2023 Diversity and Inclusion Calendar

The DEI Commission invites you to utilize this calendar as a resource to expand awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the variety of occasions that may be recognized by members of the Lebanon community. This calendar is not comprehensive and is continuously amended to reflect the most accurate and current information. If you would like to recommend an occasion to be added to this calendar, please email us at manager@lebanonnh.gov. 

January

• Poverty in America Month: This month was established to bring greater awareness to the issue of poverty and financial insecurity in the United States. Currently, 38 million people in the country live below the federal poverty line.
• January 16: Martin Luther King Jr. Day – This day commemorates the birth of Martin Luther King Jr., the recipient of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize and an activist for nonviolent social change until his assassination in 1968.
• January 22: Lunar New Year – This festival marks the start of the new year in the lunar calendar used in East Asia, Southeast Asia and elsewhere.
• January 27: International Holocaust Remembrance Day – This observance marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and honors the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazism.

February

• Black History Month: February was chosen to celebrate African American History because it holds the birthdays of two men who helped eliminate slavery: Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln.
• Body Image Awareness Month: This month provides an opportunity to change the narrative of what constitutes wellness, health, and acceptance as it relates to body size. We wish to dismantle the stigma around body size and body shaming, to be welcoming and accepting of all.
• February 1: National Freedom Day – This day celebrates the signing of the 13th Amendment that abolished slavery in 1865.
• February 20: World Day of Social Justice – Established by the UN General Assembly as a recognition of the necessity of and connection between social development, social justice, peace, and security among nations.

March

• Gender Equality Month: Designated to bring awareness to the disparities, inequalities, underrepresentation, and violence faced by women and girls around the globe, and to shine a light on their strengths and achievements.
• National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month: Established to increase awareness and understanding of issues affecting people who are differently abled.
• Women’s History Month: Recognizes all women for their valuable contributions to history and society.
• March 8: International Women’s Day – This observance recognizes the political, social, cultural, and economic achievements of women.
• March 8: Holi Festival – Also known as the Festival of Colors, Holi is largely celebrated across India and marks the shift from winter to spring and the triumph of good over evil.
• March 14: Equal Pay Day – This date symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. Women working full-time, year-round are paid 84 cents and all earners (including part-time and seasonal) are paid 77 cents for every dollar paid to men.
• March 21: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination – This day is observed annually in the wake of the 1960 killing of 69 people at a demonstration against apartheid laws in South Africa. The United Nations proclaimed the day in 1966 and called on the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.
• March 25: International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade – This observation offers the opportunity to honor those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system, and aims to raise awareness about the dangers of racism and prejudice today.
• March 31: International Transgender Day of Visibility – This observance celebrates transgender people and their identities as well as recognizes those who helped fight for rights for transgender individuals.

April

• Arab American Heritage Month: This month highlights and celebrates the history and cultures of the Arab American population and its contribution to American society. 
• Autism Acceptance Month: This designation, created by the autistic community, is a shift from Autism Awareness Month to recognize that efforts should include not only knowing that autism exists but fully accepting autism and autistic people in daily life. This language recognizes that autism is not an ailment to be eliminated but a condition with which many people identify, and it respects the rights and humanity of autistic people.    
• Deaf History Month: This observance celebrates key events in deaf history, including the founding of Gallaudet University and the American School for the Deaf.     
• Diversity Month: This observance recognizes and honors the diversity surrounding us all. By celebrating differences and similarities during this month, organizers hope that people will gain a deeper understanding of each other.
• April 2: World Autism Awareness Day – The goal of this day is to recognize people living with autism and improve their lives both fully and meaningfully.
• April 22: Earth Day – An international celebration for the modern environmental movement. This day raises awareness of issues that affect the earth and global society including carbon emissions, climate change, food security, and clean energy.

May

• Mental Health Awareness Month: Aims to raise awareness and educate the public about mental illnesses and to reduce the stigma that surrounds mental health challenges and conditions.
• Older Americans Month: This observance was established in 1963 to support older Americans and to honor their legacies and contributions to American society.
• Jewish American Heritage Month: Honors American Jewish people and their contributions to the United States throughout history.
• Asian American and Pacific Island Heritage Month: Commemorates people with Asian and Pacific Island ancestry and their contribution to the United States. 
• May 5: Cinco de Mayo – This holiday commemorates the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867). The day celebrates Mexican culture and heritage through special events including parades and musical performances.
• May 15: Nakba Day - This observance marks the Nakba, or Catastrophe, during which Zionist forces in 1948 expelled hundreds of thousands of Palestinian people from their homelands. During the expulsion, hundreds of villages were attacked and destroyed and some 15,000 Palestinians were killed.
• May 17: International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia – This global observance celebrates diversity in sexual orientation and gender identities and expressions.

