DEI Volunteer’s Alyssa Markey and Minakshi Arora put together this information to educate other on the significance of celebrating AAPI Heritage month.
Why is AAPI in May?
The month was specifically chosen to commemorate the first Japanese immigrant to arrive in the U.S. on May 7, 1843, as well as the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The railroad, which opened up the West Coast to expansion, is intertwined with the AAPI community because nearly 20,000 Chinese labourer’s worked in hazardous, even deadly, conditions for low wages to construct it.
The history of AAPI month
It’s important to acknowledge that it was African American Civil Rights activists who paved the way for the Asian American social movement in the 1960s and 1970s, and the eventual demand for AAPI Heritage Month. The umbrella term “Asian American” was not even widely adopted until the ’60s, when different Asian ethnic groups banded together in solidarity.
The idea of honoring Asian Pacific Americans was first introduced in the late 1970s by Capitol Hill staffer Jeanie Jew, whose great-grandfather was a laborer on the transcontinental railroad. Asian Pacific American Heritage Week was signed into law in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter, and it was eventually extended to a month and signed into law by President George H.W. Bush in 1992.
Why do we need an AAPI month?
In 1882 the notorious Chinese Exclusion Act was put into effect, which essentially banned all Chinese immigrants (not coincidentally after Chinese laborers finished the transcontinental railroad). These were followed by the Gentleman’s Agreement of 1907, which restricted Japanese immigration to the U.S., and the 1924 Asian Exclusion Act, which restricted any Asian immigration until the 1960s.
While AAPI Heritage month is an opportunity to raise awareness and teach the general public about this dark history, it is also a much-needed time of celebration, to instill pride in one’s heritage.
AAPI Statistics
AAPI communities consist of approximately 50 ethnic groups speaking over 100 languages. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, there are 24 million—and counting—Asian Americans in the United States, people who trace their roots to East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia.The Pew Research Center found that Asians are the fastest-growing ethnic group, making up about 7 percent of the total U.S. population.
How to celebrate AAPI Month
Here is an interesting documentary Asian American, a five-part documentary series from PBS. or for a quick read this article by Reader’s Digest is also very informative!
HR Director, Minakshi Arora put together an informative document on the significance of the observance of Ramadan & Eid Al-Fitr. Please see the attachment for more information!
Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8th and is one of the most important days of the year to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness about women’s equality, lobby for accelerated gender parity, and fundraise for female-focused charities. This year DEI March Volunteers, Aditi Beohar, Minakshi Aurora, and Veena Desai interviewed Dr. Vidya Viswanath to know her experience playing multiple roles especially during the pandemic and yet achieving her goals!! Thanks to Bhalin Ramabhadran for helping us connect with her.HAPPY WOMEN’S DAY TO ALL CORRA WOMEN !!!
Wayne Winborne spoke with the council on various topics surrounding the African American community & helped council members learn how to be an ally. Click below to watch!
This week spanning November 13th through the 20th is recognized as Transgender awareness week culminating with the Transgender Day of Remembrance, an annual observance on November 20 that honors the memory of the transgender people whose lives have been lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.
What is Transgender Day of Remembrance?
Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) was 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. The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester’s death and began an important tradition that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.
“Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people — sometimes in the most brutal ways possible –, it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice.”
Who was Rita Hester? And did her death inspire a movement?
Rita Hester was murdered two days before her 35th birthday.
On the evening of Nov. 28, 1998, police found the African-American transgender woman in her apartment, stabbed in the chest a staggering 20 times. She was somehow still alive but died from cardiac arrest as soon as she arrived at the hospital.
For the transgender community in Boston, it was as if the sun had suddenly gone out.
“Rita was renowned and infamous,” Reverend Irene Monroe, a speaker at the 1998 vigil for Hester, told The Daily Beast. “Everybody knew her, especially in the trans community and in the African-American LGBTQ communities.”
… years later, violence against transgender people hasn’t abated. Now, at least, it can no longer be ignored. On Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), which is observed every Nov. 20, advocates around the world hold vigils to honor Hester, and to memorialize those who have been killed both before and since her murder. – Daily Beast
Sadly, 2021 has already seen at least 47 transgender or gender non-conforming people fatally shot or killed by other violent means. We say at least because too often these stories go unreported — or misreported. In previous years, the majority of these people were Black and Latinx transgender women.
In 2020, HRC tracked a record number of violent fatal incidents against transgender and gender non-conforming people. A total of 44 fatalities were tracked by HRC, marking 2020 as the most violent year on record since HRC began tracking these crimes in 2013.
It’s important to take a moment to also acknowledge the incredible contributions to society made by trans and gender-nonconforming individuals. In so doing, the question becomes, How do we celebrate and preserve the contributions of trans thinkers and artists?
