Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Spotlight

Learn More About Select Quarterly Observances

Each quarter, we'll highlight several observances and explain the significance of each. Additionally, we'll spotlight an article related to one of these observances. It's a great opportunity to learn more about the meaning behind the observances you know — or don't know.

Plan Ahead with ALA's Annual Heritage and Cultural Celebration Calendar

We’ve put together a new resource for you as you plan your DEIA initiatives: An annual Heritage and Cultural Celebration Calendar. It lists some widely recognized awareness months and day(s) for diversity-related specific groups, cultures and/or causes, including holidays and national events. We hope it will help you start (and continue) the conversation on these vital topics.

We suggest sharing this guide with others, beyond the legal management team, within your legal organization to help coordinate DEIA-focused events and educational programming throughout the year. Consider sharing our Heritage and Cultural Celebration Calendar with the following teams in your legal organization:

Marketing Department to plan social media posts and/or to add to the DEIA-focused page on your firm’s website.
HR Department to increase employee morale programming and/or for inclusion in communication to all employees explaining when offices are closed for the upcoming year.
IT Department so they can add on your firm’s intranet.
Chief Diversity Officer or DEIA Committee so they can plan related events and programming for the year.

An additional resource you might find helpful is this interfaith calendar that serves as a useful guide to honor special practices and important observances in your legal departments and law firms.

Announcing ALA's Heritage and Cultural Celebration Calendar

The Association of Legal Administrators’ Diversity Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Committee has put together a brand new and exciting resource for members to use — a Heritage and Cultural Celebration Calendar for your law firm or organization.

One of the driving goals behind the efforts of ALA’s DEIA Committee is to “see and feel our commitment to diversity in everything we do.” With that in mind, the committee has assembled this annual calendar that lists the widely recognized awareness months and day(s) for diversity-related specific groups, cultures and/or causes, including holidays and national events. The committee developed this list to support legal management professionals in planning DEIA efforts and engagement calendars, and to help fellow members in fostering inclusive workplace environments both for current employees and future recruits.

Implementing a calendar like this within your own legal organization creates a space and endless opportunities for employees to learn more about the rich histories, important observances and cultural traditions of the people we work with. It can also create a greater range of marketing opportunities to appeal to new potential clients. Furthermore, such a calendar raises awareness of the importance and understanding of a particular group. It can spark a conversation or even set a tone throughout your organization that you recognize and understand that every employee matters. There is an intrinsic sense of belonging and employee satisfaction when our employees feel as though they belong. This is inclusivity at its best.

You can now download a copy of the Heritage and Cultural Celebration Calendar that was created in early 2023 on the Association’s website.

5 Steps to Consider When Implementing a Cultural and Heritage Celebration Calendar

In the meantime, has this got you thinking about adapting this calendar (or creating your own) for your legal organization’s website? If so, the following steps can help you plan.

First, discuss with your managing partners whether a diversity calendar is right for your legal organization. Depending on the size of your firm, the resources available to your office or the time that is available to devote to this case may or may not make it a perfect idea. As with all projects, buy-in from leadership is critical. Also at this step, it is very important to consider the budget and resources that your firm is willing to put behind this.
Speak with a small representative group of your employees. Let them know your ideas on implementing the calendar and get their opinions and feedback about what they’d like to see come out of this endeavor. Listening will go a long way here.
Develop a plan and a timetable to both distribute and implement the calendar. Will you recognize certain days? If so, which ones and why? I would suggest that this process be systemic and procedural so that there is little room for bias or confusion. Will there be any plans for programming and activities at any time? For example, a speaker series or monthly luncheon covering a specific cause or group would be a good way to get the whole office involved in inclusivity.
Don’t just set it and forget it: Ensure that it is a living, breathing document that is central to that firm's values and beliefs and is something that employees can easily access—not just something that’s posted on your website. Where is it displayed in the office? How often is it referenced or brought up?
Celebrating our employees and their unique backgrounds and differences should not just be one single day of one month. Develop ways to acknowledge them and make them feel valued, respected and esteemed 365 days a year!

While finalizing the Cultural Heritage/Diversity calendar for your office — and when considering which dates to add — remember that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has some guidelines that need to be considered. Federal law requires an employer to reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious beliefs or practices, unless doing so would cause difficulty or expense for the employer. This means that an employer may have to make reasonable adjustments at work that will allow the employee to practice his or her religion.

