• Cultural Calendar
The Genesis and Importance of Black History Month

February is Black History Month, when we honor and recognize the vital and impactful achievements of African Americans and their central role in U.S. history.

Nearly 50 years later, Black History Month is an important opportunity for us as an Antiracist and inclusive organization to share and promote the histories, stories, and voices of the Black community so that they are honored, amplified, and uplifted as they deserve to be. As we do so, it is important that we continue to commit ourselves to working collectively to promote both the past accomplishments of African American and Black people, while we also positively impact racial equity in education going forward.

With this in mind, please keep in mind that while it is easy and all too common to focus on slavery, segregation and other forms of oppression during Black History Month, the celebration of the Black experience should include this historical trauma yet also go beyond it, to further encompass the areas of science, literature, art, music, business, politics, and more in which Black Americans have had such impact, in order to truly represent the scope of their accomplishments.
 
This February, let us celebrate those accomplishments while ensuring our focus on the ongoing integration of Black history and experiences throughout all curriculum. It has never been more important that we, as educators, continue to uplift every student and reinforce the vital place of Black history — not just this month, but every day of the year.

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National School Lunch Week Celebrates the Difference a Simple Lunch Can Make

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) serves nearly 30 million children every school day, providing the essential basic nutrition that contributes to student success and teacher support. President John F. Kennedy created National School Lunch Week (NSLW) in 1962 to promote the importance of a healthy school lunch in a child’s life, as well as the impact a simple school lunch can have both inside and outside the classroom.

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September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, offering an ideal opportunity to speak out and raise awareness on this vital topic — an awareness that is urgently required, with suicide the tenth leading cause of death among adults in the U.S. — and the second leading cause of death among children and young people aged 10–24. Unfortunately, these rates are increasing, and those who are young, LGBTQ, or BIPOC are especially vulnerable. LGBTQ youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide, while transgender adults, meanwhile, are almost 12 times more likely than the general population to attempt suicide.

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Memorializing the Horrors of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, on Slavery Remembrance Day

Created by UNESCO to memorialize the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade, Slavery Remembrance Day, also known as International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, is observed on August 23 worldwide. Upon this day, it's important that we remember that this observance is not only a reminder of the horrors of slavery as we honor its victims—it's also about our dedication across the globe to ensure that slavery, and the racism that caused it, is abolished once and for all.

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Promoting Indigenous Rights on the International Day of the World's Indigenous People

Commemorating the historic meeting of the first United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations in 1982, International Day of the World’s Indigenous People (August 9) provides us with the chance to promote the rights of Indigenous People worldwide, while also amplifying their voices, cultures, and accomplishments. In these days of increased concern over climate change, the knowledge and commitment of many indigenous peoples to sustainability and biodiversity may in fact prove crucial to protecting the earth for future generations.

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Looking to the Stars on Women Astronomers Day

Far too often, the history books seem to focus on the men who made the impacts, the men who made the achievements—and then men who looked to the stars. Yet throughout history, the eyes of women have focused on the stars as intensively as men, and to them belong many great achievements and discoveries as they played essential roles in a variety of scientific and astronomical breakthroughs.

Which is why, every August 1, we celebrate Women Astronomers Day.

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