Diversity Message

The month of April includes traditional holidays from many religious traditions which celebrate blessing, renewal and rebirth. These include Jewish Passover; many Christians' celebration of Easter; Vaisakhi, marking the Sikh New Year; Vesak, which is an observation of the birth and enlightenment of the historical Buddha; and Ridván, one of the two yearly festivals of the Bahá'í faith.

In the realm of advocacy, April marks a number of events created to increase awareness of child abuse (National Child Abuse Prevention Month), and sexual assault (National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month), with the featured message "I ASK."

In the area of international cooperation, National Pan American Day commemorates the First International Conference of American States which concluded on April 14, 1890.

Inspired by the idea of a "Panamerica," United Sates Secretary of State James G. Blane first developed the concept of an International Conference for the Western Hemisphere. Held in Washington, D.C. in October of 1889, the conference covered a variety of subjects from currency and banking to trade.

The International Conference also created the International Union of American Republics, the forerunner of the Organization of American States (OAS).

In 2015, President Barack Obama proclaimed National Pan American Day to celebrate cooperation among the nations of the Western Hemisphere:

"The United States and our regional neighbors are bound by our mutual desire for peace and stability, and the common yearning of all our peoples -- to build a better life for themselves and their families." - Pres. Barack Obama, April 10, 2015

How might you apply this information to your workplace?

Thanks to Paul Fitzgerald for providing this thoughtful message!

Please click on the image to the left to read the 2018 Diversity and Inclusion Survey Summary.