The Reedley College Reading and Writing Center Presents... Table of Contents Commemoration 1 or Intimidation? Savanna Duncan LGBT History 2 Hadley Ciceroni National Disabil- 3 ity Employment Awareness Month Commemoration or Intimidation? Maddie Dominguez National Arts & 4-5 by Savanna Duncan Humanities Month ia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Mexican tradition and is Hannah D Kleinkramer st nd celebrated from October 31 through November 2 . While the name of this holiday may Black Poetry Day 5 sound quite morbid and leave some rather dark images in one’s head, its true purpose and Lucio Rodriguez Leif Erikson Day 6 definition is one that is quite the opposite of its ironically dark name. Dia de los Muertos Alexiz Molina is meant for people to gather in celebration to remember their deceased loved ones while Mary Shelly 6 Rosa Corcoles embracing Mexican culture traditions. With the emotional significance of this holiday, it’s RC Human 7 no surprise that two days are needed in order to fully encase it. Library Iman Alamri This holiday differs greatly though from the more commonly known October 31st My First Loss 8 Evelyn Felipe holiday in the USA, Halloween. Halloween is the number one holiday for those who Train Your Brain 9-10 enjoy the feelings of petrification and panic; the holiday is immortalized every year Day Annie Bautista through thriller-based movie marathons, haunted house circuits, and most epically, Dropout 10 costumes and masks. Prevention Rosa Corcoles Masks are actually the most common aspect that these two holiday’s share. Grammar Corner 11 However, the masks worn in Dia de los Muertos are vibrantly colored and light-hearted Annie Bautista Madness Rises 12-13 while the ones typically worn for Halloween are concocted with only the idea to scare and When Darkness Falls terrify in mind. Another more obvious difference between these two holidays would be Laura Hand that Dia de los Muertos focuses on bringing people together, unlike Halloween, which RC Tutoring 14-15 Services leads to a near compulsion of people scaring others to a degree that makes them run away Rafael Macias-Gutierrez manically. Of course, all is done in great fun. While both traditions are revered warmly by Upcoming Events 16 many, it is safe to say that the two are not meant to be mixed unless there is a way to RC Library Events 17 combine doses of adrenaline and adoracion. Clubs & Services 18-19 Calendar 20 1 LGBT History by Hadley Ciceroni This October will be the 25th anniversary of the are many events, speeches, articles, and commemorations that LGBT History Month in the United States. It started in 1994 occur all over the United States and Canada to publicize the by a Missouri history teacher by the name of Rodney Wilson importance of this vast community. This celebration of pride who felt that it was important to spotlight the history of and equal representation would not have occurred if it was lesbian and gay individuals. The movement quickly grew to not for one high school history teacher coming out to his include bisexual and transgender as well, thus adopting the class through a discussion concerning the Holocaust in 1994. LGBT acronym. The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Rodney Wilson was an immensely influential individual within Network (GLSEN) organization heavily supported the start this movement. Beyond starting the history month, he was of LGBT History month. This is an important celebration, as also the first openly gay K-12 teacher in the state of Missouri, the LGBT community is the only international community and he founded the first GLSEN chapter outside of whose history is not taught in schools, religious institutions, Massachusetts. In his youth, Wilson found his place or within many homes. researching what little information was available on gay October was selected due to the many other LGBT history, and this led to not only a career, and a master’s related traditions that already take place within the month. degree in history, but also an international movement. October 11th is National Coming Out Day, which Closer to home, Reedley College displays its support celebrates the community members’ coming out experiences. for the LGBTQ+ community all year through the Safe Space October 17th is Spirit Day where millions show their Club. The intention of the club is to provide a comfortable support by wearing purple as a stand against bullying of and supportive space for LGBTQ+ individuals to feel at LGBT youth. October 26th is known as Intersex home on campus. They also educate allies of the community Awareness Day, which commemorates the first public on how to effectively provide support and an inclusive demonstration of intersex individuals in North America. environment for LGBTQ+ individuals. The Safe Space Club Lastly, October 22nd to 28th is Asexual Awareness week, a has earned multiple accomplishments since its start in 2017. campaign designed to educate the public on the asexual They earned the 2017-2018 Reedley College Outstanding community and their experiences. Moreover, October was an Club of the Year award and were also recognized with influential choice, because the National March on outstanding involvement for the 2018-2019 academic year. It Washington for lesbian and gay rights was held on October acts as another superb resource for LGBTQ+ history, 14th, 1979. Later, the Second National March on Washington inclusivity, and representation. for lesbian and gay rights would also be held in October in 1987. The purpose of the LGBT History Month is not only to provide awareness and education-friendly materials on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history, but also to put a spotlight on the role models within the community. Each October on the LGBT History Month’s website, thirty-one new icons are chosen to represent the LGBTQ+ community. These idols range from writers to entrepreneurs, to congressmen, to actors. Additionally, within the month, there 2 National Disability Employment awareness month by Maddie Dominguez National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is held in October every year. Approximately thirty years ago, it only lasted a week, but in 1988 Congress made a decision to extend it from one week to a whole month. This national campaign raises awareness to any employment issues peo- ple with disabilities may be experiencing. Its purpose is also to celebrate their contributions in the workforce because they play a major role in our society. NDEAM allows everyone to understand that just because someone has a disa- bility does not mean they cannot get things done. Instead, it means they will accomplish the job in a different way. This year’s NDEAM theme is “The Right Talent, Right Now.” This theme is intended to demonstrate how important their contributions are to workplaces across America. People with disabilities truly make a positive im- pact in our society because they are very determined and capable of doing so many things that others may not be able to do. For instance, the U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexandra Acosta pointed out, “Individuals with disabilities offer employers diverse perspectives on how to tackle challenges and achieve success. Individuals with disabilities have the right talent, right now.” As can be seen, they bring in new ways of approaching a situation and help with coming up with innovative ideas. Moving forward, in order to spread awareness something employers can do during NDEAM and through- out the year, is educate their employees through informal educational events on disabilities because there are many misconceptions out there about people who are disabled. This educational event will promote inclusion and help create a positive working environment where everyone feels comfortable. Another thing that could be done is re- viewing the company’s policies so that commitment to an inclusive workplace is being followed. So, now that you know a bit more about National Disability Employment Month, I hope you keep in mind that just because someone has a certain disability does not mean that they are not capable. In reality they are fully capable, determined, and strive to be successful just like anyone else. 3 National Arts & Humanities Month by Hannah Kleinkramer National Arts and Humanities month, or NAHM, is celebrated in October. The purpose of NAHM is to bring awareness to humanities and to encourage individuals to be involved in the arts. It started as a small celebration, but it has become the nation's largest celebration of the arts. It started in 1985 with National Arts Week but multiplied in size in 1993 after President Bill Clinton declared it a national month -long celebration. In 2016, President Obama announced National Arts and Humanities month is for the importance of NAHM. He said, "The arts and everyone. An abundance of programs focus on getting humanities reflect our national soul. They are central to youth interested in arts. For example, the University of who we are as Americans-as dreamers and storytellers, Florida recently joined in on NAHM by getting students creators and visionaries." President Obama encouraged to submit artwork in contests and to post about every person to join in on the celebration of the arts community events. The president of UF the college said, because it represents the culture of Americans. Engaging with the arts and humanities National Arts and Humanities month has many piques our curiosity, challenges our goals, like getting everyone to understand and support assumptions and urges us to see the the arts. The main objectives of NAHM are: world with new and different eyes. This FOCUSING on the arts at local, state, is essential to the reasoned search for and national levels; truth that is at the core of higher education.