JEFFERSON PARISH EMPLOYEE DIVERSITY & INCLUSION BOARD 2021 CALENDAR BULLETS

Autism Awareness Month is a time to educate your community about autism and Light It Up Blue! Spreading autism awareness in schools is a great way to celebrate April and promote inclusion and acceptance in the classroom and beyond. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a group of complex neurodevelopment disorders. The term “spectrum” refers to the wide range of symptoms, skills, and levels of disability in functioning. In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association merged four previously distinct diagnoses into one umbrella diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These included autistic disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDDNOS) and Asperger syndrome. Children and adults with ASD are fully able to perform all activities of daily living while others require substantial support to perform basic activities. ASD occurs in every racial and ethnic group, and across all socioeconomic levels. However, boys are significantly more likely to develop ASD than . The latest analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 68 children has ASD. Symptoms can vary greatly from person to person depending on the severity of the disorder. Symptoms may even go unrecognized for young children who have mild ASD or less debilitating handicaps. It is important that early evaluation is conducted, by an expert, so that indicators of ASD are detected and may have a dramatic impact on reducing the symptoms. Autism and other forms of disability are part of the human experience that contributes to human diversity.

March 27th – April 4th – The Jewish people celebrate Passover as a commemoration of their liberation over 3,300 years ago by God from slavery in ancient Egypt that was ruled by the Pharaohs, and their freedom as a nation under the leadership of Moses. It commemorates the Exodus as described in the Hebrew Bible especially in the Book of Exodus, in which the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. JEFFERSON PARISH EMPLOYEE DIVERSITY & INCLUSION BOARD APRIL 2021 CALENDAR BULLETS 1st April Fools Day - It received its name from the custom of playing practical jokes on this day—for example, telling friends that their shoelaces are untied or sending them on so- called fools’ errands. Although the day has been observed for centuries, its true origins are unknown and effectively unknowable. It resembles festivals such as the Hilaria of ancient Rome, held on March 25, and the celebration in , which ends on March 31. 1st National Burrito Day - National Burrito Day is observed annually on the first Thursday in April. A burrito is a heavy tortilla wrapped around meat, cheese, tomato, rice, beans, vegetables, and sauces. Burritos can be filled with ground beef, shredded chicken, shredded beef or shredded pork. Bean choices often include black, red, whole or refried beans. Vegetables can be grilled or fresh. Cumin, chili powder and oregano are typical spices that are used to give the burritos an authentic Mexican flavor. Chimichangas are burritos that have been deep fried. The burrito was introduced in the in the 1930’s at the El Cholo Spanish Café in Los Angeles. 2nd World Autism Awareness Day - Every year, autism organizations around the world celebrate the day with unique fundraising and awareness-raising events. This day was established on December 18, 2007 by the United Nations. A resolution was put together which consisted of four major elements. The participation of all UN organization and its member states, a dedication to raising awareness of Autism in the general community, and a standing request to the UN Secretary-General to move forth this message to all its UN members. 2nd – Good Friday is a religious holiday. Observed primarily by Christians. Commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of Passover. 3rd National Find A Rainbow Day - Find yourself a rainbow or use the garden hose or a prism to make one yourself. A spectrum of light in the form of a multicolored arc, appearing in the sky, is caused by both reflection and refraction of light in water droplets in the Earth’s atmosphere. These rainbows always appear directly opposite of the sun. The light is refracted (bent) when it enters a droplet of water, then is reflected inside on the back of the droplet and refracted again when leaving it. Red is the color that is visible on the outer part of a rainbow and violet on the inside of a primary rainbow. Children learn in science class the mnemonic ROYGBIV to help them to remember the sequence of colors in a rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Many forms of airborne water can cause rainbows including, rain, mist, spray and dew.

