America250 marks the Semiquincentennial as a once-in-a-generation national commemoration—led by the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission and the nonprofit America250—designed to engage every American from local block parties to national signature programs through July 4, 2026. (america250.org)
America Innovates, a multi-day showcase celebrating 250 years of American ingenuity with tech expos, on-stage conversations, and a national startup competition to inspire the next generation of innovators, and America’s Block Party, a synchronized, nationwide Fourth of July celebration with large-scale concerts (including a Los Angeles benefit show and national broadcast events), are signature highlights.
America250 has put together partnerships and public initiatives to strengthen cultural reflection and civic engagement: Events and logistics are powered throughout the year by partnerships with institutions and corporate supporters (such as automotive brand collaborations and cultural organizations), while programs like America Waves invite coordinated moments of national participation.
Civic- and history-focused features include the recently sealed “America’s Time Capsule,” which compiles letters, artifacts, and records to be preserved for 250 years and will be buried in Philadelphia ahead of July 4, 2026—part of broader commemorative programming that ranges from military honors and parades to community service campaigns like America Gives. (america250.org)
Through a calendar of events, including parades, educational programs, museum exhibitions, and volunteer opportunities, America250 encourages state and community commissions to participate both locally and nationally. This allows individuals, schools, and civic organizations to reflect on the country’s past and create a common vision for the next 250 years.
So join the party. As it’s a once a generation celebration its definitely something to commerce. As this experiment in self government has proven itself to be both a positive influence and an enduring formula. While we are not perfect and debates still thrives, the ideas, these foundations of freedoms in this nation have not only endured here, but have been an idea that others around the world aspire to.
May has been designated Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Across the nation, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders contribute to a rich and deeply rooted heritage.
Whether speaking to first, second, third, or fourth-generation immigrants, their impact is powerful and inspiring. From migrant laborers to inventive trailblazers, the month is a time to acknowledge their hardships, culture, achievements, and beliefs.
ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER MONTH HISTORY
Congress first passed a joint resolution in 1978 authorizing the President to proclaim a week-long celebration of Asian and Pacific American heritage. President Jimmy Carter’s proclamation took place on March 28, 1979, and the first Asian and Pacific American Heritage week took place the week of May 4, 1979.
In 1990, the proclamations expanded to a month-long observance. In 1992, Congress passed legislation recognizing the previous proclamations and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and annual designation in May.
President Obama’s proclamation in 2009 expanded the observance to include Pacific Islanders.
International Women’s Day on March 8th each year celebrates the social, economic, and political achievements of women around the world. The day also brings international awareness to gender parity. According to the World Economic Forum, global gender equality is estimated to be achieved by 2133.
Gender equality is the equal access to the same rights and opportunities regardless of gender. These rights and opportunities include:
healthcare
education
employment / economic gain
pay
protection under the law
right to vote
free from violence
Striving for Change
Holding Political Office
Just over 100 years ago, only .2 % of the United States Congress consisted of women. Actually, the 65th Congress was comprised of a single woman. In 1916, Montana elected Republican Jeannette Rankin as the first Congresswoman to hold a federal office. Fast forward to the year 2020 and women hold 23.7% of the U.S. Congressional seats. While that might seem like progress, according to United Nations statistics, the U.S. percentage matches exactly the worldwide average for women in political office.
Education
In many parts of the world, women are less likely to own land, a business, or attend school. Education alone is a powerful tool leading to financial independence for women. Their children reap the rewards, often for generations to come. Additionally, but when the women of a community prosper, so does the community. Educated women and girls are more likely to educate their offspring. They also have a better understanding of healthcare and understand their rights.
Equal Pay
According to the United Nations, more than half of the world’s poorest people are women. International Women’s Day strives to bring economic power to women who aren’t allowed to work for pay or work for low wages. And despite strides in industrialized countries, there’s still work to do there, too.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY HISTORY
International Women’s Day origins can be traced back to the early 1900s when women became more politically active and took an invested and vocal role in steering their course toward voting rights, fair pay, working conditions, and representation under the law
HOW TO OBSERVE #InternationalWomensDay
Around the world, organizations, communities, and individuals organize events focused on the mission of gender parity, celebrating the achievements of women worldwide and education.
Attend a lecture, seminar or festival
Organize an event
Speak or perform at a local fundraiser
Participate in a march for women’s equal rights
Learn about the women who paved the way for many of the rights and freedoms we have today
Become involved in your local, state or national political system
Invite others to join you, including other women, sons, brothers, sisters, and daughters
Besides tagging your photographs and post with these has tags, you can also do the following:
• Share content or retweet amessage that might be relevant to the theme of International Women’s Day 2024 • You can use thelogo of the international women day on your blog, website or on your Facebook’s cover photo. Alternatively, you can also use the IWD logo in your email signatures • The official colour of International Women’s Day is purple. You can wear a purple shirt to work, use purple in your websites, blogs or social media. You can also make a video or presentation on the theme of International Women’s Day 2022 and post it on your social media account to raise awareness about the different issues that women from different backgrounds all over the world are forced to fight everyday.
In April 2013 I suffered a brain hemorrhage stroke with complications. Everyday I face the limitations this has caused. I strive to interact with the world and proudly wear the titles, webmistress, magazine publisher, content creator. Support through these avenues helps me maintain my independence in the world.
