July 2024 Cultural Events

Disability Pride Month

Raise awareness about the capabilities and achievements of people living with a disability. This month-long observance aims to challenge stigma and promote a more inclusive workplace and world.

National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. It is a time to bring awareness to the unique challenges that racial and ethnic minorities in the United States face when it comes to mental illness. In 2020, fewer than one in every two African American adults got care for mental health. In 2018, Asian Americans were 60 percent less likely to receive mental health treatment than non-Hispanic Whites. Obstacles for many include a lack of health insurance, less access to treatment, and stigma.

Mental illness can affect women of all races and ethnicities. Show your support this month and beyond by learning more about mental health. You can also use and share the resources below to help spread awareness about mental health in your communities and families.

This month, rally to help better understand the mental health struggles felt in minority communities nationwide. This is a month for education, support, and most importantly solidarity.

July 2nd Happy Birthday, Thurgood Marshall!

Civil rights leader and first Black Supreme Court justice - an American lawyer and civil rights activist who served as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from October 1967 until October 1991. Marshall was the Court's first African American justice. Prior to his judicial service, he successfully argued several cases before the Supreme Court. He established a private legal practice in Baltimore before founding the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, where he served as executive director. In that position, he argued several cases before the Supreme Court, including Smith v. Allwright, Shelley v. Kraemer, and Brown v. Board of Education, the latter of which held that racial segregation in public education is a violation of the Equal Protection Clause.

July 2nd Civil Rights Act of 1964 (USA)

On this day, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law in a televised ceremony. At its most basic level, the act gave the federal government more power to protect citizens against discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex or national origin. It mandated the desegregation of most public accommodations, including lunch counters, bus depots, parks and swimming pools, and established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to ensure equal treatment of minorities in the workplace. The act also guaranteed equal voting rights by removing biased registration requirements and procedures and authorized the U.S. Office of Education to provide aid to assist with school desegregation. John F. Kennedy had made passage of the new civil rights legislation part of his presidential campaign platform Congress was debating the civil rights reform bill when Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963. Lyndon Johnson who was not previously known for his support of civil rights pushed the bill forward through Congress and ultimately signed what was the most far-reaching act of legislation supporting racial equality in American history.

July 2nd Independence Day (USA)

On this day in 1776, the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, announcing the colonies’ separation from Great Britain. The Constitution provides the legal and governmental framework for the United States, however, the Declaration’s eloquent assertion that “all Men are created equal” while universally cherished by the American people, remains more aspirational than accurate. In America today, there has been much tumult surrounding the perception and practical impact of the well-known declaration of equality that graces our Declaration of Independence. Historically, all men have not been treated equally in the United States of America, in fact, civil and cultural movements such as #blacklivesmatter and the reproductive rights movement are still fighting today to procure some of the inalienable rights that have been afforded to the socioeconomically privileged, white, CIS gendered, straight males in our country.

July 6th Happy 89^th Birthday, Dalai Lama! (1935)

The 14^th Dalai Lama to the Tibetan people, known as Gyalwa Rinpoche, turns 89 this year. Tibet’s leader in exile, and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, he is the current Dalai Lama and the highest spiritual leader of Tibet and a retired political leader. He is considered a living Bodhisattva; specifically, an emanation of Avalokiteśvara. The central government of Tibet, the Ganden Phodrang, invested the Dalai Lama with temporal duties until his exile in 1959. During the 1959 Tibetan uprising, the Dalai Lama escaped to India, where he currently lives in exile while remaining the most important spiritual leader of Tibet. The Dalai Lama advocates for the welfare of Tibetans while continuing to call for the Middle Way Approach to negotiations with China for the autonomy of Tibet and the protection of Tibetan culture, including for the religious rights of Tibetans. On April 29, 1959, the Dalai Lama established the independent Tibetan government in exile, the Central Tibetan Administration, in the north Indian hill station of Mussoorie, which then moved in May 1960 to Dharamsala, where he resides. He retired as political head in 2011 to make way for a democratic government.

July 6th Happy Birthday, Frida Kahlo! (1907)

One of the best-known artists of the 20th century, this Mexican painter was known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, she employed a naïve folk art style to explore questions of identity, postcolonialism, gender, class, and race in Mexican society. Her paintings often had strong autobiographical elements and mixed realism with fantasy.

