Holidays & Equity

Holidays & Equity November 16, 2020 Agenda Mission & Goals Federal Holidays What is the ‘Holiday Season’? New Years Day Privilege Discussion Listen ~ Educate ~ Empower ~ Inspire 2 Mission & Goals Mission & Goals • The mission of EquityCT is to create learning opportunities to build an actionable understanding of equity, and to empower action and civic engagement in order to consciously dismantle systemic inequity. • Our goals are: • To provide teaching and learning opportunities for people to deepen their understanding of equity... • To provide opportunities to effect systemic change at the local, state, and regional level. • To be a resource, both virtual and through a vast network of connected individuals, organizations, and communities, which unifies equity efforts in Connecticut... • To build capacity in communities for the ongoing prioritization of equity in all community decision-making. • To celebrate the work of individuals, organizations, and communities impacting systemic change. 4 Federal Holidays What are the federal holidays in the US? The US Government recognizes ten federal holidays. Government offices and many private companies are closed on these days: New Year’s Day Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Washington’s Birthday Memorial Day Independence Day Labor Day Columbus Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day 6 Holiday Pay Employers are not legally required to observe holidays, pay employees for holidays, or pay premium wage rates to employees who work on those days. Note that… • If employees are given the day off, employers must pay salaried workers. However, an employer only has to pay hourly employees for the time they actually worked. • Hourly workers represent 59% of the US workforce. 7 Holidays in Schools • Per CT Statute, public schools must be closed on legal holidays that fall in January and December: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and Christmas Day. • Local and regional boards of education have the authority to decide whether or not to observe other holidays. • Consider… • What factors should school leaders consider when deciding which holidays to observe? 8 Religious Observances • Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires that employers with 15 or more employees must make reasonable accommodations for employees’ religious observances unless: “An accommodation may cause undue hardship if it is costly, compromises workplace safety, decreases workplace efficiency, infringes on the rights of other employees, or requires other employees to do more than their fair share of potentially hazardous or burdensome work.” (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) • Consider… • What accommodations might an employee need in the workspace? 9 What is the ‘holiday season’? Between November 1st and January 15th, there are over 45 holidays observed by many of the world’s major religions, several of which overlap with each other and even fall on the same days. 10 New Year’s Day • The US and many other nations use the Gregorian calendar, with 12 months in a year. The year begins on January 1st, New Year’s Day and ends on ends on December 31st . However, there are several cultures that follow lunar, solar, and other hybrid calendars and therefore, New Year’s Day may fall later in the year. These 11 cultures celebrate their New Year’s Day on a day other than January 1st. Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year or Spring Festival) Seollal (Korean New Year) Nyepi (Balinese New Year) Nowruz (Iranian New Year) Ugaadhi (Telegu and Kannada New Year) Aluth Avurudda (Sinhalese New Year) Puthandu (Tamil New Year) Diwali (Marwari and Gujarati New Year Day) Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) Raʼs as-Sanah al-Hijrīyah (Islamic New Year) Aboriginal Murador New Year • 11 What holidays do you celebrate? 12 Holidays & Privilege Privilege, or the unearned benefits of certain groups, is present throughout the year and it can be especially amplified during the holiday season. Some examples include: • You can expect to have time off work to celebrate your holidays. You can also expect to be paid. • Music and television programs pertaining to your holidays are readily accessible. • It is easy to find stores that carry items that allow you to celebrate the holidays. • You can worship freely, without fear of violence or threats. • You can display holiday decorations without fear of vandalization. 13 Discussion • Besides closing school and businesses, how else can communities honor cultural holidays? • How can schools and business become more inclusive of holiday diversity? 14 Resources • Anti-Defamation League: 2021 Calendar of Observances • A Racial Justice Guide to the Winter Holiday Season for Educators and Families 15 Sources • https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/workhours/holidays • https://www.eeoc.gov/religious-discrimination • https://www.thebalancecareers.com/ • https://oie.duke.edu/knowledge-base/toolkit/diversity-and-2019- holiday-season • https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/minimum-wage/2018/home.htm 16.

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