Happy New Year! The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee is here to share the following notable January events for 2022. While it is not possible to cover every event, our hope is to identify a few that might inform your clinical, supervisory, teaching, and leadership efforts in LTC and other settings where you have influence.
January 2022 Holidays and Observances:
January 4 – World Braille Day: Held on January 4th of each year to commemorate the birthdate of Louis Braille, the inventor of braille, World Braille Day is observed in order to raise awareness of the importance of braille as a means of communication, issues of accessibility and independence, and the full realization of the human rights for blind and partially sighted people.
January 16 – World Religion Day: Every year on the third Sunday of January, people from all cultures and backgrounds come together to celebrate the commonalities of different faiths around the world, of which there are over 4,000 recognized religions. The holiday was initiated by the Baháʼí in 1950 to promote interfaith harmony and understanding, as their faith emphasizes the importance of universal equality and unity.
January 17 – Martin Luther King Day: The third Monday of January each year honors the life of American clergyman and activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. Best known for the use of nonviolent civil disobedience as a means to advance the civil rights cause, he was one of the civil rights movement’s most prominent leaders from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968. The date is celebrated as Civil Rights Day in some states, and commemorates Dr. King’s birth.
January 27 – International Holocaust Remembrance Day: This international day of remembrance is held each year to commemorate the memory of the over 6 million Jews and 11 million other victims of the Holocaust. It is, to quote the remarks of former president Barack Obama, a time to “mourn the loss of lives, celebrate those who saved them, honor those who survived, and contemplate the obligations of the living.” It was on January 27th in 1945 that Soviet troops liberated the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.