MAY
 The DEI theme of the month is:
Inclusion
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Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Cinco de Mayo, which is Spanish for “Fifth of May” is also called the Anniversary of the Battle of Puebla. This holiday is celebrated in parts of Mexico and the United States in honor of a military victory in 1862 over the French forces of Napoleon III.
Asian Pacific-American Heritage Month
May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. A rather broad term, Asian/Pacific encompasses 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).
The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.
Why Do We Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month?
(from History.com)
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have contributed significantly to many facets of American culture and society, including science and medicine, literature and art, sports and recreation, government and politics, and activism and law. In 2021,Kamala Harris became the first Asian American Vice President of the United States. In film history, AAPI people, stories, and traditions have become more visible with South Korean director Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite winning the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2019 and the release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in 2021, debuting Marvel’s first Asian superhero.
AAPI people have a long history in the United States. According to the Bering Land Bridge Theory, Asians first migrated to what is now known as North America over 15,000 years ago through a land bridge between Asia and North America. In the 16th century, Filipinos who were escaping forced labor and enslavement during the Spanish galleon trade immigrated to North America, eventually establishing a settlement in St. Malo, Louisiana in 1763. During the California Gold Rush of the 1850s, a wave of Asian immigrants came to the West Coast and provided labor for gold mines, factories and the transcontinental railroad. In 1882, Congress enacted the Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned Chinese immigration for 20 years.
Japanese and Koreans began immigrating to the United States by 1885 to replace Chinese labor in railroad construction, farming and fishing. However, in 1907, Japanese immigration was restricted by a “Gentlemen’s Agreement” between the United States and Japan. The civil rights movement assisted the liberalization of immigration laws. The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act changed restrictive national origin quotas and allowed for the large numbers of Asians and Pacific Islanders to come to the United States with their families. In the mid-1970s, refugees from Southeast Asia like Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos came to the United States to flee war, violence, and hardship.
Today, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are the fastest growing racial group in the United States. AAPI Heritage Month celebrates the unique journey of all AAPI immigrants and citizens in the United States and their unique life experiences, traditions and cultures.
Speech and Hearing Awareness Month
In May we seek to increase awareness about communication disorders and hearing health and to encourage people to be aware of any difficulties in their own hearing and speech.
Throughout history, speech and language impairments were not treated with kindness and understanding. Shocking as it sounds, during the period of the Roman Empire, people with language impairments like stuttering were placed in cages for entertainment purposes. Passing citizens would throw coins into the cage to get these people to talk.
It was only much later that speech-language pathology became a respected profession and people were able to start seeking treatment for such disorders without facing stigma.
94 years ago, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) founded the Better Speech and Hearing Month, to promote understanding about speech and hearing disorders, to prevent hearing loss, and encourage people to seek treatment for hearing and speech-related issues.
This is an occasion for us to celebrate connections among all members of our family. It is also an opportunity to reflect on how they are affected by social and economic trends, and what we can do to strengthen our families in response.
The family is the basic and most important institution of society. A nation is built on the family system. Its major role is to train and mold the characters. It is the place where we receive our first education and where values and other traits are learned. It is, therefore, our responsibility to develop the right attitudes towards our families, because a family in harmony will prosper in everything.
World Day for Cultural Diversity
The World Day for Cultural Diversity is a UN sanctioned holiday on May 21, for the promotion of diversity issues. It is an opportunity to help communities understand the value of cultural diversity and learn how to live together in harmony.
Haitian Heritage Month
May is a month to celebrate the proud history and people of Haiti.
Haiti is the world’s second oldest republic in the Western Hemisphere, and it was the first nation to permanently ban slavery. Haiti was an example and beacon of freedom for its neighbors in the Americas and especially those enslaved in the U.S. antebellum South, including Frederick Douglass.
Shavuot (May 25-27)
Shavuot, the feast of weeks, is celebrated seven weeks after the second Passover seder. Shavuot began as an ancient grain harvest festival. It is celebrated by reading the Ten Commandments, eating special meals (dairy foods are customary), and no work may be performed.
Africa Day (May 25)
Africa Day celebrates Africa’s independence, freedom and liberation from colonial imperialists. It celebrates the determined efforts for unity among the African people, and socioeconomic freedom from foreign dominion and exploitation.
Jewish American Heritage Month
Jews first arrived on American soil back in 1654 in New Amsterdam. In search of better opportunities and lifestyles, they made the U.S. their new home base, finding in it a space where they could openly practice their faith and lead their lives freely without the fear of persecution.
From contributing important scientific discoveries to raising the flag for the abused and neglected, Jewish people have had a huge role to play in where America stands today on the world stage. The more than 350-year history has given us names like Albert Einstein and Ruth Bader Ginsburg — both of whom fought through hard times to emerge victoriously.