JaNae De. Martin
Office Manager
Helmers + Associates

Select Quarterly Observances

April
	April is Autism Acceptance Month, which was established to celebrate the unique perspectives of those living with Autism Spectrum Disorder and raise awareness about the broad range of conditions that can affect an individual’s development of social, communication and behavioral skills.
	April is Celebrate Diversity Month. It was started in 2004 to recognize and honor the diversity surrounding us all. By celebrating differences and similarities during this month, organizers hope that people will get a deeper understanding of each other.
	April is National Volunteer Month, which was started in 1991 to encourage volunteerism at a young age. By volunteering, people can help save lives and create better environments for us all to live within. Thanking volunteers, such as volunteer fire and ambulance departments, is also an aspect of the celebration.
	April is National Arab American Heritage Month, which celebrates Arab American heritage and culture and pays tribute to the contributions of Arab Americans.
	April 2: World Autism Awareness Day was created to raise awareness of this developmental disorder.
	April 5-13: Passover is a major Jewish holiday that occurs over eight days in March or April. It commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. It’s an important holiday in the Jewish calendar that is marked by a series of rituals and traditions, including the Seder, a special meal that takes place on the first two nights of Passover.
	April 9: Easter is a Christian holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead following his crucifixion. The week before Easter is referred to as "Holy Week" which begins on Palm Sunday. Good Friday is three days before Easter, which commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus. Easter is observed each year on the first Sunday after the paschal full moon.
	April 14: This marks the Day of Silence, during which students take a daylong vow of silence to protest the actual silencing of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) students and their straight allies due to bias and harassment.
	April 16: DC Emancipation Day marks the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia in 1862. Over 3,000 enslaved persons were freed eight months before the Emancipation Proclamation liberated slaves in the South.
May
	May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This month was chosen to commemorate the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant 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 on the project were Chinese.
	May is Jewish American Heritage Month and focuses on the diverse contributions of Jewish people to American culture.
	May is Mental Health Awareness Month and aims to raise awareness and educate the public about mental illnesses and reduce the stigma that surrounds them.
	May is Older Americans Month, which was established in 1963 to honor the legacies and contributions of older Americans and to support them as they enter their next stage of life.
	May 17: International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia focuses on diversity in sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, while also drawing attention to the violence and discrimination these groups face.
	May 19: Malcolm X Day is celebrated either on his birthday (May 19) or the third Friday of May. The commemoration was proposed as an official state holiday in Illinois in 2015 and Missouri in 2019. At present, only the city of Berkeley, California observes the holiday with city offices and schools closed.
	May 21: World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development is a day set aside by the United Nations as an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the values of cultural diversity and to learn to live together in harmony.
	May 25: African Liberation Day, or African Freedom Day, is a day to mark “the onward progress of the liberation movement, and to symbolize the determination of the People of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation.
	May 29: Memorial Day was first observed after the Civil War as a way to honor the sacrifices of fallen soldiers. It is now observed on the last Monday of May as a way to honor and remember those individuals who served the United States and died in battle.
June
	June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month. It was established to recognize the impact that LGBTQ individuals have had on the world. June 28 is also the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots. LGBTQ groups celebrate this special time with pride parades, picnics, parties, memorials for those lost to hate crimes and HIV/AIDS, and other group gatherings.
	June is Immigrant Heritage Month, which was established in 2014. It gives people across the United States an opportunity to annually explore their own heritage and celebrate the shared diversity that forms the unique story of America. It celebrates immigrants across the United States and their contributions to their local communities and economy.
	June 2: American Indian Citizenship Day commemorates the day in 1924 when the U.S. Congress passed legislation recognizing the citizenship of Native Americans.
	June 19: Juneteenth, or Freedom Day/Emancipation Day, honors the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Texas and Louisiana finally heard that they were free — two full months after the end of the Civil War. This date, therefore, became the day of emancipation for thousands of Black people in the United States. Although President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, slaves in Texas waited more than two and a half years to learn of their freedom — until the Union Army arrived in Galveston and ordered that slavery end in the Lone Star State. Ever since, many Black Americans have celebrated that date as “Juneteenth Independence Day.” Juneteenth is an official state holiday in Texas and became a federal holiday in 2021. Juneteenth, or Freedom Day/Emancipation Day, honors the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Texas and Louisiana finally heard that they were free — two full months after the end of the Civil War. This date, therefore, became the day of emancipation for thousands of Black people in the United States. Although President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, slaves in Texas waited more than two and a half years to learn of their freedom — until the Union Army arrived in Galveston and ordered that slavery end in the Lone Star State. Ever since, many Black Americans have celebrated that date as “Juneteenth Independence Day.” Juneteenth is an official state holiday in Texas and became a federal holiday in 2021.
	June 28 - 29: Eid al-Adha, also known as the Feast of the Sacrifice, commemorates the story of the Muslim Prophet Ibrahim's test of faith when he was commanded by God to sacrifice his son, Ismail. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha to mark the end of Hajj, the five-day pilgrimage Muslims undertake to cleanse the soul of sins and instill a sense of equality and brotherhood.