 Welcome to our monthly observance series on DEI Matters. I'm Margaret Credo-Thomas, your Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Justice Director for Arlington Public Schools. And I'm Katie Hodgkins, your DEI BJA Specialist. Let's learn about what's happening in March. For devotees of the Hindu God Shiva, Maha Shivaratri is an important sectarian festival translating to The Great Night of Shiva. While the Shiva Ratri occurs every month when the waning moon begins to transform, the Maha Shivaratri happens only once per year towards the end of winter in either February or March. This year, Maha Shivaratri occurs on March 8. During this special time, Shiva, who is known as the God of Transformation, is honored and prayed to by those who seek guidance in an ever-changing world. The reason for celebrating Lord Shiva can vary slightly by region because there are differing stories as to why the day is celebrated. Some devotees honor Shiva's choice to drink poison in order to protect the universe. Others celebrate Shiva's cosmic dance of creation, and others still commemorate Shiva's union to the Goddess Pavarati. Across regions, though, Hindus celebrate by cleaning and decorating their homes to welcome the presence of Shiva, fasting for the full day prior to Maha Shivaratri, and culminating the evening together with feasting, festive fairs, and a joyous dancing. We wish a happy Maha Shivaratri to all who celebrate. International Women's Day is a global holiday occurring annually on March 8, around which Women's History Month is centered. Established in 1977, it's a day of celebration to recognize the profound achievements and contributions that women across cultures and nations have offered throughout history. This year, the theme for International Women's Day is Invest in Women, Accelerate Progress. The United Nations reminds us that achieving gender equity by actively supporting women's well-being is essential to creating prosperous economics and sustaining a healthy planet. They suggest five key areas that require joint international action. One, investing in all women and viewing this as a human rights issue. Two, revitalizing the lives of over 342 million women and girls currently living in poverty, a number that substantially increased after the COVID-19 pandemic and alongside continued conflict in countries around the world. Three, implementing gender-responsive financing and budgets that are accountable to a fair, unbiased distribution of resources. Four, amplifying women's voices in the shift towards a green economy as our current economic system disproportionately affects women. And five, supporting feminist change-makers because despite intentional efforts, organizations advocating for women receive only .13 percent of official developmental assistance. This International Women's Day, we invite you to join these calls to action. Find ways in your own sphere of influence to transform challenges into opportunities for and alongside the women in our lives. Happy International Women's Day, Arlington Community. Equal Pay Day was established in 1996 by the National Committee on Pay Equity to draw public attention to the gap between men and women's wages. The date of Equal Pay Day shifts a bit each year according to the wage figures and census statistics because women earn less on an average than men for the same job. They must work longer for the same amount of pay. The date chosen for Equal Pay Day therefore symbolizes how far the year the average median woman must work in order to have earned what the average median man had earned the entire previous year. And these gaps in wages are even greater for most women of color. In 2022, the Equal Pay Day calendar was established to amplify the wage disparities of the broader cross-section of women and to reflect how initial methods of calculating the wage gap didn't even capture the full picture. So while Equal Pay Day for the median woman this year falls on March 12, the wage gap as compared to non-Hispanic white men extends much further into the year for these group of women. Asian American Women's Equal Pay Day falls on April 5, LGBTQIA plus Equal Pay Awareness Day falls on June 15, Black Women's Equal Pay Day falls on July 27, Mom's Equal Pay Day falls on August 15, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Women's Equal Pay Day falls on August 30, Latina Equal Pay Day falls on October 5, and Native Women's Equal Pay Day falls on November 30. This new inclusive methodology allows for us to pause and to reflect on the impacts of pay inequity for women, families and our society as a whole and to advocate on the behalf of every woman in the workforce. We wish an energizing and influential Equal Pay Day to all in our Arlington community and beyond. St. Patrick's Day is celebrated annually on March 17th, a date which marks the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. While the holiday has solemn religious roots, over time St. Patrick's Day has evolved into an energetic celebration of Irish culture, full of parades, good luck charms, music, dancing, drinking and all things green. Even though Ireland is sometimes referred to as the Emerald Isle, green wasn't introduced to St. Patrick's Day festivities until the 18th century, when the shamrock, which is of course green, became a national symbol. The sacred plant symbolizes the rebirth of spring as well as pride in Irish heritage and land, which the Irish community historically had to fight to protect from threatening British laws against Irish language and the practice of Catholicism. On a more light-hearted note, traditional Irish folklore offers another connection to the colour, wearing green makes you invisible to leprechauns who like to pinch anyone they can see. On St. Patrick's Day and beyond, green has transformed into both a symbol of good luck and a way to honour Irish ancestry. Whether celebrating with the tradition of eating corned beef and cabbage or gathering to watch parades of traditional Irish dancers and musicians as they march through city streets, we wish a joyful and lucky St. Patrick's Day to all who celebrate. Rock your socks, Arlington community! March 21st is World Down Syndrome Day, a day dedicated to advocating for the rights, inclusion and well-being of people with Down Syndrome around the world. As the UN educates, quote, Down Syndrome occurs when an individual has an extra partial or whole copy of Chromosome 21, hence we spread awareness on the 21st of March. It is not yet known why this syndrome occurs, but Down Syndrome has always been a part of the human condition. It exists in all regions across the globe and commonly results in variable effects on learning styles, physical characteristics, and health. Adequate access to health care, to early intervention programs, and to inclusive education as well as appropriate research are vital to the growth and development of individuals with Down Syndrome. The message of with us, not for us, is a key to human rights-based approach to supporting people with disabilities such as Down Syndrome, acknowledging their right to be treated fairly and have the same opportunities as everyone else, working