International Holocaust

Remembrance Day

International Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Yom Hashoah, is commemorated on the 27th day of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar, which falls in late April or early May.  This year, it occurs on April 28th.  This day is part of a week-long remembrance of the Holocaust.  It’s a separate day from Holocaust Memorial Day, which took place in January.  Yom Hashoah is specifically a day for the Jewish community to reflect on what was done to their people.

The word genocide was created to describe the Holocaust.

From the U.S. Holocaust Museum:

"The Holocaust (1933–1945) was the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million European Jews by the Nazi German regime and its allies and collaborators. The Holocaust is also sometimes referred to as “the Shoah,” the Hebrew word for “catastrophe.”
The Nazis targeted Jews because the Nazis were radically antisemitic. This means that they were prejudiced against and hated Jews. In fact, antisemitism was a basic tenet of their ideology and at the foundation of their worldview.

The Nazis falsely accused Jews of causing Germany’s social, economic, political, and cultural problems.

The Nazis believed that the world was divided into distinct races and that some of these races were superior to others.”

It is important that we remember the Holocaust so that we don’t forget the human capacity for cruelty to one another.  As we look at how the Nazis dehumanized an entire group of people by using the social construct of race to stigmatize them, we can reflect on how those divisions are still used throughout the world today in the treatment of black and brown people, and ethnic minorities.  

We also remember how silence, both from the average German citizen, and from religious institutions and governments globally, allowed this tragedy to unfold.  It reminds us how we need to take an active role in speaking out and acting against injustices that we see in our times.

 An estimated 43 genocides have occurred since the Holocaust.

 For a moving video on the Holocaust, please click on the link below.  Note: This video is marked as age-restricted by YouTube:

US Holocaust Memorial Museum: Why We Remember the Holocaust

National Day of Silence - April 22, 2022

Since April 8th, 1996, the recurring holiday, “National Day of Silence'' has been a significant and fast-growing movement throughout our country’s youth. National Day of Silence is a student-led movement established to protest and raise awareness of the bullying and harassment (in any form) of the members of the LGBTQ+ community within school systems.  In the last several years, 10,000 participants registered to support victims from destructive communities each year. Their efforts are represented in a day-long vow of silence. It’s found that the day-long voice restriction comes to an end during a “Breaking the Silence” rally or community discussion about a particular thought-out theme. The recognized date for this movement is typically held on the second Friday of April. This year, it falls on April 22nd. Each year, the community uses the symbolic undertaking as an awakening of how students from the LGBTQ+ community were silenced over the years. 

Website: https://www.glsen.org/ 

Day of Silence page: https://www.glsen.org/day-of-silence 

A silent protest by the GSA members of Anne Arundel Community College. https://www.thecampuscurrent.com/7348/clubs-news/day-of-silence/ 

What is Ramadan?

Every year, Muslims celebrate Ramadan.  Ramadan is based on a lunar calendar so, unlike our monthly calendar, it occurs at different times each year.  This year, it begins at sunset on April 2 and ends on May 2.  

Here is some information regarding Ramadan and the Islamic religion:

Islam is one of the 3 Abrahamic (coming from Abraham) religions, the other two being Judaism and Christianity.  The people who practice the Islamic religion are called Muslims.  It is the second largest religion in the world and the fastest growing.  

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. Fasting is one of the five fundamental principles of Islam. Each day during Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink from dawn to sunset. They are also supposed to avoid impure thoughts and bad behavior. 

Muslims break their daily fasts by sharing meals with family and friends, and the end of Ramadan is celebrated with a three-day festival known as Eid al-Fitr, one of Islam’s major holidays.  It is meant to be a time of spiritual discipline — of deep contemplation of one's relationship with God, extra prayer, increased charity and generosity, and intense study of the Quran.  Fasting reminds Muslims of our human frailty, to show you how it feels to be hungry and thirsty so you feel a duty to help the poor and needy and to force them to focus on their relationship with God. While it is a serious time, it also is a time of joy and celebration, spent with family and friends.  Please check out this Ramadan Information Sheet if you’d like to learn more.

You can greet Muslims during Ramadan by saying “Ramadan Mubarak”, which means “blessed Ramadan” or “Ramadan Kareem”, which means “have a generous Ramadan”.

Resources for children

March 2022

This month we celebrate Women and the Hindu Holi Festival

For children's resources, scroll down.

International Women's Day - March 8th

“I raise up my voice—not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. … We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.”

- Malala Yousafzai

International Women’s Day is held annually on March 8 and celebrates women's achievements and is intended to raise awareness against bias and to take action for equality.  It was started in Europe in 1911 and has spread globally.  This year, organizers are asking people to “imagine a world free of bias” and are using a symbolic pose to inspire that vision.  There are many resources available for you to help educate and advocate for these changes.

