The March of Progress
Equality and freedom have been the goals of the U.S. and its citizens since the country’s founding. About 806 years ago, the English throne negotiated with the landholding barons over their rights. The result was the Magna Carta, which is widely considered the birth of “rights” afforded to citizens of a nation.
However, “equality” is still an unattained goal.
While the idea that all people should be afforded the same rights under the law is widely accepted and even promoted, in practice true equality is nowhere in sight.
It seems unbelievable that in 2022 we are still seeing “firsts” accomplished across the globe, and there are still many “firsts” ahead. Yet we can take heart knowing that many people are still fighting for equality and blazing a path for future generations.
With that in mind, let’s celebrate some significant “firsts” from 2021:
- Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala became the first African and first woman to serve as director-general of the World Trade Organization.
- The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam hung three 17th century paintings by female artists for the first time.
- Mexico elected the country’s first transgender lawmakers, Salma Luévano and María Clemente García.
- Dapper Dan became the first Black designer to receive the Council of Fashion Designers of America lifetime achievement award.
- The U.S. issued its first passport with an X gender designation.
- Rep. Deb Haaland became the first Native American confirmed to serve in the President’s Cabinet.
- Retired Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III became the first Black American in charge of the Pentagon when he was sworn in as Secretary of Defense.
- U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris was elected as the first female and person of color to hold the office.
- NFL official Sarah Thomas became the first female to officiate in the Super Bowl on Feb. 13.
- Estonian political parties selected Kaja Kallas to be the country’s first female prime minister.
- Kaukab Stewart, a member of the Scottish National Party, became the first woman of color elected to serve in the Scottish parliament.
- Argentina became the first Latin American country to issue gender neutral IDs.
Germany achieved its first gender-equal cabinet - U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg became the first openly gay man confirmed by the Senate.
- The U.S. House and Senate passed a bill proposed by Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) to rename the Manhattan Veterans Affairs Hospital after Margaret Corbin, making it the first VA hospital to be named after a female veteran.
- Admiral Rachel Levine was sworn in as Assistant Secretary for Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, making her the first openly transgender four-star admiral in the organization’s history.
- The Biden administration released the U.S.’s first-ever National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality.
- City Councilor Michelle Wu was elected the mayor of Boston, making her the first woman and person of color to hold the position.
- Zaila Avant-garde, a 14-year-old contestant from Louisiana, became the first African American winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
- Bianca Smith signs with the Boston Red Sox and becomes the first Black woman to coach professional baseball.
This Quarter’s Focus
National Poverty in America Awareness Month
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
African American History Month
Random Acts of Kindness Day
World Down Syndrome Day
National Poverty in America Awareness Month
Issues of poverty are complex, wide-ranging and impact virtually every aspect of people’s lives. Accordingly, January is an opportunity to support a variety of organizations that address hunger, affordable housing, access to healthcare and economic justice, as well as those supporting children and the elderly. It is also an opportunity to engage with your local community.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the 2020 poverty rate rose nearly a full percent from 2019; this is the first increase in five consecutive years. The increase equates to approximately 3.3. million more people in poverty. The statistics also show surges in poverty rates among non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics in all age categories. Additionally, census data highlights the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on lower-income people.
“As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.”
– Nelson Mandela
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
On January 27, 1945, the Soviet army entered Auschwitz-Birkenau, liberating more than 6,000 prisoners. Accordingly, Jan. 27 is designated by the U.N. General Assembly as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The first commemoration ceremony took place in 2016 at the U.N. Headquarters in New York City. Since then, the U.N. has declared specific themes for each year’s commemoration. The 2022 theme is Memory, Dignity and Justice, which highlights the importance of preserving historical records and challenging distortions as elements of obtaining justice. Also, in January 1943, a small group of Jewish fighters in the Warsaw ghetto made the first attempt to resist the German SS, which was a precursor to the Warsaw ghetto uprising later that year.
In memory of the victims of the Holocaust, the U.N. resolution condemns all forms of “religious intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence against persons or communities based on ethnic origin or religious belief” and rejects any form of Holocaust denial.
“Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future.”
– Elie Wiesel
African American History Month
African American History Month is held each February. It has received official recognition from governments in the U.S. and Canada, and more recently in the U.K. and Ireland. While we honor the contributions of the African American people year-round, February is a month that our nation set asides to recognize and honor the achievements of the African American people and community in this country.
Random Acts of Kindness Day
Random Acts of Kindness Day is celebrated on Feb. 17. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation (RAK) is a small nonprofit that invests resources into making kindness the norm. They are rooted in the belief that all people can connect through kindness and that kindness can be taught. And they encourage people to follow a simple framework for everything they do: Inspire, empower, act, reflect and share.
“A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.”
– Amelia Earhart
Sometime this quarter, we challenge you to do a random act of kindness, such as:
- Pay someone a compliment.
- Write or text a friend you haven’t heard from in a while and ask them how they’re doing.
- Offer to help a stranger or coworker.
- Engage with a senior citizen and ask them share a story about their past.
- Praise a local business online.
- Purchase something from a small business in your community.
- Say thank you more often.
- Take your neighbors trash can to the curb.
- Buy a cup of coffee for the person behind you in the drive-thru.
- Surprise a loved one with a handwritten card.
World Down Syndrome Day
Down syndrome (also known as Trisomy 21) is a naturally occurring chromosomal arrangement that is universally present across racial, gender or socioeconomic lines.
The 2022 theme of World Down Syndrome Day (on March 21) is “Inclusion means…” This campaign attempts to ignite the conversation around what inclusion means for the down syndrome community. Significant strides in education have been made to increase down syndrome inclusion and equity with their on-level peers. Research has found that having high expectations for their success and development greatly benefits students with down syndrome.
Interested in learning more or joining the conversation? You can find resources and ways to get involved at WorldDownSyndromeday.org.
