JEFFERSON PARISH EMPLOYEE DIVERSITY & INCLUSION BOARD APRIL 2021 CALENDAR BULLETS

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. 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 Earth Day- 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 child’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.