JEFFERSON PARISH EMPLOYEE DIVERSITY & INCLUSION BOARD APRIL 2021 CALENDAR BULLETS 4th Easter - Easter or resurrection Sunday is a festival and holiday celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, described in the New Testaments as having occurred three days after his Crucifixion by Romans at Calvary. Easter is also linked to the Jewish Passover by much of its symbolism, as well as by its position in the calendar. In many languages, the words for “Easter” and “Passover” are identical or very similar. 7th – 8th Yom Hashoah/Holocaust Remembrance Day – This day commemorating the victims of the Holocaust. It commemorates the genocide that resulted in the death of an estimated 6 million Jewish people, 200,000 Romani people, 250,000 mentally and physically disabled people, and 9,000 homosexual men by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. 7th National No Housework Day - Are you looking for an excuse to get out of doing housework? Well, here it is. On April 7th, do absolutely no sweeping, dusting, laundry, dishes and all the other items that fall into the housework category. Catch up on a book, have coffee with friends or anything else that you enjoy. Do anything but housework! 10th National Day - National Day was founded by native New Yorker, Claudia Evart, in 1995 to honor and celebrate siblings. After losing her two siblings early in life in separate accidents, she knew how important siblings could be in our lives. It is a day created to honor our and our . Spend some time with your sibling(s). Enjoy looking at photos and videos of time spent with your sibling(s). 13th Begins - the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and the holy month of fasting. It begins and ends with the appearance of the crescent moon. Because the Muslim calendar year is shorter than the Gregorian calendar year, Ramadan begins 10–12 days earlier each year, allowing it to fall in every season throughout a 33-year cycle. 13th Vaisakhi - A festival which celebrates the founding of the Sikh community as the Khalsa, community of the initiated. On this day Sikhs gather and celebrate Vaisakhi at their local Gurdwaras, Sikh house of worship, by remembering this day as the birth of the Kihalsa. 13th Thomas Jefferson’s Birthday - Every year on April 13 America celebrates Thomas Jefferson's Birthday. The third President of the United States was born on April 13, 1743. Jefferson is known as one of the United States' founding and is the main author of the Declaration of Independence. 16th - It commemorates the day when, in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act, which effectively abolished slavery in the District of Columbia. Slavery in other parts of the United States only came to an end in 1865.

JEFFERSON PARISH EMPLOYEE DIVERSITY & INCLUSION BOARD APRIL 2021 CALENDAR BULLETS 16th Selena Day - On April 16, Selena Day, fans will put on their favorite Selena songs and remember the incredible impact the Tejano crooner had on music. Though she was fatally shot by the president of her fan club in 1995, the 23-year-old was able to accomplish some huge feats – from being credited with catapulting Latin music into the mainstream, to being one of the best-selling female artists in Latin music history. Her work spanned several genres of music, and many young people who weren’t even alive while she was active count her as one of their biggest musical inspirations. So let’s remember Selena today with celebrations of her life and some good Latin music! 16th National Wear Your PJ’s to Work Day - National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day has been catching on across the nation. What some people are calling “the best holiday of the year,” this day was created as a fun holiday. It is a day to celebrate and unwind from the long hours and hard work of those whose job is to prepare taxes and the anxiety of the last minute tax filers. National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day allows you to sleep in a little later than you normally would. Once you get up, you do not have to take the time getting dressed as you are already dressed for your day. 17th National Ellis Island History Day - On April 17, 2001, the first National Ellis Island Family History Day was observed. It was by official proclamation of our nation’s governors that April 17 be designated as “National Ellis Island Family History Day.” Ellis Island, in Upper New York Bay, was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States as the nation’s busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1924. On this day in 1907, just under 12,000 names were recorded as passing through Ellis Island. During all of 1907, over one million immigrants were processed through Ellis Island. 19th National Hanging Out Day - This day was set aside as a day to encourage communities to learn about the benefits, both financially and environmentally, of using a clothesline for drying laundry. According to Project Laundry Lists’ website, clothes dryers account for an astonishing six to ten percent of residential energy consumption. Hanging your clothes out has several benefits. Celebrate National Hanging Out Day by hanging out your clothes to dry and sharing your pictures. 20th - May 1st Ridvan Festival - An annual festival commemorating the 12 days when Bahá’u’lláh, the prophet founder of the Bahá’ífaith, left Bagdad and entered gardens now known as the Garden of Ridvan, which means paradise in Arabic. It is here that he publicly proclaimed his mission as God’s messenger for this age. The first, ninth, and twelfth day of the festival are celebrated as holy days. 22nd - Is an annual event, celebrated on April 22, on which day events worldwide are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It was first celebrated in 1970, and is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network, and celebrated in more than 192 countries each year.