An example of gender bias throughout the world is the gender pay gap.  A white woman in the USA, with the same education and job as a white male, needs to work until March 24 of the following year, in order to earn the same annual salary.  For mothers, this increases to May 5, for black women, August 3, for indigenous women, September 8 and for Latinas, October 21.

One way that we can advocate for equality is to contact politicians at the state and federal level to implement laws that require equal pay for equal work.

Holi, The Festival of Colors - March 17th

Resources for children

February 2022

This month we highlight Black History and selected Global Holidays. 

For children's resources on Black History, scroll down.

Black History Month

Black History Month was established in 1976 by President Ford.  Its origins trace back to what today is known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), who, in 1926, established a Negro History week on the second week of February, to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

The ASALH establishes a theme for each year’s history month.  This year’s theme is “Black Health and Wellness”  For more information, go to ASALH 2022 Black History Theme Resources.

This month, there are many black history documentaries that you can find on cable and streaming services.  One documentary of note is PBS’ Fannie Lou Hamer: Stand Up.  Fannie Lou Hamer, the daughter of sharecroppers, attempted to integrate the all-white delegates to the Democratic Convention in 1964.  Her eloquent speech before the credentials committee was considered controversial by President Johnson, so he scheduled a press conference to be held while she spoke, ensuring that here words were not heard nationally.  They can be heard here; Testimony Before the Credentials Committee, Democratic National Convention.  Her tombstone contains her famous quote, “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

Global Holidays

Lunar New Year

February 1^st was this year’s celebration of the Lunar New Year.  This holiday is celebrated in China and other Asian countries.  We celebrate the new year by making resolutions of how we want to live during the new year.  A similar take on this is done in Vietnam, where the Lunar New Year is marked by 7 days of people trying to live into how they want the new year to go.  People try not to quarrel, children try to behave, families try to reconcile arguments, etc.  Another Vietnamese tradition is that little cleaning is done during this time period, so as not to wash away good luck for the new year. 

For more on these traditions, go to Vietnamese New Year | Tet Nguyen Dan

World Day of Social Justice

February 20 is the World Day of Social Justice.  This day was established by the U.N. in 2008 as a day to reflect on guaranteeing fair outcomes for all through employment, social protection, social dialogue, and fundamental principles and rights at work.  This year’s theme is “A Call for Social Justice in the Digital Economy”, which underlines the increasing gap between rich and poor in the global digital economy.  The pandemic has highlighted some of these discrepancies as we saw how access to technology allowed some to work and/or be educated from home while leaving others behind.

Resources for children to use during

 Black History Month

Songs:	Books:	Corresponding read alouds:
Sesame Street: Explaining Race		Diversity All the Colors We Are
Sesame Street: How to be an Upstander to Racism Song		Speaking up One
Sesame Street “What I am” song		Empathy The Day You Begin - beautiful read ]aloud by the author Jaqueline Woodseon
Sesame Street “What I am” song - with American Sign language   Sesame Street “I love my hair” song		Families Hair Love read aloud Hair Love - Oscar winning short
Sesame Street: Singing about friendship with Erykah Badu		Families Last Stop On Market Street
Sesame Street “I love being me” song		Joy/Excellence I Am Every Good Thing
Sesame Street “Colors of Me” Song   Sesame Street “Beautiful Skin” song		Acceptance/Diversity The Skin You Live In - Read by author Michael Tyler
Sesame Street: Lupita Nyong’o loves her skin		Diversity Sulwe - beautiful read aloud by Lupita Nyong’o
Sesame Street: Kelsea Ballerini Sings a Song About Families		LGBTQ+/Families My Rainbow
Sesame Street: F is for Family   Sesame Street: Family Day		LGBTQ+/Families And Tango makes Three
		Community/Representation Milo’s Museum   Milo’s Museum drawing page
		Parker Looks Up   Parker Curry - photo of Parker looking at actual portrait in museum   Vocab extension for “inspire”   Drawing Page
Olympic Medalist Ibtihaj Muhammed		The Proudest Blue
Sesame Street: Listen, Act, Unite		Malala’s Magic Pencil

July 4th - Independence Day

History of July 4th (History Channel)

Independence Day and Immigration (Global Citizen)

Excerpts from Global Citizen:

There are a lot of myths that depict immigrants as a monolithic group that threaten the American way of life.

Myth 1: Immigrants increase crime.

As more immigrants arrive in a city in the US, violent crime goes down.

Myth 2: Immigrants steal jobs.

Research has shown that immigrants do not take jobs from US citizens and do not exert negative pressure on overall wages. Instead, they expand the US economy.

Myth 3: Undocumented immigrants drain government programs

Undocumented immigrants generally pay taxes and are forbidden from accessing most welfare programs. They are, however, allowed to go to emergency rooms (and pay for the services), send their children to public schools, and single mothers are allowed to collect food stamps because their unborn babies are considered US citizens.

