Calendar Highlights: May
The Berkley Schools printed calendar highlights heritage months, holidays, days of observances and recognition days. In the Berkley Beat, we’ll highlight these days with more information for community learning to help us achieve the District goal of creating an environment where all staff, students and community members feel a sense of belonging.
May is Jewish American Heritage Month
May is Jewish American Heritage Month. On April 20, 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed that May would be Jewish American Heritage Month to honor the contributions and achievements of Jewish Americans and to educate all Americans. It’s been continued every year since then by Presidential Proclamation. Jewish American Heritage Month is a celebration of the contributions and experiences of Jewish Americans and highlights how America’s Jewish communities have shaped, and been shaped, by the cultural, social, and economic fabric of the United States.
Learn more about Jewish American Heritage Month:
- Contemporary Jewish Books in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month
- The First Jewish Americans: New-York Historical Society
- Gallery of Michigan’s Jewish History
- Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) website
May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month is a celebration of people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent in the United States. A broad term, Asian/Pacific encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island).
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week was first signed into law by President Carter on October 5, 1978. During the next decade, presidents passed annual proclamations for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week until 1992 when Congress annually designated May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.
The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese person 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.
Source: Asian & Pacific American Heritage Month website
Resources to learn more about Asian/Pacific Heritage Month:
- Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center: http://smithsonianapa.org/
- A Care Package: The Asian Pacific American Center's online exhibition curated with love in difficult times. This exhibition includes short films, poems, music, and meditations. https://smithsonianapa.org/care/
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
Since its inception in 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month has been a cornerstone of addressing the challenges faced by millions of Americans living with mental health conditions. Mental health refers to our emotional and social well-being and impacts how we think, feel and behave. It plays a role in connecting with others, making decisions, handling stress, and many other aspects of daily life.
The Berkley School District has many resources available for families on our Emotional Support and Wellness Resources webpage. https://www.berkleyschools.org/parents/emotional-health--wellness/ From emergency hotlines to community resources, to mindfulness, to grief and loss resources, our mental health professionals have built a comprehensive site for the community to use.
Additional resources to learn more about Mental Health Awareness Month:
- Mental Health America: https://www.mhanational.org/
- National Alliance on Mental Illness https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Awareness-Events/Mental-Health-Awareness-Month
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration https://www.samhsa.gov/programs/mental-health-awareness-month
Cinco De Mayo - May 5
Cinco de Mayo, which translates to the fifth of May and is celebrated on May 5, is a holiday recognizing when the Mexican army claimed victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War on May 5, 1862, according to History. Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day (September 16), a popular misconception. Instead, it commemorates a single battle. Today, Cinco De Mayo celebrations are more popular in the United States than Mexico.
Learn more on the National Geographic Kids website and Britannica website.
National Teacher Appreciation Day - May 6
National Teacher Appreciation Day is on Tuesday during the first full week in May as a reminder to show appreciation for teachers everywhere. The National Education Association describes National Teacher Day, "as a day for honoring teachers and recognizing the lasting contributions they make to our lives."
In Berkley Schools, it allows the District to say thank you to all our outstanding teachers for all they do for their students.
Memorial Day - May 26
Memorial Day is a Federal holiday, held on the last Monday in May to honor fallen U.S. soldiers. It is a day of remembrance to honor those who served the country and made the ultimate sacrifice.
Memorial Day began as Decoration Day after the Civil War, when flowers were placed on graves of the fallen, with the first national celebration held at Arlington National Cemetery, May 30, 1868. In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act which moved several federal holidays, including Memorial Day, to designated Mondays—creating three-day weekends for federal workers. The change officially took effect in 1971, establishing the final Monday in May as Memorial Day.