JEFFERSON PARISH EMPLOYEE DIVERSITY & INCLUSION BOARD APRIL 2021 CALENDAR BULLETS 23rd National Day of Silence - National Day of Silence is a student-led movement to protest bullying and harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students and those who support them. The Day of Silence illustrates to the schools and the colleges how the intimidation, name calling and general bullying has a silencing effect. Participating students take a day-long vow of silence. Show your support for National Day of Silence by using #NationalDayofSilence on Social Media to bring awareness to this day. 24th National Pigs-In-A-Blanket Day - Celebrated across the world, the term often refers to a variety of different dishes. In the United States, Pigs-in-a-Blanket are often hot dogs or sausages wrapped in biscuit or croissant dough and baked. Pigs-in-a-Blanket are generally served as an appetizer or as breakfast. However, it can be served any mealtime! 24th National Pool Opening Day - National Pool Opening Day is observed the last Saturday annually in April. This is a day for pool owners across the country to prepare their swimming pools for a summer of fun, fitness and enjoyment. Swimming pools offer may benefits from physical exercise to social interaction to psychological benefits. Exercising in a swimming pool allows us to do many things that are difficult on land. The water makes us buoyant, so we don’t put as much strain on our joints. It also creates resistance, so every move becomes more of a workout. Another benefit is the cooling effect of water. It helps prevent overheating while exercising. Socializing at the swimming pool can be relaxing and fun. It can help relieve stress while enjoying friends and family. 26th National Kids and Pets Day - National Kids and Pets Day is both a day to celebrate the bonds children and pets can share and a day to remember safety where our pets and children are concerned. There are many benefits from having a pet in a ’s life. From fostering natural nurturing abilities to developing responsibilities, pets have a life-long impact on a child’s development. It is also important to remember that small children as well as the pets may not know their limitations and should not be left alone with each other. They should always be supervised to prevent injury to both the child and the animal. It helps kids and pets learn to be good companions to each other. 27th Theravada New Year – In countries where Theravada Buddhism is the most dominant religion, April is the month of celebration. It marks the end of the lunisolar calendar and the beginning of another just like January 1 for most people in the world. Hence, this holiday is termed the Theravada New Year. It takes place on the first full moon of April each year. But one should take note that the exact date of celebration may vary from one country to another.

JEFFERSON PARISH EMPLOYEE DIVERSITY & INCLUSION BOARD APRIL 2021 CALENDAR BULLETS 28th National Superhero Day - Get your cape or your uniform on! April 28 is National Superhero Day, honoring all heroes, whether they are real or fictional. Heroes are people we look up to, who inspire us and keep us safe. They are role models for children and teach them values and kindness. For some, superheroes are those we grew up with, Superman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and others. But in real life, superheroes are those who go above and beyond to do good for others, whether they are nurses, police officers, firemen, doctors, volunteers, or teachers. Anyone can be a hero if they make their goal to do good in the world. Today we celebrate the superheroes of our childhood and imagination, and the heroes of real life, who keep us all safe. 29th International Dance Day - Celebrates the art of dancing as one of the oldest forms of entertainment and as a valuable part of nearly every culture around the world, as a way to express identity and bring communities together. The day is sponsored by the International Theatre Institute, the performing arts partner for UNESCO. 30th Louisiana Purchase - The Louisiana Purchase was a treaty settled on April 30, 1803, where the United States bought the territory of Louisiana from France. The United States bought 828,000 square miles for the price of fifteen million dollars, valuing each square mile as eighteen dollars, in what is known as one of the best deals made in the history of the country. The purchase effectively doubled the size of the country. 30th Honesty Day - Only tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth on April 30, because it is National Honesty Day. This day encourages us to be truthful and straightforward in our lives and promotes honest communication in politics, education, and relationships. April is a month that starts with pranks and lies, on April Fool's Day, and ends with a day that reminds us all of how important it is to be honest in all aspects of our lives.