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Fostering inclusion calendar

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A 2022-2023 calendar to support an inclusive College of Engineering community

Mission statement

The UW College of Engineering is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Fostering a positive diversity climate is critical to achieving its benefits and is rooted in understanding how the College influences psychological safety and a sense of belonging for all its constituents. Culture is one of the overarching pillars we pursue in our vision and commitment to building an inclusive and equitable community for all students, staff, faculty, and community members.  This calendar aims to acknowledge and increase understanding of diverse cultures, traditions, values, and beliefs.

Why these dates?

The cultural holidays, observances, and events on this calendar were identified based on the following criteria:

  1.  A faculty/staff member or student observing this event may be out of the office or absent from class on this day.
  2. A faculty/staff member or student’s engagement level may be affected by rituals practiced in observance of this event (e.g., reduced energy from fasting for Ramadan or negative association with a dominant culture’s holiday, such as Thanksgiving).
  3. A faculty/staff member may not be able to participate in activities before, during, or after regular business hours on this day (e.g., not participating in Halloween activities or passing on events happening on the evening of a holy day observed by the Muslim or Jewish communities).
  4. This occasion may provide an opportunity to increase dialogue and knowledge about cultural traditions or celebrations, or historical oppression, resilience, perseverance, or triumph that might not otherwise present itself.

Acknowledgments

This calendar was adapted from a Cultures Connecting resource (Cultures Connecting, 2021), designed to support anti-bias efforts in organizations.  

Submitting missing dates

If you know of other holidays, observances, or events that meet the criteria above but were omitted, please contact the Office of Inclusive Excellence at coeoie@uw.edu

Notes

  • Please take notice of days that involve fasting and/or work restrictions. We encourage avoiding scheduling major meetings, exams, and other events and work to accommodate these observances. Information about UW’s Religious Accommodations Policy here. 
  •  Starred (*) holidays/observances begin at sunset of the date listed and go to sunset of the following day. 
  • Due to regional and cultural differences, the holidays listed may be celebrated on different dates by individuals of the same faith. 
  • Some holidays are based on the actual sighting of the moon and therefore dates may vary. 
  • For more information, click the event title to view its hyperlink.

April 2022

Date(s): Holiday / Observance: Cultural Group / Observed By: Notes
All Month Autism Acceptance Month    
All Month Arab-American Heritage Month    
April 2 World Autism Awareness Day    
April 2 – May 2* Ramadan Islamic Involves fasting, work restrictions
April 6 National Tartan Day Scottish American  
April 10 Rama Navami Hindu Work restrictions
April 10 Palm Sunday Christian / Orthodox Work restrictions
April 14 Holy Thursday Christian  
April 14 Vaisakhi Sikh  
April 15 – 23* Passover Jewish Involves fasting, work restrictions
April 15 Good Friday Christian Work restrictions
April 17 Easter Sunday Christian Work restrictions
April 14-16 Pi Mai (Lao New Year) Laotian  
April 14-16* Cambodian New Year Cambodian  
April 21 First Day of Riḍván Bahá'i Work restrictions
April 22 Orthodox Good Friday Christian Orthodox Work restrictions
April 22 Day of Silence LBGTQ+ and Allies  
April 24 Orthodox Easter Christian Orthodox Work restrictions
April 24 Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day    
April 27-28 Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) Jewish  
April 29 Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power) Islamic  
April 29 Ninth Day of Ridván Bahá'i Work restrictions

May 2022

Date(s): Holiday / Observance: Cultural Group / Observed By: Notes
All Month Asian Pacific American Heritage Month    
May 1 Beltane Neo-Pagan  
May 1 May Day (International Workers’ Day) International  
May 2 Twelfth Day of Ridván Bahá'i Work restrictions
May 2-3 Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan) Islamic Work restrictions
May 5 Cinco de Mayo United States/Mexican  
May 8 Buddha Day / Visakha Puja / Vesek Buddhist  
May 24 Declaration of the Báb Bahá'i  
May 29 Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh Bahá'i  
May 30 Memorial Day United States University observed holiday

June 2022

Date(s): Holiday / Observance: Cultural Group / Observed By: Notes
All month Pride Month    
All month Caribbean-American Heritage Month    
June 4 – 6* Shavuot Jewish Work restrictions
June 5 Pentecost Christian Work restrictions
June 5 World Environment Day International  
June 12 Loving Day United States  
June 19 Juneteenth United States Observed holiday on June 20

July 2022

Date(s): Holiday / Observance: Cultural Group / Observed By: Notes
July 4 Independence Day   University observed holiday
July 7 - 12 Hajj Islamic  
July 9 - 10 Eid-ul-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice) Islamic Work restrictions
July 10 Martyrdom of the Báb Islamic Work restrictions
July 13 Dharma Day Buddhist  
July 14 International Non-Binary People’s Day International  
July 17 Seventeenth of Tammuz Jewish  
July 26 Disability Independence Day United States  
July 29 – 30 Hijri New Year (Islamic New Year) Islamic  