with others to improve their life. There are many ways you can help to raise awareness and educate your community about Down Syndrome. You might choose to support a fundraiser, join a host, an event at work or school, start conversations about Down Syndrome with people you know, share media posts with your network, or participate in a favorite tradition where brightly colored mismatch socks with your friends. Socks were chosen as a celebratory symbol of this day because chromosomes of people with Down Syndrome actually look like beautiful mismatch socks. Happy World Down Syndrome Day to all in our Arlington community and beyond. Purim is a joyous Jewish holiday that celebrates the miraculous events told in one part of the Hebrew Bible, or the Tanakh, called the Book of Esther. As the scroll's story tells, in the 5th century BCE, ancient Jews were spared from massacre during the Persian Empire due to the bravery of one young Jewish heroine named Esther. Esther became the queen of Persia, or ancient Iran, and had to hide her identity from her husband, King Hazaris, as the king's advisor Haman was planning an annihilation of all Jewish people in Persia. To reveal Haman's anti-Semitic plans to the king, Esther revealed her own identity. By doing so, she convinced the king that Haman had weaponized their differences to paint them as immoral, and that if he could love his wife, her Jewish community was deserving of love too. During Purim, Jewish communities participate in festivals that commemorate the strength, survival and pride in ancestral identity. Purim begins with a day of fasting called Ta'anit Esther, or the Fast of Esther. This year, Ta'anit Esther falls on March 23rd. Many Jews attend synagogue services to hear the Book of Esther read aloud. The next day, this year on March 24th, Jewish people celebrate. Many children and adults dress up, enjoy festive meals with families, and bake triangular pastries called Hamantashin, literally translating to Haman's ears. And perhaps most central to the celebrations, Jewish families practice gratitude by exchanging gift baskets and making donations to people in need. We wish a good Purim, the Hayyam and Purim Samich to all who celebrate. To honor the heroes, resistors, victims, and survivors of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, our department is pulling language directly from the United Nations who founded this day of remembrance in 2008 to occur annually on March 25th and who remind us of our responsibility as educators to speak rather than hide from or whitewash these truths. Quote, the enslavement of over 13 million Africans during the trans-Atlantic slave trade was driven by the racist ideology that these women, men, and children were inferior because of the color of their skin. Countless families were torn apart. Scores of human beings lost their lives. Despite experiencing serious human rights violations and intergenerational trauma over centuries, enslaved people persevered in their resilience, demonstrating courage and defiance against the conditions of enslavement, forced labor, and systematic violence and oppression. The racist legacy of the trans-Atlantic slave trade reverberates today in harmful prejudice and beliefs which are still being perpetuated and continue to impact people of African descent across the world. The transformative education which seeks to empower learners to seek the social world critically and through an ethical lens to challenge the status quo as agent of change is essential to the work of teaching and learning about the institution of slavery in order to end racism and injustice and to build inclusive societies based on dignity and human rights for all people everywhere. It is incumbent on us all to fight slavery's legacy of racism. The most powerful weapon in our arsenal is education, the theme of this year's commemoration by teaching the history of slavery and studying the assumptions and beliefs that allow the practices to flourish for centuries. We am master racism of our own time. In honoring the victims of slavery, we restore some measure of dignity to those who were so mercilessly stripped of it. Today and every day, let us stand united against racism and together build a world in which everyone, everywhere can live lives of liberty, dignity, and human rights." Holy is one of the most beloved festivals in India. Every spring, people celebrate this festival of colors by throwing colorful water and vibrant neon powders called Gulal onto one another in joyous celebration. People also light bonfires, eat sweet treats like gujia, refresh with a cold sip of thundai, and dance to traditional folk music. During holy, traditional societal hierarchies and status fade away while folk is shifts to fun, forgiveness, oneness, and play. Everyone celebrating in the community is fair game to receive a splash of color. The roots of holy festivals vary slightly by region, but many begin with Indian mythology, with the story of Krishna and Radha. As the story goes, the Hindu deity Krishna, whose skin was a dazzling blue, fell in love with a milkmaid named Radha. He showered her with colorful flowers, and as they grew to know one another, would often play games with face paint. Her mythology points to holy's roots as a celebration of the triumph of good over evil, and both narratives shed light on bright, colorful joy. We wish all who celebrate a joyous holy filled with vibrant colors of love, positivity, friendship, and happiness. Each year on March 31st, we pause to celebrate the joy and resilience of transgender people everywhere on the International Transgender Day of Visibility. In 2010, trans advocate Rachel Crandall created the International Transgender Day of Visibility, or International TDOV, in response to the disinformation in a majority of media stories about transgender people that spotlighted hate and thwarted attention from the very real violence against the transgender community, and especially against black and brown trans women. The nonprofit organization GLAAD reports that Rachel Crandall, quote, hoped to create a day where people could refocus on celebrating the lives of transgender people, empowering them to live authentically, while still acknowledging that due to discrimination, not every trans person can or wants to be visible, unquote. International Transgender Day of Visibility offers a celebratory time to rewrite the script, when transgender people and their allies counter the extremist hate against them by sharing authentic stories and experiences, joining together in community and advancing advocacy around issues that affect their community. We in Arlington Public Schools stand with our transgender neighbors, family and friends, this weekend every week. We see you and we celebrate you. Happy International Transgender Day of Visibility to all in our Arlington community and beyond. Thanks for watching this month's observance video. We hope it inspired a piece of learning, connection, or action for you. As we continue to curate, don't forget to reach out if we missed a detail you'd like to see included next year. Have a wonderful March and we'll see you in April Arlington. Bye.