Community Involvement

Calendar for Community Involvement

April is Stress Awareness Month—a time to promote public awareness about what stress is, what causes it, and what can be done about it. Many public workers face job- and family-related stress. Could your council/local union sponsor a stress-reduction program?

April 3: Don't Go To Work Unless It's Fun Day—encourages people to enjoy their work, not just endure it.

April 5: Booker T. Washington's Birthday—the African American educator and leader was born in 1856.

April 8: Poll Tax Outlawed Anniversary—on this date in 1966, a three-judge court in Jackson outlawed Mississippi's $2 poll tax as a voting requirement for state and local elections.

April 14-20: National Library Week—promotes use and support for all types of libraries and makes the public aware of the many services they provide. Let's salute all AFSCME library workers during their special week.

April 15-19: Talking Book Week—recognizes volunteers and organizations who provide reading and informational services for the visually impaired. Many AFSCME locals provide copies of the union contract on tape or in Braille for members with visual impairments.

April 21-27: Explore Your Career Options Week—aspiring to a new career? Interested in more opportunities in your present one? Get a fresh start by taking stock of all available options—including your union contract.

April 24: Professional Secretaries Day—a time to acknowledge the contributions of all office professionals and their vital roles in business, industry, education, and government. Let's give a resounding cheer for all the AFSCME-represented office professionals who make our country run.

April 28: Workers Memorial Day—a day to commemorate workers injured or killed on the job. It's a time to draw attention to and educate workers about their rights to workplace health and safety—and to fight for improvements in those rights. Many AFSCME councils/local unions sponsor activities on this day. Does yours?

May is Asian Pacific Heritage Month—a time to recognize the contributions those of Asian Pacific ancestry have made to our country. This would be a good time for a program on the cultural influences that have come to us from lands across the Pacific Ocean.

May 1-5: Cartoon Art Appreciation Week—to create a greater public awareness of and appreciation for the contribution of cartoons to the artistic, social, and historic fabric of Americana. Are there members of your local union who are skilled cartoonists? Have you ever asked them to draw cartoons for union publications or special events?

May 6: National Nurses Day—honors the efforts of nurses everywhere to strengthen the health of the nation. Let's thank them all and support their efforts as advocates for patients.

May 6-12: Public Service Recognition Week—an opportunity to thank the "unsung heroes and heroines" of the public workforce. They make our lives better every day!

May 8: National Third Shift Workers Day—shows appreciation for those often-forgotten workers who toil through the night to provide necessary services. Let them know they're not invisible. Celebrate!

May 12: National Transportation Week—a time to reflect on the important role transportation workers play in maintaining the quality of American life. Thanks to all those workers—whether on land, sea, or in the air—who help make our daily lives more livable.

May 15: Peace Officer Memorial Day—commemorated by some 21,000 police departments nationwide.

May 18: First of Muharram (Islamic New Year)—the year 1417 of the Islamic era, or the Era of the Hegira, begins at sunset on this day. Different Muslim sects or groups may use different methods to determine the new year.

May 25: Philip Murray's Birthday—the leader of the United Mine Workers who became a founder of the Congress of Industrial Organizations was born 110 years ago today.

May 26: Sally Ride's Birthday—one of the first seven women in the U.S. astronaut corps and the first American woman in space turns 45 today.

June 1: Tennessee Admission Day—the 200th anniversary of the day Tennessee became our 16th state. A tip of the hat to all our AFSCME sisters and brothers in the Volunteer State.

June 6: Career Nurse Assistants Day—recognizes those nurse assistants who provide care to all ill, elderly, and long-term patients. It's a job that takes patience and commitment—like the jobs of many other AFSCME members.

June 15: Arkansas Admission Day Anniversary—on this day 160 years ago, Arkansas became our 25th state. Hail to all AFSCME members in the Land of Opportunity!

June 17: South Africa Repeals Last Apartheid Law Anniversary—five years ago today, the Parliament of South Africa repealed the law, first enacted in 1950, that required the classification by race—white, mixed race, Asian, or black—of all South Africans at birth.

June 28: Clara Maass Day—commemorates the birth 120 years ago of the he-roic nurse who gave her life in the yellow fever experiments of 1901.

June 29: William Mayo's Birthday—the American surgeon, one of the brothers who established the Mayo Clinic, was born 135 years ago.

June 30: Twenty-sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution Ratified—the 25th anniversary of the day we gained an additional 11 million eligible voters age 18 or over.