantial contributions to making the world what it is today.
Latinx Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 to听October 15 in the United States as a way of recognizing the contributions of those who have ancestral ties to South and Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. These days are significant to the Latinx community as they honor anniversaries of independence from European colonial rule for many of these nations.听
In recognition of Native American Heritage Month, 快活app Students Rae Woody and Alexis White Hat agreed to share stories of their heritage, traditions and college experience with the 快活app Newsroom.