Other Resources:

Celebrating Immigration on the 4th of July (Jstor Daily)

Books that All Global Citizens Should Read (Global Citizen)

June is

African-American Music Appreciation Month

African-American Music Appreciation Month is the annual celebration of African-American music in the United States. It was initiated as Black Music Month by President Jimmy Carter who, on June 7, 1979, decreed that June would be the month of black music.

In 2009, President Barack Obama further defined June as African American Music Appreciation month declaring the start of summer as a celebration of all the black “musicians, composers, singers and songwriters [who] have had enormous contributions to our culture.”  In his 2016 proclamation, President Obama noted that African-American music and musicians have helped the country “to dance, to express our faith through song, to march against injustice, and to defend our country’s enduring promise of freedom and opportunity for all.”  Derived from https://dstbx.org/african-american-music-appreciation-month/

History

First came the Blues, rooted in African spirituals and work songs from the time of slavery. Then ragtime brought recognition to musicians like Scott Joplin. The rise of jazz in the 1920s helped bridge racial gaps as an art form enjoyed by people of all origins.

The beats and sounds of these genres then influenced rock, soul, gospel, swing, be-bop, boogie-woogie, and so many more! Many famous rock artists, including the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, credit the Blues and jazz as major influences. Several of Elvis Presley’s songs were originally by Black artists. In more recent decades, funk, motown, and hip-hop gained popularity, bringing with them new styles of dance and song.  Derived from https://www.hoffmanacademy.com/blog/african-american-music-appreciation-month/

What music genres came from black culture?

negro spiritual, gospel, rumba, blues, bomba, rock and roll, rock, jazz, salsa, R&B, samba, calypso, soul, cumbia, funk, ska, reggae, dub reggae, house, Detroit techno, hip hop, pop, gqom, afrobeat, and others.

Other Resources

https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/celebrating-black-music-month

The Birth of Black Music Month https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j66ENeM1_Y

Black Music Month; Music Mix https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkYKFYTPSpg

June is

PRIDE Month

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month (LGBT Pride Month) is celebrated annually in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots, and works to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) Americans. In June of 1969, patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in New York City staged an uprising to resist the police harassment and persecution to which LGBT Americans were commonly subjected. This uprising marks the beginning of a movement to outlaw discriminatory laws and practices against LGBT Americans.

Today, celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts, and LGBT Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world. Memorials are held during this month for those members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that LGBTQ individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally.

Federal and local policies and practices are increasingly acknowledging and focusing on LGBTQ youth and numerous national advocacy and other organizations are also giving greater attention to LGBTQ youth in their work.  Encouraging greater acceptance and support for all youth, including those who are or are perceived to be LGBTQ, will make communities, schools, and other settings safer, better places for all youth.  (youth.gov)

Resources

Proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Pride  Month, 2021

Stonewall Foundation

Trevor Project

PFLAG

GLSEN

Elton John AIDs Foundation

MINUS18

Obama: Supreme Court Same-Sex Marriage Ruling 'A Victory for America'

Children's Resources (Website and Books)

5 Everyday Ways To Teach Your Kid To Be A Proud LGBTQ Ally

Rainbow - A First Book of Pride

Our Rainbow

Julian is a Mermaid

Jack, Not Jackie

My Princess Boy

My Rainbow

Jacob's New Dress

A Fire Engine for Ruthie

And Tango Makes Three

Love Makes a Family

Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag

Influential Members of the LGBTQ+ Community

Marsha P. Johnson

Megan Rapinol

Anderson Cooper

Elton John

Lady Gaga

Harvey Milk

Michael Sam

Jazz Jennings

Keith Haring

 

 Jewish American Heritage Month

Local History

In 1891, Baron Hirsch supported the settlement of Jewish farmers in CT.   Many of the 5000 families settled in Eastern CT (Ellington, Somers, Vernon etc.).  To read more about this click here.

In 1913, the Congregation Knesseth Israel synagogue was built and was originally located at the corner of Middle Road and Abbott Rd.  In 1954, the building was moved to its current location on Pinney St.   The building is on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The Jewish Community of Ellington, CT

The Cohen Family

Connecticut's Jewish Farmer

More resources

Judaism  

Jewish Customs and Traditions

Jewish Holidays and Celebrations

Jewish American Heritage Month

National Museum of American Jewish History

White House Proclamation on Jewish American Heritage Month (2021)

Being Jewish in the United States

Books for Children

Fighting Antisemitism and Hate

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Resources

Asian Pacific Heritage Month

What I hear when you say What Are You?

Eleven Artists on What it Means to Be Asian American

Celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month

White House Proclamation on Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month (2021)

Unsung Heroes: A Symposium on the Heroism of Asian Pacific Americans During World War II Part 1  Part 2

Books