June

• Pride Month: Recognizes LGBTQ+ people and the effect they have had on the world. June was selected in honor of the Stonewall Riots, which took place on June 28, 1969.
• Caribbean American Heritage Month: This month recognizes those of Caribbean descent and the impact their accomplishments have had throughout American history.
• June 12: Loving Day – This day is the anniversary of the court decision that legalizes interracial marriage.
• June 15: LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay Awareness Day – Without enough data to make calculations, this day raises awareness about the wage gap experienced by LGBTQIA+ folks.
• June 19: Juneteenth – Took place on June 19, 1865, when all enslaved people in Texas were liberated. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was issued at the start of 1863, the news didn’t reach all states or enslaved people until over two years later.

July

• July 26: National Disability Independence Day – This observance celebrates the anniversary of the 1990 signing of the Americans with Disability Act, which made it illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities in areas like employment, transportation, public accommodation, communications, and access to state and local government programs/services.
• July 27: Black Women’s Equal Pay Day – Black women working full-time, year-round are paid 67 cents and all earners (including part-time and seasonal) are paid 64 cents for every dollar paid to non-Hispanic white men.

August

• Civility Month: This holiday was founded to help the world remember to treat others the way we wish to be treated ourselves — with kindness, empathy, and respect. 
• August 9: International Day of the World’s Indigenous People – This day was created by the UN to celebrate the cultures of Indigenous peoples on a global scale.
• August 15: Moms’ Equal Pay Day – Moms working full-time, year-round are paid 74 cents and all earners (including part-time and seasonal) are paid 62 cents for every dollar paid to dads.
• August 19: World Humanitarian Day – This day was designated by the UN in remembrance of the 22 lives lost in the 2003 bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq. It is a day for people across cultures to come together to advocate for the well-being and dignity of those affected by crises worldwide as well as the safety of aid workers.
• August 23: International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition – This observance honors those who suffered and died in the transatlantic slave trade and is the anniversary of the 1791 uprising in Santo Domingo (today Haiti and the Dominican Republic) that initiated the abolition of slavery in the Caribbean.
• August 26: Women’s Equality Day – This day commemorates American women gaining the right to vote in 1920.

September

• September 4: Labor Day – This observance was initiated by labor activists in the nineteenth century and celebrates the accomplishments and contribution of workers across the U.S. to the country’s strength and prosperity. 
• September 15 to October 15 – National Hispanic Heritage Month aims to recognize and celebrate the many contributions, diverse cultures, and extensive histories of the Latinx American community.

October

• National Disability Employment Awareness Month: celebrates the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities past and present and showcases supportive, inclusive employment policies and practices.
• National Substance Abuse Prevention Month: a time to highlight the vital role of substance abuse prevention in both individual and community health has, to remember those who have lost their lives to substance abuse, to acknowledge those in recovery, as well as children, parents, family, and friends supporting them.
• October 5: Latina’s Equal Pay Day. Latina women working full-time, year-round are paid 57 cents and all earners (including part-time and seasonal) are paid 54 cents for every dollar paid to non-Hispanic white men.
• October 10: Indigenous People’s Day – This day honors the Indigenous peoples of North America.
• October 11: National Coming Out Day – This day recognizes the 1987 March on Washington for gay and lesbian equality and honors the act of coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.

November

• Native American Heritage Month: This month is designated to recognize and inform about experiences and cultures of the first Americans in the United States, their sacrifice in the establishment of this country, and their significant contributions to its growth.
• Movember: Seeks to raise awareness for men’s issues like suicide as well as prostate and testicular cancer.
• November 11: Veterans Day – This observance provides an opportunity to honor and thank veterans for their bravery and sacrifice as former service members of the United States Armed Forces.
• November 20: Transgender Day of Remembrance – This day is held as a remembrance for all those murdered because of transphobia.
• November 23: National Day of Mourning (Thanksgiving) – While largely celebrated in the United States as a day of feasting and giving thanks, since 1970, many Americans observe Thanksgiving as the Day of Mourning, grieving the extreme sacrifice endured by Native Americans in Plymouth, Massachusetts upon the arrival of English colonists in 1620.
• November 25: International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women – Raises awareness around the world that women are subjected to rape, domestic violence and other forms of violence; furthermore, one of the aims of the day is to highlight that the scale and true nature of the issue is often hidden.
• November 30: Native Women’s Equal Pay Day – Native women working full-time, year-round are paid 57 cents and all earners (including part-time and seasonal) are paid 51 cents for every dollar paid to non-Hispanic white men.

December

• December 1: World AIDS Day – This day was established in 1988 as an opportunity for people around the world to come together in the fight against HIV, support those living with HIV, and commemorate the lives lost due to an AIDS-related illness. 
• December 3: International Day of Persons with Disabilities – This UN holiday raises awareness for the rights of individuals with disabilities.
• December 10: International Humans Rights Day – This holiday was adopted by the UN in 1948 following the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• December 21: National Homeless Persons’ Remembrance Day – Commemorated each year on the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the longest night of the year, this day calls attention to the plight of the country’s homeless population and encourages the public to act on their behalf.