November Issue

All Month of November

World Vegan Month

Celebrate World Vegan Month with The Vegan Society, the world's oldest vegan charity, which started in November 1944. This is when the founding members coined the word ‘vegan’.

The first World Vegan Day was created to mark the 50th anniversary of the society, held on 1 November 1994. This was later extended to become World Vegan Week and, as we now know it, World Vegan Month. Every November, World Vegan Month is celebrated around the world as a time to shine a light on the vegan movement.

The Vegan Society is a membership organization and members support important work including:

• campaigns helping people to go vegan and stay vegan
• protecting and furthering the rights of vegans
• working with policymakers on issues including sustainable agriculture
• climate change and encouraging more vegan provision in public sector institutions
• nutritional guidance

During World Vegan Month, you are likely to see more vegan products available in stores, along with the promotion of vegan events, recipes, clothing, and more.

Source: https://www.vegansociety.com/get-involved/world-vegan-month

All Month of November

National Native American, American Indian, and Alaskan Native Heritage Month

The first American Indian Day was celebrated in May 1916 in New York. The event culminated an effort by Red Fox James, a member of the Blackfeet Nation who rode across the nation on horseback seeking approval from 24 state governments to have a day to honor American Indians.

In 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed a joint congressional resolution designating the month of November “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations have been issued every year since 1994 to recognize what is now called “American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month.”

Did you Know:

• 7.1 Million- The nation's American Indian and Alaska Native population alone or in combination with other race groups in 2020
• 10.1 Million- The projected American Indian and Alaska Native population alone or in combination with other race groups on July 1, 2060. They would constitute 2.5% of the total population.
• 324- The number of distinct, federally recognized American Indian reservations in 2020, including federal reservations and off-reservation trust land
• 574-The number of federally recognized Indian tribes in 2020.
• 142,972- The number of single-race American Indian and Alaska Native veterans of the U.S. armed forces in 2019.

Source:https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2021/aian-month.html

All Month of November

National Novel Writing Month

National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 as a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days.

Now, each year on November 1^st, hundreds of thousands of people around the world start writing, determined to end the month with 50,000 words and a brand-new novel.

In 2006, NaNoWriMo officially became a nonprofit organization. Their programs support writing fluency and education. Their website hosts more than a million writers, serving as a social network with author profiles, personal project libraries, and writing buddies. NaNoWriMo tracks words for writers like Fitbit tracks steps and hosts real-world writing events in cities from Mexico City to Seoul, to Milwaukee, with the help of 900+ volunteers and thousands of partnering libraries and community centers.

NaNoWriMo is community-powered and has hosted authors such as Sara Gruen (Water for Elephants), Hugh Howey (WOOL), and Rainbow Rowell (Fangirl). 

Source: https://nanowrimo.org/

November 8, 2022

General Election Day

General Election day is coming up quickly on November 8, 2022. Since we are all in different states, some things may be different. Make sure you get out and vote! Whether that's voting on election day, during Early Voting, or Vote-By-Mail. The presidential election isn't the only time you should be voting. Read up on the candidates and issues, and make an informed vote!

As a reminder, here is the Voting Policy for AAVSB:

"The AAVSB follows Missouri state law by allowing employees to take three hours paid time off to vote if there are not three consecutive hours when the polls are open during which the employee is not required to be at work. An employee must give prior notice to his/her supervisor."

Source: Google your elected officials up for reelection

November 9, 2022

World Adoption Day

#WorldAdoptionDay is a day to celebrate.

A group of friends in Los Angeles discovered a day didn’t exist to celebrate adoption around the globe, so the team at AdoptTogether gathered and the first-ever #WorldAdoptionDay was created on November, 9 2014. The day was created for the purpose of celebrating family, raising awareness for adoption, and raising funds to support families in the adoption journey. 

Every adoption journey is different but most stories often start from a painful place where a mother and a child are separated. #WorldAdoptionDay celebrates the growth and hope that adoption can bring. 

