In the United States, there are a number of celebrations held each month to acknowledge various historic events and figures from ethnic and marginalized groups. These celebrations serve as an opportunity to educate others on the contributions of various individuals and communities to U.S. History. At Cornell, we've created this page to recognize some of the events that are celebrated with resources and information on how to celebrate each month.
History
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a federal holiday that takes place on the third Monday of each January. This day was established in honor of Baptist minister and social justice activist Dr. Marin Luther King Jr. who was assassinated in 1968. King was the first modern private citizen to be honored with a federal holiday and his legacy continues to inspire millions of people around the world.
Resources
- Teaching Tolerance, The Best of Our Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Resources
- AmeriCorps, MLK Day of Service Events and Activities
- Time, A Brief History of Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Boston University, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Weekend Reading List for Older Children, Younger Children, and Adults
Upcoming Events
- Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC), Dr. MLK, Jr., with Annual Event (Virtual) on Saturday, January 16th, 9am (Registration Required)
Zoom Background*
Right click on the image above to save and add it as a background for your Zoom meetings! Need help? Click here to learn how to add this image as your Zoom background.
* If your image appears backwards, be sure to uncheck "Mirror my video" at the bottom of your Backgrounds & Filters window within Settings.
History
Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history.
Since 1976, every American president has designated February as Black History Month and endorsed a specific theme.
The Black History Month 2021 theme, “Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity” explores the African diaspora, and the spread of Black families across the United States.
[Source: History.com]
Cornell Resources
- Black History Month Archives from Cornell University Press
- Inclusive Excellence Podcast, Blackness at Cornell special series
- Black History Month Spotlight from the Cornell's Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX
- Recorded Seminar- Cornell and Black History: Highlights from Cornell University Library's Rare and Distinctive Collections
- Black History Month from The History Center in Tompkins County
Additional Resources
- African American History Month Resources from the Library of Congress
- Blackpast.org, a reference center dedicated to providing information to the general public on African American history and the history of more than one billion people of African ancestry around the world
- Gallup Center on Black Voices, Gallup's independent research that reveals the trends and insights on the experiences of Black Americans.
- NPR, Celebrate Black History Month at Tiny Desk
- Teaching Tolerance, Black History Month- Go beyond trauma and struggle to examine the liberation, civic engagement, creativity and intersecting identities of Black people during Black History Month
- The New York Times, Honor and Learn This Black History Month
Upcoming Events
- February 1- 28: Join Cornell Wellness throughout the month of February as they celebrate the culture and traditions of our African-American brothers and sisters. Register to get emails with interviews of the day sent directly to you and to receive trivia questions that relate to persons who have had positive impacts on Black History with links to detailed bios of that individual. Please feel free to visit the Celebration of Black History Month webpage to view all content released.
- Tuesday, February 2 from 7:00-8:30 PM: The National Museum of African American History and Culture presents Historically Speaking: 400 Souls—A Conversation with Ibram Kendi and Keisha N. Blain
- Tuesday, February 2 from 7:00-9:15 PM: The National Museum of African American History and Culture presents A Seat at the Table: Prison Reform and Restorative Justice
- Thursday, February 4th from 11 AM- 12 PM: Columbia University Irving Medical Center presents Mental Health, Racism, and Trauma with Dr. Dana Crawford
- Tuesday, February 23 from 7:00-8:00 PM: The National Museum of African American History and Culture presents Historically Speaking: The Economic Impact Of COVID-19 On The African American Community
- Wednesday, February 24 from 7:00-8:30 PM: Cornell University’s College of Arts & Sciences presents Racism in America: Protest Movements and Civil Disobedience as part of their year-long webinar series, "Racism in America"
- Friday, February 26 from 3:30-5:00 PM: Cornell University Library presents "Any librarian…Any study? : Conversations on Being Black and a Librarian at Cornell University Library, Past Present, and Future." Register for this event today!
- Monday, March 1 at 7:00 PM: Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Event- A virtual conversation featuring Ijeoma Oluo. Join them in a conversation with Ijeoma Oluo as they explore racism in the U.S. and consider how to engage in productive anti-racist action. For more information and to register for this event, visit https://scl.cornell.edu/MLKLecture
- Thursday, March 4 at 1:00 PM: eCornell will be hosting special guest Jeremy Stewart from Cornell Wellness in an informal Celebration Conversation about his Black History Month project. They will discuss takeaways from his series of interviews with Cornell staff. Register today!
Zoom Background*
Right click on the image above or below to save and add it as a background for your Zoom meetings! Need help? Click here to learn how to add this image as your Zoom background.
The image below includes the following individuals starting from left to right, top row: Toni Morrison, President Barack Obama, Madam C.J. Walker, Malcom X, Harriet Tubman, James Baldwin, Ida B. Wells, Muhammad Ali, and Nina Simone.
Left to right, bottom row: Representative John Lewis, Beyoncé, Spike Lee, Oprah Winfrey, Frederick Douglass, Shirley Chisholm, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Maya Angelou, and Nelson Mandela.
* If your image appears backwards, be sure to uncheck "Mirror my video" at the bottom of your Backgrounds & Filters window within Settings.
History
Women’s History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28 which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week.” Throughout the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as “Women’s History Week.” In 1987 after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9 which designated the month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month.” Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month. Since 1995, presidents have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.” These proclamations celebrate the contributions women have made to the United States and recognize the specific achievements women have made over the course of American history in a variety of fields.
