The Cultural Diversity and International Education Committee exists to:
- promote global education and the acceptance and inclusion of a diverse population,
- develop and promote initiatives and programs for diversity awareness and understanding, and
- identify academic issues of international students, such as English as a Second Language, and develop methods to address the issues.
As part of our charge to promote inclusion and increase diversity awareness and understanding, we will be sharing Diversity Events with you every month via the Daily Bulletin. We hope you find this information informative and inspiring.
Diversity Events MAY 2012
Information obtained from the National Education Association: http://www.nea.org/grants/41388.htm
May 1-31 - Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month - A diverse group whose heritages represent more than 50 ethnic groups and 100 languages, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made enormous contributions to the civic, cultural, and economic fabric of our nation. Read more at these sites:
May 1-31 - Jewish American Heritage Month - On April 20, 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed that May would be Jewish American Heritage Month, recognizing the more than 350-year history of Jewish contributions to American culture. Read more at these sites:
May 1-31 - Better Hearing and Speech Month - This annual event provides opportunities to raise awareness about communication disorders and to promote treatment that can improve the quality of life for those who experience problems with speaking, understanding, or hearing. Learn more at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association web site.
May 1 - Beltane - One of the eight holidays of the wheel of the year in many modern forms of Wicca and Neopaganism. Also known as May Eve, May Day, and Walpurgis Night, it celebrates the height of Spring and the flowering of life. It is a festival of flowers, fertility, sensuality, and delight.
May 8 - National Teacher Day - National Teacher Day is a day for honoring teachers and recognizing the lasting contributions they make to our lives. Congress declared March 7, 1980, as National Teacher Day for that year only. NEA and its affiliates continued to observe National Teacher Day in March until 1985, when the NEA Representative Assembly voted to change the event to Tuesday of the first full week of May. In May of 2009, a bill was introduced in Congress that created a national day of teacher recognition on the first Tuesday of the first full week of May. See National Teacher Day.
May 9 - National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day - National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day is a day for everyone to promote positive youth development, resilience, recovery, and the transformation of mental health services delivery for children and youth with serious mental health needs and their families. Learn more at the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration web site.
May 5 - Cinco de Mayo - The anniversary of the unlikely 1862 Mexican victory over the French army at the Battle of La Puebla is more widely celebrated in the United States than in Mexico, where it is considered a regional holiday.
May 13 - Mother’s Day - Mother's Day honors mothers and motherhood.
May 9-15 - National Stuttering Awareness Week - Certain factors may place some children more at risk for stuttering. Knowing these factors will help parents and educators decide whether or not a child needs to see a speech-language pathologist. Learn more at The Stuttering Foundation web site and La Fundación Americana de la Tartamudez (The Stuttering Foundation of America).
May 9 - National School Nurse Day - School nurses work to promote health and provide the best care possible to students and their families. Take time on this day to look at the difference school nurses make in our schools. See School Nurse Day and learn more about school nurses at the National Association of School Nurses web site.
May 10 - Completion of Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 - Considered one of the greatest American technological feats of the 19th century, this effort connected the Atlantic and Pacific coasts by rail for the first time. The prodigious labor was largely provided by army veterans, and Irish and Chinese immigrants.
May 17 - Anniversary of School Desegregation Ruling - On this date in 1954, racial segregation in public schools was unanimously ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, as a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment clause guaranteeing equal protection under the law.
May 26-27 - Shavuot - Beginning at sunset on the day before, this Jewish festival celebrates the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Israelites.
May 22 - International Day for Biological Diversity - The United Nations proclaimed May 22 the International Day for Biological Diversity to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. To learn more, visit the Convention on Biological Diversity web site.
May 27 - Pentecost Sunday - Celebrated by Christians, Pentecost Sunday marks the end of the Easter season in the Christian calendar and commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and Disciples of Jesus Christ.
May 28 - Memorial Day - This holiday commemorates American men and women who have died in military service.
Post submitted by Sarah Miller