In addition to belonging to the post-revolutionary Mexicayotl movement, which sought to define a Mexican identity, Kahlo has been described as a surrealist or magical realist.[3] She is known for painting about her experience of chronic pain. Although she was disabled by polio as a child, Kahlo had been a promising student headed for medical school until she suffered a bus accident at the age of 18, which caused her lifelong pain and medical problems. During her recovery, she returned to her childhood interest in art with the idea of becoming an artist.

July 13th #BlackLivesMatter

The #BlackLivesMatter movement first appeared on Twitter on July 13, 2013 and spread widely as high-profile cases involving the deaths of Black civilians provoked renewed outrage. The term “Black lives matter” was first used by organizer Alicia Garza in a July 2013 Facebook post in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman, a Florida man who shot and killed unarmed 17-year-oldTrayvon Martin on February 26, 2012. Martin’s death set off nationwide protests like the Million Hoodie March. In 2013, Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi formed the Black Lives Matter Network with the mission to “eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.”

July 14th International Non-Binary People's Day is celebrated on July 14 each year. Katje van Loon started International Non-Binary People's Day in 2012. The date of International Non-Binary People's Day was chosen as it is midway between International Women’s Day (March 8) and International Men’s Day (November 19). This occasion shines a light on those who identify as non-binary and celebrates the rich diversity of the community.

Non-binary is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity does not fit neatly into the categories of man or woman. Non-binary people may identify as both a man and a woman, neither a man nor a woman, or somewhere in between. They may also use gender-neutral pronouns such as they/them.

International Non-Binary People's Day is a day to celebrate the diversity of non-binary people and to raise awareness of the challenges they face. Non-binary people often experience discrimination, prejudice, and violence. They may also face challenges accessing healthcare, housing, and employment.

On International Non-Binary People's Day, we can all do our part to support non-binary people. We can educate ourselves about non-binary identities, use gender-neutral pronouns, and challenge discrimination. We can also support non-binary organizations and initiatives.

July 17th Enlistment of Black American Soldiers (1892)

Congress allowed the enlistment of blacks in the Union Army. Some black units preceded this date but they were disbanded as unofficial. Some 186,000 blacks served in the US military, of these 38,000 lost their lives in service to their country.

July 17th Hijri New Year or Awal Muharram (Muslim)

Symbolic of two important events in the Islamic year, Awal means beginning in English and Muharram is the name of the first month in the Muslim calendar. The first day of Muharram is therefore the Islamic New Year's Day and, on this date, the Hijra, the historic journey from Mecca to Medina began. This celebration begins on July 6, 2024. The event falls on a different day every year because the Islamic year is 11 to 12 days shorter. As rituals and prayers mark the occasion, Muharram is known as the month of remembrance and is sacred to Muslims across the world. The word Hijri is derived from Hijra meaning migration. The starting point of Islamic calendar is migration of Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 AD.

https://nationaltoday.com/islamic-new-year/

July 21st Norman Mineta becomes the first Asian American to serve in a presidential cabinet when he is sworn in as US Secretary of Commerce by President Bill Clinton in 2000. Mineta, a Japanese American who had been sent to a World War II internment camp in 1942, was the first Asian American mayor of a major city, San Jose, Calif., served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1975 to 1999 and, in 2001, was named transportation secretary under George W. Bush. Bush also appoints Elaine Chao secretary of labor, the first female Asian American to serve in a presidential cabinet. President Donald Trump names her secretary of transportation in 2017.

July 24th International Self-Care Day is celebrated on July 24. It stresses the importance of self-care as the cornerstone of wellness. On this day, individuals throughout the world are encouraged to make self-care a part of their everyday routines and turn it into a priority. It is a milestone, and an opportunity to raise further awareness of the benefits of effective self-management of health. Self-Care Day was established by the International Self-Care Foundation in 2011 to raise awareness about it. The celebration of International Self-Care Day on July 24 emphasizes the advantages of self-care that can be felt at any time of day or night, seven days a week, regardless of the season.

July 26th National Disability Independence Day (USA)

This celebration commemorates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) being signed into law on July 26th, 1990. The ADA provides protection from employment discrimination as well as better access to goods, services, and communications for people with disabilities.

July 30th International Day of Friendship

Proclaimed in 2011 by the UN General Assembly with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures, and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities. The resolution places emphasis on involving young people, as future leaders, in community activities that include different cultures and promote international understanding and respect for diversity.