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Welcome to our December DEI Resource Page! This month we feature World AIDS Day, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Universal Human Rights Month, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Las Posadas, Winter Solstice, and Christmas. In December we also honor the life and legacy of civil rights activist Ella Baker.
Please explore the links below to learn about our featured topics and to access valuable resources related to each. We hope you find this information useful and relevant to your work and to those you serve!
World AIDS Day
2024
World AIDS Day takes place on December 1st each year. It’s an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV and to show support for people living with HIV. This day is also meant to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness. The theme of World Aids Day 2024 is "Take the Rights Path: My Health My Right!"
Please follow the link below to learn more about this important day.
International Day of Persons with Disabilities
The observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) on December 3rd of every year was proclaimed by the United Nations in 1992. This day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. We invite you to learn more about IDPD by following the link below.
Universal Human Rights Month
The world observes Universal Human Rights Month during the month of December. This observation is a reminder that the UN General Assembly has codified basic human rights for all. It is a time to reflect on the way we teat others, and to recommit to fighting for equality by addressing issues such as systemic racism. Please explore the resources we collected about Universal Human Rights Month.
December 10th is Human Rights Day. We invite you to explore Docuseek's collection of films for Human Rights Day. Click on the button below to access them.
Hanukkah
Hanukkah begins on the evening of December 25th, 2024 and ends on January 7th, 2025. On each of the nights of Hanukkah, or Chanukah, Jewish families light special menorahs, one candle at a time, concluding with the eighth candle on the eighth night. To learn more about Hanukkah's significance and traditions, please explore our collection of resources.
Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa begins on December 26, 2024 and lasts through January 1, 2025. This seven-day festival celebrates African and African-American history, culture and traditions. Each of the seven days honors a principle that promotes strong, healthy, and thriving communities and families. Explore the resources we put together for you, dive deeper into this rich and beautiful tradition!
Las Posadas
Las Posadas are celebrated from December 16th-24th in Mexico and other Latin American countries, and in Latin American communities throughout the world. This time of prayer refers to the Spanish word posada, which means lodging or home. The Las Posadas tradition comes from the Nativity story where Mary gives birth to Jesus in an inn. For many Catholics and Protestants alike, this is an extremely religious time of reflection approaching Christmas.
Winter Solstice
This year the Winter Solstice will occur on Thursday, December 21st at 7:27pm. This special day is also known as the hibernal solstice or December Solstice, and marks the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Did you know that the day of the solstice is the shortest day of the year?! Learn why, and more by following the link below!
Christmas
Observed every December 25, nearly 160 countries globally celebrate this holiday. While a religious holiday for Christians, it’s it is also widely recognized as a cultural holiday in many countries, honored for the same reason, the birth of Jesus. It’s holy day of obligation for Roman Catholics.
Ella Josephine Baker
(Dec 13, 1903 – Dec 13, 1986)
was an African-American civil rights and human rights activist. She was a largely behind-the-scenes organizer whose career spanned more than five decades. In New York City and the South, she worked alongside some of the most noted civil rights leaders of the 20th century, including W. E. B. Du Bois, Thurgood Marshall, A. Philip Randolph, and Martin Luther King Jr. Biographer Barbara Ransby calls Baker "one of the most important American leaders of the twentieth century and perhaps the most influential woman in the civil rights movement". She is known for her critiques of both racism in American culture and sexism in the civil rights movement. Baker criticized professionalized, charismatic leadership; she promoted grassroots organizing, radical democracy, and the ability of the oppressed to understand their worlds and advocate for themselves. She realized this vision most fully in the 1960s as the primary advisor and strategist of the SNCC.
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