Cheery Friday Greetings,
I hope that your 2023 is off to a good start. With January come many important observances and events.
January is Poverty Awareness Month, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January 16), National Day of Racial Healing (January 17), and International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27).
According to information provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, the official poverty rate in 2021 was 11.6 percent, i.e., 37.9 million people living in poverty. Rates increased for people 65 years and older from 2020 to 2021. The page includes links to various charts and resources including race and a poverty library.
Here and around the world, more women and girls live in poverty than men and boys, according to information provided by UN Women.
Goal #1 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals is to “end poverty in all its forms everywhere.” Libraries are crucial community partners in this effort through their programs and services that include assisting job seekers, offering food pantries / distribution, and availing a plethora of books, materials, and resources in a multitude of formats for learning, dreaming, and engaging.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day followed by the National Day of Racial Healing is upon us this long weekend into Tuesday. A shout out to the various libraries who are planning events—we would love pictures and to know what special programs, exhibits, etc. you hosted.
Here in the Ithaca area, on Sunday, January 14, the Greater Ithaca Activities Center is hosting its Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, featuring our new NYS Senate member, Lea Webb, who was also one of our presenters at the social justice summit SCRLC did in partnership with Binghamton University. Much more information and registration is available here.
The National Day of Racial Healing, which is hosted by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, “was created with and builds on the work and learnings of the Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) community partners. Fundamental to this day is a clear understand that racial healing is at the core of racial equity.”
The United Nations General Assembly designated January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day because it is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony will be broadcast from the UN General Assembly Hall on the 27th; the theme is “Home and Belonging.” Click here for the broadcast; check the website for the specific time as the day approaches.
Have a good weekend.
Yours in partnership,
Mary-Carol Lindbloom
Executive Director
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