While there are an incredible number of relevant days celebrating individuals, religion, and more, we have compiled a list of those of major importance to U.S. Multicultural communities. These are times to celebrate, but also a time for education on various group's important holidays, histories, and contributions. As such, these are important times to reflect upon our own identities and culture, as well as educate ourselves on other identities and cultures.
DEI alongside SJICR compiled a Multicultural Calendar on SJICR’s website, find the calendar here: https://sites.rowan.edu/sjicr/culturalcalendar.html. Although the list below is not extensive of all multicultural dates, we wanted to highlight a few of the significant dates and celebrations.
December 2020
December 1st – World Aids Day
Every year since 1988, December 1st has been recognized is an international day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection and mourning those who have died of the disease.
December 11th – 18th Hanukkah
Hanukkah is a Jewish festival commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire.
December 26th – January 1: Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is an annual celebration of African-American culture which is held from December 26 to January 1, culminating in gift-giving and a feast of faith, called Karamu Ya Imani. It was created by Maulana Karenga and first celebrated in 1966.
January 2021
Poverty Awareness in America Month
January is Poverty Awareness Month, a month-long initiative to raise awareness and call attention to the growth of poverty in America in aspects such as education, health, food and housing.
January 6th: Epiphany (Día de los Reyes Magos)
Epiphany, also called Feast of the Epiphany, Día de los Reyes Magos, or Three Kings’ Day is a Christian holiday commemorating the first manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, represented by the Magi and the manifestation of his divinity, as it occurred at his baptism in the Jordan River and his first miracle, at Cana in Galilee. Epiphany is one of the three principal and oldest festival days in the Christian church.
January 18th: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated on the 3rd Monday in January to honor the great achievements of the clergyman, activist, and civil rights movement leader. For more information on the MLK Day of Celebration at Rowan, follow the link: https://rowandei.wordpress.com/2020/09/29/save-the-date-mlk-of-celebration-and-day-of-service/
January 25th: Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year, Chinese Chunjie, Vietnamese Tet, Korean Solnal, Tibetan Losar, also called Spring Festival, is a festival typically celebrated in China and other Asian countries that begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon of the lunar calendar, 15 days later. The lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, so the dates of the holiday vary slightly from year to year, beginning sometime between January 21 and February 20 according to Western calendars.
February 2021
Black History Month
Black History Month began in 1926 as a one-week celebration. This week of recognition was expanded to a month in 1976 and President Gerald R. Ford believed it was the opportune time for America’s people to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our [U.S.] history.”
February 1st: World Hijab Day
February 1st, 2013, marked the first annual World Hijab Day (WHD) in recognition of millions of Muslim women who choose to wear a hijab. Nazma Khan, a New York resident, started the movement as a means to foster religious tolerance and understanding by inviting women (non-Hijabi Muslims/non-Muslims) to experience the hijab for one day. By opening up new pathways to understanding, Nazma hopes to counteract some of the controversies surrounding why Muslim women choose to wear the hijab.
March 2021
March 1 – 31st: Women’s History Month
Women’s History Month is dedicated to the observance of women’s contribution to history, culture and society. Since 1995, U.S. presidents have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.” These proclamations celebrate the contributions women have made to the United States and recognize the specific achievements women have made over the course of American history in a variety of fields.
March 27th – April 4th: Passover (Pesach)
Passover (Pesach), celebrated by Jewish communities, commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. Pesach is observed by avoiding leaven and highlighted by the Seder meals that include four cups of wine, eating matzah and bitter herbs, and retelling the story of the Exodus. n Hebrew it is known as Pesach (which means “to pass over”) because God passed over the Jewish homes when killing the Egyptian firstborn on the very first Passover eve.
April 2021
Arab American Heritage Month
Arab American Heritage Month marks a time to reflect on the contributions Arab Americans have made to the U.S. and the diverse group of people who make up the nation’s Middle Eastern population.
April 12th: Beginning of Ramadan
Ramadan is a holy month of fasting, introspection and prayer for Muslims, the followers of Islam. It is celebrated as the month during which Muhammad received the initial revelations of the Quran, the holy book for Muslims. Each day during Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset.
May 2021
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Beginning May 1979, Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Month works to recognize Asians and Pacific Islanders within the United States. Asian/Pacific is an umbrella term that includes all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, and Easter Island).
Jewish – American Heritage Month
The National recognition of April as Jewish – American Heritage Month came from efforts of Jewish community leaders to recognize the 350+ year history of Jewish contributions to American culture.
May 13th: Edi al-Fitr (End of Ramadan)
Eid al-Fitr also called the “Festival of Breaking the Fast”, is a religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan.
June 2021
Pride Month
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer/questioning, and diverse identities/sexualities pride month (LGBTQ+Pride Month) is celebrated in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Riots. The Stonewall riots were a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that LGBTQ+ individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally.
National Caribbean American Heritage Month
The U.S. issued an annual proclamation recognizing June as Caribbean-American Heritage Month, recognizing the significance of Caribbean people and their descendants in the history and culture of the United States.
June 19th: Juneteenth
Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved peoples of African descent in the U.S. It is celebrated on June 19 (the name is a combination of the words “June” and “nineteenth”) because on that date in 1865, Major General Gordon Granger of the Union Army landed in Galveston, Texas, and informed enslaved people that the Civil War had ended and slavery had been abolished.
September 2021
Hispanic Heritage Month
The month of September, and part of October, is a time to celebrate Hispanic culture. This time of year is significant because the Latin American countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua all received their independence on September 15th. Additionally, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16th and September 18th.
October 2021
LGBT History Month
LGBT History Month celebrates the achievements of 31 lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals throughout history. In 1994, Rodney Wilson, a Missouri high school teacher, believed a month should be dedicated to the celebration and teaching of gay and lesbian history, and gathered other teachers and community leaders. They selected October because public schools are in session and existing traditions, such as Coming Out Day (October 11), occur during October.
Disability Awareness Month
National Disability Awareness Month is a national campaign held in October that raises awareness about employment issues for disabled people and celebrates the many and varied contributions of American people with disabilities.
November 2021
National Native American Heritage Month
November is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native and indigenous people. This month is also an opportune time to educate the general public about tribes, and to raise awareness about the colonialism, discrimination, and marginalization Native and Indigenous peoples have faced both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges.
November 4th: Diwali
Diwali is a festival of lights and one of the major festivals celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs. The festival usually lasts five days and is celebrated during the Hindu lunisolar month Kartik.