August 2022

Date(s): Holiday / Observance: Cultural Group / Observed By: Notes
August 1 Lughnasadh Neo-Pagan  
August 6 - 7 Tisha B’Av Jewish  
August 9 Ashura Islamic Work restrictions
August 11 Raksha Bandhan Hindu  
August 12 International Youth Day International  
August 13 - 15 Obon Japanese Buddhist  
August 18 - 19 Krishna Janmashtami Hindu  
August 26 Women’s Equality Day United States  
August 30 Ganesh Chaturthi Hindu  

September 2022

Date(s): Holiday / Observance: Cultural Group / Observed By: Notes
September 5 Labor Day United States University observed holiday
September 9 - 11 Chuseok Korea  
September 10 Mid-Autumn Festival (Moon Festival) China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Vietnam  
September 11 Enkutatash (Ethiopian New Year) Ethiopian  
September 15 – October 15 Hispanic Heritage Month    
September 16 Mexican Independence Day Mexican  
September 22 Mabon Neo-Pagan  
September 23 International Day of Sign Languages International  
September 25 – 27* Rosh Hashanah Jewish  
September 26 – 30 International Week of the Deaf International  
September 26 – October 5 Navartri Hindu  
September 27 Meskel Ethiopian & Eritrean Orthodox  
September 28 Tzom Gedaliah Jewish Involves fasting

October 2022

Date(s): Holiday / Observance: Cultural Group / Observed By: Notes
All Month Disability Employment Awareness Month    
All Month LGBT History Month    
All Month Filipino American History Month    
October 4 – 5* Yom Kippur Jewish Involves fasting, work restrictions
October 5 Dussehra (Dassera) Hindu Work restrictions
October 7 – 8* Mawlid al-Nabi Islamic Work restrictions
October 9 – 16* Sukkot Jewish Work restrictions
October 10 Indigenous People’s Day United States  
October 11 National Coming Out Day United States  
October 11 World Mental Health Day h International  
October 16 – 17* Shemini Àtzeret Jewish Work restrictions
October 17 – 18* Simchat Torah Jewish Work restrictions
October 24 Diwali Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Buddhist Work restrictions
October 26 Birth of the Báb Bahá'i Work restrictions
October 27 Birth of Bahá’u’lláh Bahá'i Work restrictions
October 31 Reformation Day Christian  
October 31 Halloween United States Involves fasting

November 2022

Date(s): Holiday / Observance: Cultural Group / Observed By: Notes
All Month Native American Heritage Month    
November 1 All Saint’s Day Anglican & Roman Catholic  
November 1 -2 Día de los Muertos Mexican  
November 8 Birth of Guru Nanak Dev Ji Gurpurab Sikh Work restrictions
November 11 Veterans Day United States University observed holiday
November 24 Thanksgiving Day United States University observed holiday
November 25 Native American Heritage Day United States University observed holiday
November 28 Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Bahá'i  

December 2022

Date(s): Holiday / Observance: Cultural Group / Observed By: Notes
December 8 Feast of the Immaculate Conception Catholic  
December 8 Bodhi Day Buddhist  
December 12 Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe Mexican Catholic  
December 16 - 24 Las Posadas Mexican  
December 16 - 24 Simbang Gabi Filipino Catholic  
December 18 – 26* Chanukah (Hanukkah) Jewish  
December 21 – January 1 Yule (Winter Solstice) Neo-Pagan  
December 25 Christmas Day Christian University observed holiday
December 26 – January 1 Kwanzaa African American  

January 2023

Date(s): Holiday / Observance: Cultural Group / Observed By: Notes
January 1 New Year’s Day International Observed on January 2
January 1 – 3 Shōgatsu Japanese  
January 6 Epiphany (Three Kings Day) Latin America & Caribbean  
January 9 Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sikh  
January 16 Martin Luther King Jr. Day United States University observed holiday
January 22 Lunar New Year East & Southeast Asian  
January 27 International Holocaust Remembrance Day International  

February 2023

Date(s): Holiday / Observance: Cultural Group / Observed By: Notes
All Month Black History Month    
February 1 – 2 Imbolc Neo-Pagan  
February 3 Setsubun Japanese  
February 14 Valentine’s Day International  
February 18 Maha Shivaratri Hindu Work restrictions
February 19 Day of Remembrance United States  
February 20 Presidents’ Day United States University observed holiday
February 22 Ash Wednesday Christian  
February 22 – April 6 Lent Christian  

March 2023

Date(s): Holiday / Observance: Cultural Group / Observed By: Notes
All Month Women’s History Month    
All Month Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month    
March 2 – 20 Nineteen-Day Fast Bahá'i Involves fasting
March 6 Māgha Pūjā (Makha Bucha Day) Buddhist  
March 6 – 7* Purim Jewish  
March 7 – 8* Holi Hindu  
March 17 St. Patrick's Day Irish  
March 21* Naw Rúz Bahá'I / Persian / Kurdish / Zoroastrianism Work restrictions
March 21 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination International  
March 21 – 22 Persian New Year (Nowruz) Iranian Work restrictions
March 31 César Chávez Day United States  
March 31 International Transgender Day of Visibility International