Let's learn about holidays, celebrations and activities going on this month that you should know about! | |
What You Will Find in This Month's Edition:
New Staff Alert
June Birthdays
Upcoming Events and Activities
June Holidays and Celebrations
Memes
Feedback
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Lets take a moment to say hello to a new face to The AAVSB team! | |
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Tea Time with your AAVSB members:
We hope you can take some time out of your day to join us for our next Tea Time on Friday, June 10 from 3pm-3:30pm.
The topic of this Tea Time will be:
Timeline Trivia
We've done several Tea Times where we talked as individuals. Let's try something new where we work together to put some events in order. This fun activity will make us think and use all of our history and knowledge of the past!
Look for the invite in your inbox in the coming days!
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Mini Break Dance Party
Tuesdays at 10am CST it will be time to jump around, wiggle, or move however you want!
Join the party and move around with cameras and microphones off for just a few minutes! The meeting will end when the song(s) are over.
This is totally optional, but if you want it or need it, COME ON!
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Sofa Time
with Lauren and Jon
If you are just starting out with the AAVSB, we hope you are able to join us for Sofa Time Fridays at 10am.
This is a time to meet people on staff that you might not get to work with very often! It is meant to grow your familiarity with the AAVSB, your team members, and just be a time to not stress about tasks or all the information you are learning about.
Lauren and I will do our best to answer your questions, talk about how things are run, and probably even learn a thing or two from you!
Make sure to check your emails and the staff calendar for the invite or meeting!
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*Book Recommendations*
Have you read a good book in the past? Are you reading one now? Share what you are reading with us so we can feature it in our next newsletter!
Email us at deicommittee@aavsb.org or send Jonathan a Teams Message
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*Anonymous Shout outs*
Has someone in your department been working exceptionally hard? Did they do something amazing? Are you just wanting to show your appreciation to your friends, colleagues or co-workers? Send us your shout out and we can put it in next months Newsletter!
Email us at deicommittee@aavsb.org or send Jonathan Teams message
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All Month of June
Pride Month
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Pride Month is celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. The Stonewall Uprising was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. The first Pride march in New York City was held on June 28, 1970, on the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. | |
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In 2020 and 2021, many pride events were canceled or altered due to the pandemic. That didn't mean the celebrations stopped. That also means 2022 Pride Month is going to be even more extravagant!
Throughout the month, the LGBTQ community and its allies get together at parades, marches and other organized events in the U.S. and around the world. While it's certainly a cause for celebration, Pride Month is also a time to reflect on the history of the movement: remember the lives lost to violence and HIV/AIDs.
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No matter how you choose to observe Pride Month, don't miss out on the important events and awareness days:
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June 5: HIV Long-Term Survivors Day- honors and increases visibility around HIV survivor issues and needs
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June 12: Pulse Remembrance Day- a remembrance of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting victims
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June 27: National HIV Testing Day- encourages individuals to be tested for HIV
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June 28: The Stonewall Riots Anniversary- commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising
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June 30: Queer Youth of Faith Day- to celebrate and empower LGBTQ youth of different faiths
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Watch this short video all about Pride Month! | |
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Kansas City PrideFest 2022
Kansas City PrideFest is a LGBTQ+ festival featuring a main stage with local acts, vendors, food trucks, family activities, and more. The festival will take place from Friday, June 10th through Sunday, June 12th at Theis Park. All ages welcome. Sunday is focused on family friendly entertainment and activities
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All Month of May
Adopt a Cat Month
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June is National Adopt-A-Cat Month! This month-long celebration was established because June tends to be the height of “kitten season”. Kitten season is where large litters of kittens tend to be born and many of them often end up in animal shelters. This year will mark the 47th annual Adopt-A-Cat Month.
Here are some reasons to consider adding a little furry friend to your family this year:
- They make great companions which can lead to reduced loneliness.
- Petting and playing with cats can lower stress and reduce anxiety.
- Adopting a cat makes sense financially as adoption fees are lower and they are usually up to date on vaccines as well as microchipped.
- They are typically low maintenance and independent furry friends, which can be good for you as well as any other pets you may have.
- There are so many cats in shelters to choose from!
If you feel like you would like to add a new member to your home, here are some resources that can help you find the perfect feline friend for you:
If adoption isn’t right for you at this time, you can also donate or volunteer at your local shelter.
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June 1, 2022
Reef Awareness Day
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World Reef Awareness Day is June 1 and helps to create awareness about the fragile biological system of our oceans’ coral reefs.
Coral reefs have been around for millions of years and have come and gone with various mass extinctions in Earth's history. This time around, climate change is affecting coral reefs once again. Lately, some of the most beneficial reefs have been diminishing because of coral blanching, rising ocean temperatures, and toxic pollution. Moreover, the use of harmful sunscreens and increased tourism are also considered threats to the well-being of the coral reefs.
