DIVERSITY MATTERS
MAY – JUNE 2021
INSIDE THIS ISSUE APA Heritage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Dr. Christina Rosenthal. . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Where We Go from Here. . . . . . . . . . . 3 Grief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 GAAD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Pride Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Juneteenth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Jewish American Heritage Month. . . .5 GAAD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Religious Holidays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Religious Holidays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
OFFICE OF EQUITY AND DIVERSITY TEAM uthsc.edu/oed/staff Michael Alston, EdD, CCDP/AP Assistant Vice Chancellor/CDO Olivia Ralph, JD Senior Compliance Officer Dominique Crockett, MHA Assurance Officer Tiffinie Snowden, MA Associate Inclusion Officer Isabella Porcaro, MA Learning & Compliance Consultant
The University of Tennessee is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/ Section 504/ADA/ADEA/V institution in the provision of its education and employment programs and services.
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander American Heritage month – also known as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month – celebrating the history, culture, and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. “Asian Pacific” encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific Islands that make up Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. APA Heritage has been legally observed since 1979, but was initially only celebrated May 4th through May 10th. Congress chose this seven day period to commemorate both the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843 and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed a bill to extend the week-long celebration to a month; the official designation of May as Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month was signed into law in 1992. In our ever-changing global landscape, it is increasingly important to acknowledge our cultures and build our historical awareness as Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans contribute to the diversity of both our UTHSC and national community.