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LGBT History Month (Oct.) and National Coming Out Day (Oct. 11)
October is LGBT History Month. This annual observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer history and related civil rights movements recognizes the people who have advanced gender and sexual minority rights throughout time. The observance began in 1994 with Missouri high school teacher Rodney Wilson. He chose October because school would be in session…
Read MoreNational Disability Employment Awareness Month (Oct.)
October marks National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which honors workers with disabilities and their contributions to our workplaces and economy. This year’s theme, “Access to Good Jobs for All,” highlights the need to ensure that people living with disabilities are supported in access to meaningful employment. If you work at WHOI and have a short-…
Read MoreInternational Day of Peace (Sep. 21)
“…[S]ince wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed.” Thus begins the Constitution of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This concept—that a culture of peace needs to be cultivated in children and communities through education—is reflected in…
Read MoreNational Hispanic Heritage Month (Sep. 15 – Oct. 15)
September 15 kicks off National Hispanic Heritage Month, an annual celebration of the history and culture of Hispanic and Latino communities in the U.S. Its timing coincides with the Independence Day celebrations of several Latin American nations: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua (Sept. 15, 1821; from Spain); Mexico (Sept. 16, 1810; from…
Read MoreWorld Suicide Prevention Day (Sep. 10)
Suicide is a major public health challenge with complex social, emotional, and economic causes and effects. This year for World Suicide Prevention Day, the World Health Organization is calling on people to “Start the Conversation” with the goal of “Changing the Narrative on Suicide”—raising awareness, reducing stigma, and encouraging open dialog to prevent suicides. If…
Read MoreLabor Day (Sep. 2)
Labor Day has its origins in the late 1800s, when many Americans—including children—worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, often in brutal and dangerous conditions. On September 5, 1882, an estimated 10,000 workers in New York marched in protest, calling for “Less Work and More Pay,” including an eight-hour workday and a ban…
Read MoreWomen’s Equality Day (Aug. 25)
Women’s Equality Day commemorates the adoption of the 19th Amendment in the U.S., granting women the right to vote and sparking conversations on the ongoing fight for gender equality globally. In the ocean sciences, women in the U.S. earn more than half of all doctorates and fill a growing number of early-career positions. Yet substantial…
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