With Coral Reefs dying, over 25% of sea life that rely upon coral reefs may lose their habitat. They are a source of food and shelter for the survival of such marine species.
While many of you are in the middle of the country and not near coasts, beaches, oceans and coral reefs, there are still things that you can do to take part in.
- Beach cleanups aren't the most practical when there are no beaches, there are still ways to do city cleanups or just making sure your own trash ends up in the right place and not in waterways that lead to oceans.
- Regular sunscreen is full of chemicals that are harmful for marine life. Many Caribbean countries have banned the use of regular sunscreen and requiring marine safe alternatives. You can switch your sunscreen to one of those or make your own by using coconut oil, olive oil, and beeswax and zinc oxide
Enjoy some views of our reefs around the world and the animals that call it home!
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78 years ago, on June 6, 1944, more than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France.
More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end, the Allies gained a foot-hold in Continental Europe. The cost in lives on D-Day was high. More than 9,000 Allied Soldiers were killed or wounded, but their sacrifice allowed more than 100,000 Soldiers to begin the slow, hard slog across Europe, to defeat Adolf Hitler’s crack troops.
D-Day was the start of Operation 'Overlord'
Allied forces launched a combined naval, air and land assault on Nazi-occupied France. The 'D' in D-Day stands simply for 'day' and the term was used to describe the first day of any large military operation.
D-Day required unprecedented cooperation between international armed forces. The Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) was an international coalition and although the Allies were united against Germany, the military leadership responsible for 'Overlord' had to overcome political, cultural and personal tensions.
By 1944, over 2 million troops from over 12 countries were in Britain in preparation for the invasion. On D-Day, Allied forces consisted primarily of American, British and Canadian troops but also included Australian, Belgian, Czech, Dutch, French, Greek, New Zealand, Norwegian, Rhodesian and Polish naval, air or ground support
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June 19, 2022
Juneteenth
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Juneteenth, short for “June Nineteenth,” marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday.
Confederate General Robert E. Lee had surrendered at Appomattox Court House two months earlier in Virginia, but slavery had remained relatively unaffected in Texas...until U.S. General Gordon Granger stood on Texas soil and read General Orders No. 3:
“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”
In 1865, freedmen in Texas organized the first of what became the annual celebration of "Jubilee Day" on June 19. In the ensuing decades, Juneteenth commemorations featured music, barbecues, prayer services and other activities, and as Black people migrated from Texas to other parts of the country the Juneteenth tradition spread.
In 1979, Texas became the first state to make Juneteenth an official holiday; several others followed suit over the years. In June 2021, Congress passed a resolution establishing Juneteenth as a national holiday; President Biden signed it into law on June 17, 2021.
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June 19, 2022
Father's Day
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Father’s Day, in the United States, falls on the third Sunday in June to honor fathers. Credit for originating the holiday is generally given to Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, whose father, a Civil War veteran, raised her and her five siblings after their mother died in childbirth. She is said to have had the idea in 1909 while listening to a sermon on Mother’s Day, which at the time was becoming established as a holiday.
Some observe the custom of wearing a red rose to indicate that one’s father is living or a white rose to indicate that he is deceased. Other males, for example, grandfathers or uncles who have assumed parenting roles, are often also honored on fathers day as well.
It wasn't until 1972 that Father's Day was officially recognized as a national holiday.
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Litha, also known as Midsummer, is a pagan holiday and occurs on the summer solstice, celebrating the beginning of summer. The traditions of Litha appear to be borrowed from many cultures. Most ancient cultures celebrated the summer solstice in some way. The Celts celebrated Litha with hilltop bonfires and dancing. Many people attempted to jump over or through the bonfires for good luck.
Other European traditions included setting large wheels on fire, and rolling them down a hill into a body of water. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year, and in some traditions, Litha is when a battle between light and dark takes place.
For modern day pagans, Litha is a day of inner power and brightness. Some people find a quiet spot and meditate about the light and dark forces in their world. Some other observers, particularly those with children, celebrate this holiday outside. Lastly, some observers choose to observe Litha more traditionally, and they would hold a fire ritual. This might include a large bonfire, or a small fire in a fire-safe pot in one’s house.
Litha is also considered a good time to practice love magic or get married. The pagan version of this ceremony is called handfasting, and it includes many of the same practices one might find at a wedding.
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Hopefully you learned something new! Please let us know how you like the concept of this newsletter and what we can do in future issues to make it an enjoyable read. We are excited to share our next newsletter with you the beginning of next month!
If you have any suggestions or ideas you would like to see in future newsletters, please send us an email or teams message with your ideas
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Thank you,
Your DEI committee with the AAVSB
deicommittee@aavsb.org
Adri
Aurelia
Elliott
Erin
Jonathan
Lindsey
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