Monthly Celebrations
The first day of January is observed as New Year’s Day and is a public holiday in almost every country. The historical and cultural events observed in the United States are listed below.
- January 1 New Year’s Day. On this day in 1863 Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves in territories of the Confederacy.
- January 15 The birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.
In 1926 Dr. Carter Woodson instituted the celebration of contributions African Americans have made to our history, thus, establishing February as African American History Month.
- In 1787 Richard Allen, an African American minister founded the first church to give African Americans the opportunity to worship in setting free of racial discrimination.
- February 14th is Valentine’s Day. The tradition of offering notes or small gifts to those you love began when a man named Valentine opposed a Roman ban on marriage and secretly married young sweethearts. Imprisoned for his acts, friends and children threw flowers and notes into his prison window.
- February 16th is Presidents Day. The birthdays of US Presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are observed on this day.
- Born a slave, Frederick Douglas escaped as a young man and became a renowned campaigner for the abolition of slavery. Once freed, among other federal positions he worked with President Lincoln to free the slaves, founded a newspaper and became Minister to Haiti.
- Bob Marley was the first musical idiom from the Third World to become popular in the United States. His Jamaican form of reggae music celebrates the faith of Rastafarianism, a spiritual belief of Hebrew decent.
- Garrett Morgan and African American inventor patented two major inventions: the gas mask and the 3 light traffic signal system.
March is National Women’s History Month was established by presidential proclamation to draw attention to and rectify the limited focus on women in historical studies.
- Susan B. Anthony was a leader of the movement to gain women the right to vote and secured the first laws in New York State giving women control over their children, property, and wages.
- Blanche K. Bruce was an African American born into slavery. By the age of 30 she became the only African American to serve a full term in the Senate.
- Harriet Tubman, an escaped slave, created the Underground Railroad: the systems that lead some 400 slaves to freedom.
- Ella Fitzgerald, and African American Jazz singer, is known as one of the greatest jazz singers of her generation and has won more Grammy Awards than any other jazz musician.
- Helen Keller, a Euro-American female author and educator who was deaf and blind learned to speak and read Braille and devoted her life to writing and social activism, particularly in aid of people with disabilities.
Tartan Day is the 6th of April this month. Established in 1998 the US Congress appointed this day to recognize the role Scottish Americans played in the founding of the nation. Some notable Americans of Scottish descent include Woodrow Wilson, the twenty-eighth president of the US; Sir Alexander Fleming, the bacteriologist who discovered penicillin; and Alexander Hamilton, the nation’s first secretary of the treasury and leader of the Federalist Party.
The month of May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. As of 1979 Congress established proclamations to recognize the contributions offered our nation from the works of people from Asian/Pacific descent.
- Access information about Asian Pacific American leaders and communities such as: Japanese Americans, Chinese Americans, Korean American, Filliino Americans, Samoan Americans, and Vietnamese Americans.
- May is also Older Americans Month, established by presidential proclamation in 1963 to honor the contributions of older Americans to our society. Learn more about this population.
- May 1st is Labor Day. In many countries the first day of May is celebrated as a spring festival and as an official holiday honoring working people.
June is Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. In 1969 in New York City patrons in a gay bar were harassed by local police. The patrons fought back in a protest that lasted 3 days and marked the first organized effort by gays and lesbians in the United States to gain equality under the law.
- Audre Geraldin Lorde an African American, lesbian, poet, and essayist fought for justice in political activities and through her writings. She formed coalitions between Afro-German and Afro-Dutch women, established the St. Croix Women’s Coalition and founded the Women of Color Press.
- Keith Haring was an American, gay, pop artist known for his murals in a New York City school yard and on the Berlin Wall. In 1987 he began to use his art for AIDS awareness campaigns.
- Harvey Milk, an American, gay, politician was a strong advocate of gay rights. After gaining appointment to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors he was shot to death by a former city supervisor.
Learn more information concerning gay and lesbian rights and issues
In 1776 on July 4th, delegates of the 13 colonies signed the Declaration of Independence and announced their separation from Great Britain, establishing the United States of America.
- Other countries celebrating their Independence during the month of July include: Algeria, Venezuela, Argentina, Peru, the Bahamas and Columbia.
In 1974 the United States Congress passed a law setting August 26th as Women’s Equality Day to mark the certification of the 19th Amendment to the constitution prohibiting discrimination against women in voting.
September is National Hispanic Heritage Month. September 15th and 16th are independence days for Central American nations and Mexico. Since 1988 the United States has observed this month as a celebration of Hispanic heritage.
- Emiliano Zapata, a Mexican, revolutionary leader devoted his time to gaining economic justice for the poor after the revolution of 1910. Zapata proposed the Plan of Ayala, a plan for redistributing land to Indians and peasants. Conflict with the revolutionary government led to his murder by government soldiers in 1919.
- Hector Garcia, a Hispanic American medical doctor and civil rights activist founded the American G.I. Forum, a national advocacy organization for Mexican American war veterans. He became the first Hispanic to serve on the United States Commission on Civil Rights and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984.
- Cinco de Mayo, a holiday celebrated by people of Mexican descent, honors the historical battle between the French and Mexico in which Mexico defeated the French army and maintained their independence.
In 1988, by presidential proclamation October was designated National Disability Employment Awareness Month to enhance public awareness of those with disabilities and encourage their integration into the work force.
November is Native American Indian Heritage Month.
- Tatanka-Yatanka (Sitting Bull) was an American Indian of the Sioux nation. Throughout his life he led his people in the fight against displacement and assimilation forced on them by the US government. The Sioux army won the battle of Little Bighorn in 1876 against the command of General George Custer.
- John Ross was an American Indian of the Cherokee nation. The chief of his tribe, Ross fought to prevent the forced removal of his people from their lands. His attempts were unsuccessful and he eventually led the Cherokee people on the “Trail of Tears” as they were forced to migrate to Oklahoma.
- In April an annual three day event is held at the University of Mexico in Albuquerque to celebrate Native American Culture. At the “Gathering of Nations Powwow” more than 500 tribes are represented. In the effort to promote Indian culture and traditions they share artifacts, drum groups and ceremonial singing, dancing and traditional dress, and instructional materials on Indian history and culture.
- December 29 is the anniversary of the massacre of Wounded Knee. After the surrender of the Sioux tribe, soldiers of the United States Seventh Cavalry attacked their camp and slaughtered more than 150 Indian people.
Declared by the World Health Organization, December 1st is known as United Nations World AIDS day to increase education and awareness of AIDS.
- December 10th is Human Rights Day. In 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The document sets forth the basic civil, economic, political, and social rights that should be guaranteed to all people.
- Kwanzaa, an African American celebration began in the Untied States in 1966. The celebration begins on December 26 and ends on January 1st. Kwanzaa decorations use a color scheme of red, black, and green: black to represent the faces of black people, red to represent the struggle and the blood of ancestors, and green to signify youth and renewed life. Observance of Kwanzaa is based around seven principles; Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity), and Imani (faith).
- Followers of all Christian based faith observe Christmas, December 25th, to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