It is encouraged to draw a smiley face on your hand, take a photo of it and share it with the world. Every year, thousands of people participated on social media, catching the attention of news outlets and celebrities who joined in sharing their own smiley faces. 

Source: https://www.worldadoptionday.org/about-us

November 11, 2022

Veterans Day

Veterans Day is a US holiday to honor all veterans, living and deceased, for their service to our country (in contrast to Memorial Day in May, which honors those who gave their lives in service). 

There are many ways to meaningfully celebrate Veterans Day, from donating to reputable veterans charities to participating in the Department of Veteran Affairs' campaign to spread awareness of resources available to veterans in crisis. Other ways to meaningfully celebrate include adopting a military family for the holidays, volunteering with a VA hospital (or nursing home), and wearing a red poppy.

Fun Fact: 

Originally Veterans Day was Armistice Day, set to commemorate the Armistice signed on November 11, 1918 between Allied Forces and Germany that led to the end of fighting in Europe during WWI. In 1938 Armistice Day became an official holiday in the US. After WWII and the Korean War, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day to include Veterans of all wars.

Source: https://www.veteranaid.org/blog/meaningful-ways-to-celebrate-veterans-day/

November 13, 2022

World Kindness Day

World Kindness Day was first introduced in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement. This organization was formed at a Tokyo conference in 1997 when Japan brought kindness organizations of multiple nations together and emphasized the necessity of a global kindness movement. The World Kindness Movement launched in Singapore in November 2000. Currently, over 28 countries are involved with the World Kindness Movement.

The purpose of World Kindness Day is to highlight and encourage good deeds in your community. It also serves as a reminder to us all that simple acts of kindness are impactful. The World Kindness Movement and World Kindness Day are meant to inspire you to believe that we can make a global difference one kind act at a time.

On World Kindness Day, groups and individual people are encouraged to go out of their way to be kind to others. Celebrate by pledging to do at least one intentional act of kindness on that day to benefit someone else. It can be as straightforward or as involved as you like.

This day is also meant to celebrate and encourage the good deeds that others already do. On World Kindness Day, be sure to let others around you know how much you appreciate them. Sometimes a simple, “thank you,” can be a powerful way to make someone’s day. 

Source: https://inspirekindness.com/world-kindness-day

November 20, 2022

Transgender Day of Remembrance

In 2021, the Human Rights Campaign tracked a record number of violent fatal incidents against transgender and gender non-conforming people — with 50 fatalities tracked.

These victims, like all of us, are loving partners, parents, family members, friends and community members. They worked, went to school and attended houses of worship. They were real people — people who did not deserve to have their lives taken from them.

Remember Their Names 

Source: https://www.hrc.org/resources/fatal-violence-against-the-transgender-community

November 24, 2022

Thanksgiving

AAVSB Day off

Thanksgiving, is based on the colonial Pilgrims' 1621 harvest meal. The holiday continues to be a day for Americans to gather for a day of feasting, football, and family. Every year it is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November and is kicked off with the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This year will mark 96 years of the famous parade!

Soon after the parade comes another American favorite: Football! The concept of American football games being played on Thanksgiving Day dates back to 1876. The first football game played on Thanksgiving was the Intercollegiate Football Association championship in 1876. The game and the holiday became so connected that by 1893, the New York Herald called Thanksgiving the official holiday for watching football.

What follows football, (or comes in conjunction with) is [personally] the best part of Thanksgiving: the food! Turkey, ham, stuffing, potatoes, casseroles, and of course cranberry sauce. All amazing, all fresh, and all devoured over many courses and several hours. 

We hope you have a happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful start to the holiday season!

Source: https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving

Thank you,

Your DEI committee with the AAVSB

deicommittee@aavsb.org

Adri

Aurelia

Elliott

Erin

Jacob

Jonathan

Lindsey