The transgender community has gone through a history of being underrepresented on-screen until the past several years. Today, there’s a variety of trans stories that add to a catalog of movies that have evidently improved over time. With the success of television shows like Pose, which shows unique and exciting stories of trans people, and Euphoria, which includes a coming-of-age story featuring a transgender character, there is growth in positive and accurate representation. We recommend the following films:
Director Sam Feder and executive producer Laverne Cox serve up a survey of trans representation on film, shaping the narrative around personal reflections from interview subjects, all of whom are trans. There are countless examples of trans characters being portrayed as evil and duplicitous or sad and pathetic; most of the time, trans characters die before the end of the story. When viewed all at once, this history is as surprising as it is troubling. From D.W. Griffith to “Law and Order: SVU,” “Disclosure” offers an accessible, moving, and in-depth account of trans representation in media. In making the film, Feder and Cox are rewriting the very history they set out to tell, adding one more title to the “positive representation” list. That alone is worth coming out for. – Indywire
If you love Pose, you’ve got to watch the film that started it all. This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City’s African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. Made over seven years, Paris Is Burning offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion “houses,” from fierce contests for trophies to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women—including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza—Paris Is Burning brings it, celebrating the joy of movement, the force of eloquence, and the draw of community. – Criterion Collection
This gut-wrenching film is based on the true story of Brandon Teena, a trans teen who was sexually assaulted and murdered in 1993. He begins a romance with a cis woman in their close-minded Nebraska town before violence finds him, in a heartbreaking story that will stay with you. Academy award winning performance by Hillary Swank – Indy Wire
Set in Kansas City, this tender documentary follows four trans kids over five years, shrewdly focusing on families and kids in America’s so-called “heartland.” While filmmaker Sharon Liese is not trans, she artfully navigates the nuances of some complicated narrative turns, assuring “Transhood” avoids the usual pitfalls to focus on their humanity. As legal challenges to trans kids’ human rights continue to follow a sinister path through conservative courts, “Transhood” is a vital record of what it’s like to grow up trans. – Indy Wire
November marks National Native American Heritage Month. This is a time to honor the great contributions, history & traditions of Native peoples while also taking the time to acknowledge the hardships they face, both past and present. Today, over 4.5 million people make up about Native American population which is decedents of those that first populated North America more than 12,000 years ago.
The history of Native people has long been marred by the inequities that they have been forced to overcome. Researchers say that some 10 million Native people populated what is now known as the United States prior to the arrival of European adventurers. Since then, tribal people have been constantly forced to adapt to new climates, unthinkable injustice, and a growing number of social issues.
Despite this painful history marked by unjust actions against them, Native peoples have persevered. In the words of our Presidential Administration “During National Native American Heritage Month, we celebrate the countless contributions of Native peoples past and present, honor the influence they have had on the advancement of our society, and recommit ourselves to upholding trust and treaty responsibilities, strengthening Tribal sovereignty, and advancing Tribal self-determination.”
In honor of this, we have put together some well-known (and not so well-known) facts about these great people to help spread awareness.
Historians believe that the United States Constitution was modeled after the “The Great Law of Peace” the constitution of the Iroquois Confederacy. It is believed that Benjamin Franklin studied it in detail.
Population of Natives Peoples are on the rise. Their population grew by 86% from 2010 to 2020 per the census. However, they still battle mental and physical health issues at an alarming rate with a teen suicide rate 2.5x of any other ethnic or racial groups and have 5x more Covid-related deaths by percentage.
In 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, which empowered the federal government to take Native-held land east of Mississippi and forcibly relocate Native people from their homes in Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Florida and Tennessee to “Indian territory” in what is now Oklahoma. “The Trail of Tears” is one of the most notable relocation events in which 4000 Natives lost their lives
During World War II, the United States government enlisted the help of Native Americans, known as code talkers, who used the Navajo language to transmit top-secret information to allied forces. Much of this information was classified until 2002 when congress passed the Code Talkers Recognition Act. Overall, some tribes had as much as 70% participation in the war effort. This was more than any other ethnic or racial group on record.
Many warrior Native American women fought alongside men. The most famous of these was probably Buffalo Calf Road Woman, a member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe who fought in the Battle of the Rosebud and the Battle of Little Bighorn. In fact, according to the elders of the Northern Cheyenne tribe, it was she who dealt Custer his final deadly blow.
It wasn’t until 1924 that Native Americans were granted citizenship after Congress enacted the Indian Citizenship Act. While Native Americans were also given the right to vote in 1924, it took another 40 years for all 50 states to allow them voting rights.
