Cultural Materials
Diversity Resources
Heritage Months
Throughout the year, the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity celebrates national heritage months with the release of a heritage guide and Spotlights focusing on diverse employees at Johns Hopkins Medicine and in the greater Johns Hopkins community.
Heritage Months Celebrated at Johns Hopkins
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National Black History Month was first observed in 1926, when Carter G. Woodson proposed celebrating what he called Negro History Week to recognize the tremendous contributions of African Americans throughout U.S. history.
- Learn more about National Black History Month.
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National Women’s History Month was first observed as National Women’s Day on Feb. 28, 1909. Later, in 1987, Congress designated March as Women’s History Month to recognize all American women and the role they play in our nation’s life.
- Learn more about National Women’s History Month
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National Asian and Pacific Islander Month began as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week, first observed under President Jimmy Carter in 1979 and later expanded to cover the whole month of May by President George Bush in 1990.
- Learn more about National Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
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Pride Month began as a commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall riots, when members of the LGBTQ+ community took a stance against discrimination and violence toward the community. In 1999, President Bill Clinton issued a proclamation in which Gay Pride Day was expanded to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month.
- Learn more about LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
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Since 1968, Americans all over the nation have observed National Hispanic Heritage Month by celebrating the vast histories, cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
- Learn more about National Hispanic Heritage Month (English).
- Learn more about National Hispanic Heritage Month (En Español).
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National Disability Employment Awareness Month aims to educate about disability employment issues and celebrate the many and varied contributions of America’s workers with disabilities.
- Learn more about NDEAM.
- Public Service Announcement
- JHM Office of Diversity, Inclusion & Health Equity Disability Accommodations Education Webinars
- JHU Disability DEI Education Resources
- JHHS Office of Organizational Equity
- JHU Office of Institutional Equity
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National Native American Heritage Month, also referred to as National American Indian Heritage Month, began as Native American Awareness Week, authorized by Congress in 1976 after six decades of efforts to achieve official federal recognition of the contributions of Native Americans.
Learn more about National Native American Heritage Month.
Reshaping the Journey: American Indians and Alaska Natives in Medicine
Religious and Cultural Observances
Expanding our knowledge of the diverse cultural and faith traditions of our patients, faculty members, staff members and students helps strengthen our relationships with one another and positively impacts the quality of patient care.
The Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity and the Department of Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy have compiled this list of religious and cultural observances, to provide general information about cultural and religious observances, and how they may impact interactions with colleagues, students, and patients and their family members.
Use these fact sheets as guides for supporting our patients, staff members, faculty members and students. Please keep in mind that they are intended to provide a general overview, and the information may not apply to all individuals in any given culture or faith.
For additional information, or to recommend additional religious or cultural observances we should highlight in a future year calendar, contact the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity at [email protected] Download the 2024 Multicultural Calendar
2024 Religious & Cultural Observances
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- 1 New Year’s Day
- 6 Epiphany (Three Kings Day)
- 7 Orthodox Christmas
- 14 Makar Sankranti
- 15 Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- 17 Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti
- 27 Holocaust Remembrance Day
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National Black History Month
- 7 National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
