November 2023 Cultural Events

National Native American Heritage Month

November is Native American Heritage Month, also commonly referred to as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month. In 1990, President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations, under variants on the name (including “Native American Heritage Month” and “National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month”) have been issued each year since 1994. The month is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people to the U.S. Heritage Month is also an opportune time to educate the general public about tribes, to raise a general awareness about the unique challenges Native people have faced both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges.

*MARK YOUR CALENDAR*: This Year, Shaheen & Gordon will be celebrating Native American Heritage Month by holding an inter-office Friendsgiving Luncheon and Trivia Contest on November 29th, with trivia questions dedicated to learning about and celebrating Native American culture, traditions, and history!

“Movember” is a month-long fundraiser involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness for men’s health issues including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, and suicide. Movember is the only global charity focused solely on men’s health, and its mission is to help change the face of men’s health by encouraging men to talk and take action when it comes to prioritizing their mental and overall health and well-being.

November 1st

All Saints’ Day

A Christian holiday commemorating all known and unknown Christian saints. It is followed by All Souls’ Day on November 2^nd to commemorate those who have passed within the faith. In Eastern Christianity, the day is observed on the first Sunday after Pentecost.

Black National Anthem

On November 1st, 1900, brothers James Weldon Johnson (author, educator, and general secretary of the NAACP from 1920-1930) and John Rosamond Johnson composed the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, commonly referred to as “The Black National Anthem.”

November 2nd

On this day in 1804, Native American Sacagawea, while 6 months pregnant, met explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark during their exploration of the territory of the Louisiana Purchase. The explorers realized her value as a translator upon learning she spoke Hidatsa and Shoshone and could act as a translation link in communications with the Shoshone people who had horses that the explorers sought to purchase. Sacagawea delivered her son, Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau (known as Baptiste), on February 11, 1805. Then, on April 7, Sacagawea, Baptiste, and her husband, Toussaint Charbonneau, headed West with the 31 other members of Lewis and Clark’s expedition Corp.

November 3rd

Carol In 1992, Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois made history by becoming the first black woman ever elected to the United States Senate.

November 5th- TransParent Day

Established in 2009, TransParent Day is celebrated each year on the first Sunday of November to celebrate parents who are transgender, in lieu of traditional Mother's and Father's Day. Over time it has evolved into a celebration and recognition of the love between transgender parents and their children as well as the love of transgender children and their parents. The day typically involves gift-giving and other acknowledgements of gratitude.

November 10th

On this day in 1960, Journalist Andrew Hatcher was named associate press secretary to President John F. Kennedy, becoming the first black press secretary.

November 11th- Vietnam Women’s Memorial

Sculpted by Glenna Goodacre and dedicated as part of the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial on this day in 1993, the Vietnam Women’s Memorial is a memorial to honor the 265,000 U.S. nurses and women who voluntarily served in the Vietnam War. The memorial is located in National Mall in Washington, D.C.

On this day in 1951: Famed ballerina, Janet Collins becomes the first black dancer to appear with the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York.

November 12th- Diwali

Also known as Deepawali in many parts of the world, Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights in which a variety of deities are praised. An important celebration in the Hindu faith, the holiday celebrates the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. Diwali is celebrated during the darkest days of October or November, a period known as Kartika in the Hindu calendar.

November 13th

On November 13, 1956, in Browder v. Gayle, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision declaring bus segregation unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

The case was initially filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama by four women having disputes with the Montgomery, Alabama bus system. In June of 1956, a three-judge panel ruled

2–1 that the bus segregation laws in Montgomery “deny and deprive plaintiffs and other Negro citizens similarly situated of the equal protection of the laws and due process of law secured by the Fourteenth Amendment.” (Browder v. Gayle, 1956). Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s November 1956 ruling, segregation on buses was outlawed. It took one month for the ruling to reach the city of Montgomery, Alabama, and while the ruling put an end to racial segregation on public buses, it did not put an end to racial prejudice. After the ruling, violence once again broke out in the South, with buses being fired on by snipers and the churches and homes of civil rights activists such as Martin Luther King, Jr. being attacked and bombed.

November 15th, 1950

In 1950, hockey player Arthur Dorrington becomes the first black person to sign an NHL contract, joining the New York Rangers organization.

November 15th, 1889

Brazil celebrates the Proclamation of the Republic – a military coup d'état that established the First Brazilian Republic. It overthrew the constitutional monarchy of the Empire of Brazil and ended the reign of Emperor Pedro II.

November 16th- International Day for Tolerance

In 1996, the UN General Assembly (by resolution 51/95) invited UN Member States to observe the International Day for Tolerance on November 16th, with activities directed towards both educational establishments and the wider public. The UN founded this day to promote respect for diverse languages, ethnicities, cultures, and religions. Education is a key component of tolerance, and these tenets are more important in today’s society than ever before.

2004: President Bush announces his nomination of Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State. She is the first black woman to serve in the position.

November 20th- Transgender Day of Remembrance

Started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998, this day now memorializes those who have been killed as a result of transphobia and seeks to raise awareness of the continued violence endured by the transgender community.

November 25th

1981: The United Nations General Assembly has designated this day as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Resolution 54/134). The premise of the day is to raise awareness of the fact that women around the world are subject to rape, domestic violence, and other forms of violence; furthermore, one of the aims of the day is to highlight that the scale and true nature of the issue is often hidden. Women's rights activists have observed the 25th of November as a day against gender-based violence since 1981. This date was selected to honor the Mirabal sisters, three political activists from the Dominican Republic who were brutally murdered in 1960 by order of the country’s ruler, Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961).

1865: After the end of the Civil War and the adoption of the 13th Amendment, Mississippi adopted the South's first “Black Codes,” creating a second servitude for former slaves. The new laws made it illegal for former slaves to stay in the state without jobs. Those with jobs, even children, were forced to sign long-term contracts and carry their work licenses at all times. An African American who ran away could be legally beaten. Other former slave states adopted their own Black Codes.

November 27th-28th- Ascension of ‘Abdu'l-Baha (Baha'i)

This day commemorates the life and death of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, eldest son and successor of Bahá’u’lláh, founder of the Bahá’í faith. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed away on November 28, 1921, at his home in Haifa, Palestine (now Israel). Observances on this day generally include prayers, music, and readings, ideally at 1:00 am, the time of his passing.

November 29th, 1861

At dawn, approximately 675 U.S. volunteer soldiers commanded by Colonel John M. Chivington attacked a village of about 750 Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians along Sand Creek in southeastern Colorado Territory. Over the course of eight hours, the troops killed around 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho people composed mostly of women, children, and the elderly. During the afternoon and following day, the soldiers wandered over the field committing atrocities on the dead before departing the scene on December 1st to resume campaigning.

November 30th

Happy Birthday Shirley Chisholm! Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm (1924-2005) was the first African American woman elected to the U.S. Congress (1968). In 1972, Chisholm became the first African American to run for a major party’s nomination for the U.S. presidency and the first woman ever to run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.