On January 20th, the International Day of Acceptance encourages everyone to embrace those of all abilities. The day also supports those with disabilities to realize they are not living disabled. Instead, they are living.
Did you know that 15 percent of the world’s population has some form of disability? Up to 190 million people around the globe have a significant disability. In many places, they are often ostracized, live in poverty, and cannot get an education. In many instances, people with disabilities are seen for what they can’t do instead of what they can.
Thankfully, in some countries, this is changing. Society is recognizing the need to include those with all abilities. Society is also recognizing that those with disabilities have rights. Their voice matters. They have the power to make a difference in the world. Just look at this list of famous people who have gained acceptance and have become a powerful voice:
Musician Andrea Boccelli who is visually impaired
Actress Marlee Matlin who is deaf
Actor Daniel Radcliffe who has dyspraxia
Motivational speaker Nick Vujicic who was born without arms and legs
Comedian Josh Blue who has cerebral palsy
Dancer Sudha Chandran who has a prosthetic leg
Many other world-changers didn’t let their disability stop them. Some include Helen Keller, Ludwig van Beethoven, Stephen Hawking, Thomas Edison, and Rosa May Billinghurst.
Now is the time to fully embrace who you are. It’s time to celebrate abilities rather than disabilities, exceed the expectations that others have for you and that you have for yourself, and accept all people for who they are!
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACCEPTANCE HISTORY
In 2007, Annie Hopkins and her brother Stevie created a company called 3E Love. Annie and her brother both had disabilities. The goal of 3E Love was to spread this message: “Embrace diversity. Educate your community. Empower each other. Love life.” She developed a wheelchair heart logo as an International symbol of acceptance. Annie passed away unexpectedly on January 20th, 2009. To honor her legacy and continue the message of 3E Love, her family and friends created the International Day of Acceptance. The first event was held on January 20th, 2010.
Explore More…
HOW TO OBSERVE #DayOfAcceptance
The day encourages those with disabilities to share their acceptance stories. Another way to celebrate this day is to display the International Symbol of Acceptance, the “wheelchair heart.” To participate:
Learn ways to embrace and empower people of all abilities.
Teach your children to be inclusive of those who might be different than them.
Donate to an organization that protects the rights of those with disabilities.
If you have a disability, share how acceptance from others makes you feel.
Martin Luther King Jr Day, on the third Monday in January, honors the American clergyman, activist, Civil Rights Movement leader. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.(January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience. King has become a national icon in the history of American progressivism. Hundreds of streets in the U.S. have been renamed in his honor.
A gifted and friendly student, King attended Morehouse College, where he earned a BA in sociology. Combining a passion for racial equality with a rediscovered spirituality, King then attended Crozer Theological Seminary following in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps earning a Bachelors of Divinity.
Shortly after he completed his Ph.D. in theology at Boston University in 1955, a 42-year-old Rosa Parks (See Rosa Parks Day, which is observed December 1) refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. The opportunity for the NAACP to bring their civil rights efforts to the forefront was before them, and they chose King to lead the successful city-wide boycott of the Montgomery transit system.
Young Civil Rights Movement
Just over a year later, King, along with over 60 other ministers and activists, founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Together they coordinated non-violent protests and gave a voice to the young civil rights movement.
Through the next twelve years, King would be influential in organizing marches, sit-ins, and political rallies for civil rights. During a 1963 March on Washington, D.C. for Jobs and Freedom, King spoke before more than 200,000 regarding the challenges African Americans face. His “I Have a Dream” speech has gone down in many history books as one of the greatest speeches ever given. Brutally honest, a call to action, and a vision of hope, King’s speech resonated throughout the nation.
Selma
In early 1964, during a march outside Selma, 1,500 men and women met a wall of state troopers. There, King led the marchers in prayer and successfully avoided any confrontation with authorities. On July 2, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. That same year, King became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for his unswerving work in the Civil Rights Movement.
In early 1965, Selma, Alabama, became the center of the Civil Rights movement. A new voting rights legislation was introduced in Congress. It proposed banning literacy tests and mandating federal oversight where tests were administered. Additionally, it gave the U.S. attorney general the duty of challenging the use of poll taxes for state and local elections. Televised violence in February of that year resulted in the death of Jimmie Lee Jackson. King’s presence and President Johnson’s support of the marchers helped bring peace. Throughout the next month, marchers continued between Selma and Montgomery. Congress passed the Voting Rights Act in August of that year.
Author, speaker, father, theologian, activist. King died on April 4, 1968, when James Earl Ray assassinated him in Memphis, Tennessee. King arrived in Memphis with other SCLC members in support of a sanitation workers’ strike. They were staying at the Lorraine Motel when Ray’s bullet struck King on the balcony. Riots and violence would follow, and President Johnson would call for peace, referring to King as the “apostle of nonviolence.”
While President Ronald Reagan signed the established observance into law in 1983, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first observed as a U.S. federal holiday in 1986.
Photo and clip art by: <p><a href=”https://www.fg-a.com”>Free Animations – Clipart – Animated Gifs</a></p>
HOW TO OBSERVE #MartinLutherKingJrDay
Many schools, businesses, and government offices are closed during Martin Luther King Jr Day. Schools hold programs or teach curricula engaging students in Civil Rights history and lessons throughout the week. Learn more about the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Watch one of the documentaries or read one of the books listed below:
Use #MartinLutherKingJrDay to post on social media.
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