In 2001, the United Nations declared March 21st to be the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action adopted at the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance on 8 September 2001, underlines the key role that political leaders and political parties can and ought to play in combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
At the World Conference and subsequent Review Conference, States also recognized that promoting greater respect and trust among different groups within society must be a shared but differentiated responsibility of government institutions, political leaders, grassroots organizations and citizens.
Learn more at the United Nations website.
Mar 27 is International Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Day. SEL changes lives—studies show that SEL improves well-being and academic outcomes, builds positive school climate, and provides children with the necessary skills to excel in today’s workforce. Learn more at https://casel.org/ & https://selday.org/
In July of 1930, in Lemon Grove, California, members of the school board addressed concerns of overcrowding and “sanitary and moral” issues resulting from the mingling of Mexican and Anglo students by sending the students of Mexican descent to a separate school. The parents of these children, most of whom were US citizens, had not been informed of this change. As soon as they became aware, they refused to comply, and sought redress in law.
On March 30, 1931, the case (Alvarez v. the Board of Trustees of the Lemon Grove School District) was decided in favor of the plaintiffs, ending the attempt at segregation. The arguments and issues introduced in the case would surface again, most notably in the Mendez vs Westminster case in 1943.
(Pictured to the Left) Lemon Grove Grammar School, c. 1928. Robert Alvarez, plaintiff in “The Lemon Grove Incident,” is in the third row at far left.
Cesar Chavez Day is a federal commemorative holiday in the U.S. by proclamation of President Obama in 2014. César Chávez Day is observed on March 31 each year. It celebrates the birthday of César Estrada Chávez and it serves as a tribute to his commitment to social justice and respect for human dignity. It is an official state holiday in six states: Arizona, California, Michigan, New Mexico, Utah, and Wisconsin.
April 4, 1968: Civil Rights icon, Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated on the balcony of his hotel room in Memphis, Tennessee. James Earl Ray is convicted of the murder in 1969
OC Human Relations invites you to join us for our 2023 Dialogue Series. The annual observance of the “National Day of Racial Healing” was created with and builds on the work and learnings of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. You’re invited to join us for a series of conversations to further racial healing in your community.
The first of our dialogue series began January 17, 2023 – the National Day of Racial Healing. There will be two dialogues per month (on the same focused topic) during February, March, April & May.
The April dialogue highlights the experiences of Latinx communities. The April 6 event is the first part of the dialogue, the 2nd will be held on April 13. While it’s recommended you attend both, it is not mandatory.
Click here to learn more.
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 became law on April 9, 1866. President Andrew Jackson, a Democrat, attempted to veto the bill, but it was overruled by the Republican controlled Congress. The act granted citizenship and the same rights enjoyed by white citizens to all male persons in the United States “without distinction of race or color, or previous condition of slavery or involuntary servitude.” Its transformational legacy would surface over the course of 150 years, a period marked by entrenched resistance as well as heroic support. However, the activities of organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan undermined the workings of this act and it failed to guarantee the civil rights of African-Americans.
April 11, 1968: President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Fair Housing Act, providing equal housing opportunity regardless of race, religion or national origin.
OC Human Relations invites you to join us for our 2023 Dialogue Series. The annual observance of the “National Day of Racial Healing” was created with and builds on the work and learnings of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. You’re invited to join us for a series of conversations to further racial healing in your community.
The first of our dialogue series began January 17, 2023 – the National Day of Racial Healing. There will be two dialogues per month (on the same focused topic) during February, March, April & May.
The April dialogues highlight the experiences of Latinx communities. The first part was held on April 6, this, the 2nd part, will be held on April 13. While it’s recommended you attend both, it is not mandatory.
Click here to learn more.
National volunteer week, usually held in the third week of April unless the spring religious holidays coincide, has been celebrated annually since the 1970s. President Richard Nixon established National Volunteer Week with an executive order in 1974, as a way to recognize and celebrate the efforts of volunteers. Every sitting U.S. president since Nixon has issued a proclamation during National Volunteer Week
National Volunteer Week is about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities. It’s about demonstrating to the nation that by working together, we have the fortitude to meet our challenges and accomplish our goals.
National Volunteer Week is about taking action and encouraging individuals and their respective communities to be at the center of social change – discovering and actively demonstrating their collective power to make a difference.
National Volunteer Week, a program of Points of Light, was established in 1974 and has grown exponentially each year, with thousands of volunteer projects and special events scheduled throughout the week.
Learn more about National Volunteer Week
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).
Like most commemorative months, Asian-Pacific Heritage Month originated in a congressional bill. In June 1977, Reps. Frank Horton of New York and Norman Y. Mineta of California introduced a House resolution that called upon the president to proclaim the first ten days of May as Asian-Pacific Heritage Week. The following month, senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga introduced a similar bill in the Senate. Both were passed. On October 5, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed a Joint Resolution designating the annual celebration. Twelve years later, President George H.W. Bush signed an extension making the week-long celebration into a month-long celebration. In 1992, the official designation of May as Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month was signed into law.
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.
Learn more about Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Mental Health Awareness Month (also referred to as “Mental Health Month”) has been observed in May in the United States since 1949, reaching millions of people in the United States through the media, local events, and screenings. During the 1960’s, this annual, weekly campaign was upgraded to a monthly one with May the designated month.
Mental Health Awareness month has a goal of building public recognition about the importance of mental health to overall health and wellness; informing people of the ways that the mind and body interact with each other; and providing tips and tools for taking positive actions to protect mental health and promote whole health.
Learn more about Mental Health Awareness Month