There are currently 574 tribes recognized in North America. Cherokee are the largest tribe with over 800,000 people
Native American had many contributions (both big and small) to current days culture that include building & home construction techniques, textiles, sports (Hockey & Lacrosse) and even popcorn
Many Native American tribes covet their hair. Each tribe has different teachings. Some members do not ever cut their hair due to the belief it connects one to their ancestors. Some only trim their hair on a full moon or when they experience a significant loss. For some (if/when they cut their hair), they do not discard it. Instead, they burn it with sweetgrass or sage.
We have Native American heritage right here within Corra! Cali is a member of the Acoma tribe based in New Mexico and Brandon’s family are members of the Osage Nation based in Oklahoma! We would love to hear from other Corrans about their tribal affiliation!
Here are some recommended documentaries and books for you to learn more about Native American History. We’d love for each person to pick a book or documentary from the list and join the discussion with what topic you were especially moved by:
Major Problems in the History of North American Borderlands by Pekka Hamalainen
In our April meeting, we reviewed Q1 as a council. What worked? Any feedback received and considerations for future months.
Council Representatives volunteered to lead the work of the council each quarter. For Q2, Bobby Graziose & Cat McLean have volunteered to partner and be our representatives. We discussed that this representative will ensure those who signed up are meeting, contributing, and can publish the initiative, with HR always available to help.
April has Holocaust Remembrance Day also known in the Jewish community as “Yom Hashoah.” This annual day of remembrance of the victims is observed by Jewish communities worldwide.
Katie shared this great article for those interested in more information on Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The Council is proud to announce that we will be hosting a speaker named Renate Frdyman Ph.D., author of Anschel’s Story: Determined to Survive. Renate has been involved with Holocaust education and remembrance since the 1960s. She is curator and docent for the Holocaust Exhibit, Prejudice & Memory, at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton which has over a million visitors a year. Renate is producer and interviewer for the video series, Faces of the Holocaust, which was produced at Wright State University in 1985 and 1995. She is a member of the Ohio Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education since its inception in 1986. Renate founded the Holocaust Education Committee and Dayton Holocaust Resource Center and remains active with both. She emphasizes the harm that comes with racism and bullying in all her speeches to students. Her book is her tribute to her husband of 51 years, Anschel Frydman, who was 11 years old when the Nazis invaded Poland. The book tells the heart-stopping story of his unusual courage and uncanny luck as he faced ghettos, fatal line-ups, enslavement in work camps, and years of survival as a partisan in Polish forests. See the session below:
In continuation of our DEI (diversity, equality, and inclusion) initiative this month our focus has been on Gender Equality and Women’s History Month.
March was observed all around the world as both Gender Equality Month and Women’s History Month, with March 8th marking International Women’s Day (IWD), a date to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women around the world.
Many of our employees took a pledge to challenge inequality which was the theme for 2021 #ChooseToChallenge. Check out the post on Linkedin.
But observing International Women’s Day is meaningless if we simply post on social media. We want to challenge Corrans to internalize and reflect on what equality means to each of us. How can we personally take action or challenge ourselves to enable equality?
In support of these activities it would be great if we all could share the links above. We would love to attract more diverse talent with these efforts. Thanks all!
“We’ve begun to raise daughters more like sons…but few have the courage to raise our sons more like our daughters.”
The DEI Council held its second meeting on Thursday, February 4th, where we discussed a number of important items. First, we discussed the monthly topics, volunteer responsibilities, and what that content should look like. The Council members are asked to sign up, suggest new topics and contribute to those topics, and work to create content for topics that they have signed up for. Members in a shared topic should start discussing their plan for that month. Members are asked to share what you worked on with the rest of the Council in the DEI slack.
We introduced the DEI Blog and how we will use the website to house our DEI initiatives. We talked through how to share content with the company and Bobby suggested including the blog in the monthly huddle so that the content can be shared with the company outside of Slack & Namely.
We introduced the idea of Council Representative(s) beginning in Q2 2021. Members recommended 2 volunteers and to have quarterly volunteers to keep the burden small. . The representatives will be the voice of the council, to ensure that monthly activities are being fulfilled by the employees who signed up, speak on behalf of the council members, and advocate for the Council to the rest of the company. These Council Representatives will also be our leads for blog ideas and sharing the blog. At our DEI meeting in April, we will accept volunteers in this role. HR will continue to be a resource as needed for the persons in this role.
Danielle discussed DEI & Talent Acquisition and how the talent acquisition team is working on eliminating unconscious bias and how to encourage under-represented people to apply to our jobs via changing our job description language and more.
Katie recommended the Corporate Equality Index and the council agreed to begin working on these initiatives so that we can qualify in the year 2022.
Corra's DEI Blog 