JEFFERSON PARISH EMPLOYEE DIVERSITY & INCLUSION BOARD APRIL 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 girls. 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 Passover – 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 Holi celebration in India, 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 United States 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 – 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 Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter 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 Sibling Day - National Siblings 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 brothers and our sisters. Spend some time with your sibling(s). Enjoy looking at photos and videos of time spent with your sibling(s). 13th Ramadan 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 fathers and is the main author of the Declaration of Independence. 16th Emancipation Day - 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 Family 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.