- 10 Lunar New Year
- 10 Losar Baha’i
- 14 Ash Wednesday (Lent Begins for Western Christianity)
- 19 Presidents Day
- 25–29 Ayyám-i-Há Baha’i
- 29–3/19 Month of Fast Baha’i
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National Women’s History Month
Irish-American Heritage Month
- 8 International Women’s Day
- 8 Maha Shivaratri Hindu
- 10–4/8 Ramadan (Month of Fasting) Islam
- 17 St. Patrick’s Day
- 18 Clean Monday (Lent Begins for Eastern Orthodox
Churches) - 19 Taoist Festival honoring the Shen of Water, East and
Spring - 19–20 Nowruz/Naw-Ruz
- 20–26 National LGBTQ Health Awareness Week
- 23–24 Purim Jewish
- 24 Memorial of Christ Death Jehovah’s Witnesses
- 24 Palm Sunday
- 24 Tao-te Tien-tsun (High Pure One)
- 24–25 Holi Hindu
- 29 Good Friday/Holy Friday
- 31 Easter (Western Christianity)
- 31 Transgender Day of Visibility
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Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month
- 4 Qingming Festival Chinese
- 9 Ugadi/Gudi Padwa Hindu
- 9–10 Eid-al-Fitr Islam
- 13 Vaisakhi Sikh/Hindu
- 14-16 Cambodian New Year/Khmer New Year
- 19–5/1 Festival of Ridvan Baha’i
- 22–30 Passover Jewish
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Jewish American Heritage Month
National Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
- 1 Beltane Wiccan
- 5 Cinco de Mayo Mexican Heritage
- 5 Easter (Greek/Eastern Orthodox)
- 5 Visakha Puja Buddhist
- 5–6 Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day)
- 18 Armed Forces Day
- 19 National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness
Day - 19 Pentecost (Western Christianity)
- 22–23 Declaration of the Báb Baha’i
- 22 Harvey Milk Day
- 23 Visakha Bucha Buddhist
- 27 Memorial Day
- 27–28 Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh Baha’i
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Caribbean American Heritage Month
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month
- 10 Dragon Boat Festival Chinese
- 11–13 Shavuot Jewish
- 15–16 Eid-al-Adha Islam
- 19 Juneteenth (Emancipation and End of Slavery)
- 23 Pentecost (Eastern Orthodox)
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- 4 Independence Day
- 7–8/4 Al-Hijra/Muharram Islam New Year
- 8–9 Martyrdom of the Báb Baha’i
- 16–17 Ashura Islam
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- 7 Thiru Aadi Pooram Hindu
- 12–13 The Fast of Tisha B’av Jewish
- 15 Dormition of the Theotokos
- 19 Raksha Bandhan (Rakhi) Hindu
- 26 Krishna Janmashtami Hindu
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Hispanic Heritage Month. Sept. 15–Oct. 15
- 2 Labor Day
- 8 Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- 14 Exaltation of the Holy Cross
- 17 Chinese Celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival
- 22 Mabon (Autumnal Equinox)
- 22 Taoist Festival honoring Shen of Winds, West, Autumn
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German American Heritage Month
Italian American Heritage Month
National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Polish American Heritage Month
- 2–4 Rosh Hashanah Jewish
- 3–12 Navratri Hindu
- 11 Double Ninth Festival Chinese
- 11 National Coming Out Day
- 11–12 Yom Kippur Jewish
- 12 Vijayadashami/Dussehra Hindu
- 16–18 Sukkot Jewish
- 18–23 Chol Hamoed Sukkot Chinese
- 23–25 Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah Jewish
- 31 Diwali (Indian Festival of Lights) Indian
- 31–11/1 Samhain Gaelic
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National Native American Heritage Month
- 1 All Saints’ Day
- 1–3 Twin Holy Days Baha’i
- 1–2 Día de los Muertos (Mexican Heritage)
- 11 Veterans Day
- 13–19 Transgender Awareness Week
- 20 Transgender Day of Remembrance
- 24–25 Day of the Covenant
- 28 Thanksgiving Day
- 29 Native American Heritage Day
- 26–27 Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Baha’i
- 28–1/6 Nativity Fast
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- 1 World AIDS Day
- 1–12/24 Advent
- 20 Yalda (Winter Solstice)
- 21 Dongzhi Festival
- 21–1/1 Yule (Winter Solstice) Wiccan
- 25–1/2 Hanukkah Jewish
- 23 HumanLight
- 25 Christmas Day Christian
- 26–1/1 Kwanzaa
Religious and Cultural Toolkit
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Multicultural Calendar
Keep track of holidays and paydays at Johns Hopkins Medicine by downloading the Multicultural Calendar. The calendar notes the holidays and observances celebrated by our rich community. You can also pick up a calendar from your organization's human resources office.
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Add Your Event to the Calendar
Do you know of an event that promotes diversity, inclusion, and cultural competency at and within Johns Hopkins Medicine? If so, email us at [email protected]. If you would like our office to collaborate or sponsor an upcoming event, include that information as well.