[Source: Women's History Month.gov]
Cornell Resources
- Women's History Month: Images from an immigrant woman's life in the early 1900s from Cornell University Press
- Celebrating Women's History Month with the College of Veterinary Medicine
- Learn more about the Women's Resource Center on the Ithaca campus
Additional Resources
- Women's History Month: Recognizing Ithaca's Own by Ithaca Community
- The History Center in Tompkins County has a number of resources for Women's History Month
- Learn more about the Women's Rights National Park in Seneca Falls, New York
- A Proclamation on Women's History Month from The White House
- What to Watch: Women's History Month by PBS
- Black Women in History by PBS
- 6 Women with Disabilities Who Made History by sheknows
- 5 Powerful and Influential Native American Women by Biography
- 5 Native Women Leaders Who Made History by Teen Vogue
- 10 Inspiring Latinas Who've Made History by Google Arts and Culture
- 5 Influential African Women in History by Demand Africa
- Celebrating Asian American Women by National Women's History Museum
- 4 Asian American Women Who Changed History by Teen Vogue
-
this women's history month, celebrate queer womxn who revolutionized nonviolence by GLAAD and Amp
Upcoming Events
- Monday, March 8 from 7:00-8:30 PM: Join the National Women's History Museum for a special two-part screening of And She Could Be Next, POV’s first broadcast miniseries, in honor of International Women's Day, March 8th. And She Could Be Next tells the story of a defiant group of women of color—candidates and organizers—who are transforming politics from the ground up. Register for part one by clicking here.
- Monday, March 15 from 7:00-8:30 PM: Join the National Women's History Museum for a special two-part screening of And She Could Be Next, POV’s first broadcast miniseries, in honor of International Women's Day, March 8th. And She Could Be Next tells the story of a defiant group of women of color—candidates and organizers—who are transforming politics from the ground up. Register for part two by clicking here.
- Monday, March 24 from 12:00-1:00 PM: Join the National Women's History Museum and illustrator Marissa Valdez for a very special Brave Girls Virtual Storytime reading of author Meena Harris' Ambitious Girl. Written by author Meena Harris (Vice President Kamala Harris' niece) and illustrated by Marissa Valdez, Ambitious Girl tells the story of discovery through past, present, and future about the challenges faced by women and girls and the ways in which they can reframe, redefine, and reclaim words meant to knock them down. Registration is required.
- For events based in NYC, please visit NYC Parks and Gotham To Go's Art and Culture page. Most events are virtual and free to attend.
Zoom Background*
Right click on the image above to save and add it as a background for your Zoom meetings! Need help? Click here to learn how to add this image as your Zoom background.
* If your image appears backwards, be sure to uncheck "Mirror my video" at the bottom of your Backgrounds & Filters window within Settings.
History
César Chávez was born on March 31st 1927, in Yuma, Arizona. His family had moved to Northern California to work as migrant farm workers after losing their land in the great depression.
He served in the US navy for two years at the end of the Second World War, returning to work on farms until 1952, when he became involved with the Community Service Organization, a Latino civil rights group, rising to become its national director by 1958.
In 1962, Chávez became a cofounder of the National Farm Workers' Association (now the United Farm Workers). In this new role, he became the best known Latino American civil rights activist. Leading the struggle for better rights for farm workers, his aggressive but nonviolent tactics made the farm workers' struggle a moral cause with wide support. His also gained national awareness as he went on several hunger strikes to highlight his campaigns.
Chávez died on April 23rd 1993 of unspecified natural causes, with some believing that his death may have been caused in part by his hunger strikes.
César Chávez Day is always celebrated on his birthday, March 31st. President Barack Obama declared César Chávez Day a national holiday in 2014.
It is not a federal holiday, but is a state holiday in California. It is either an optional or commemorative day in nine other states - Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Rhode Island.
California, Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin observe César Chávez Day by closing schools and state offices.
[Source: Office Holidays.com]
Cornell Resources
- The Cornell Farmworker Program seeks recognition for farmworkers' contributions to society and their acceptance and full participation in local communities. Aquí puede encontrar el sitio web y recursos en Español.
- Program delivers masks, COVID-19 info to NY farmworkers by Cornell Chronicle
-
Cornell support for NY farmworkers wins national recognition by Cornell Chronicle
Resources
- Cesar Chavez: American Civil Rights Activist- Fast Facts by History
- Cesar Chavez- American Civil Rights Activist- Mini Bio by Biography
- Witness History, Cesar Chavez- Yes we can! by BBC Sounds
- Cesar Chavez: The Life Behind A Legacy Of Farm Labor Rights by NPR
- Finding Cesar Chavez--a transformational moment | Jose Calderon | TEDxClaremontColleges
Upcoming Events
- Thursday, March 25- Wednesday, March 31 is National Farmworker Awareness Week: A week of actions for students and community members to honor farmworkers' important contributions and to raise awareness about the issues they face. Student Action with Farmworkers (SAF) coordinates the week by providing training, support, and resources to partners across the country to organize actions on college campuses and in local communities.
Zoom Background*
Right click on the image above to save and add it as a background for your Zoom meetings! Need help? Click here to learn how to add this image as your Zoom background.
* If your image appears backwards, be sure to uncheck "Mirror my video" at the bottom of your Backgrounds & Filters window within Settings.
Coming Soon! April 1.
Coming Soon! May 1.
Coming Soon! June 1.
Coming Soon! June 1.
Coming Soon! June 1.
Coming Soon! July 1.
Coming Soon! August 1.
Coming Soon! September 1.
Coming Soon! October 1.
Coming Soon! October 1.
Coming Soon! November 1.
Coming Soon! November 1.
Coming Soon! December 1.