January
18-25 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
27 United Nations International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust
February
Black History Month
1-7 World Interfaith Harmony Week
20 World Day of Social Justice
March
21 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
21-27 Week of Solidarity with the Peoples Struggling Against Racism and Discrimination
April
Arab Heritage Month (Arab-America)
22 Earth Day United Nations2
May
Asian Heritage Month (Canadian Government)
Haitian Heritage Month3
21 World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
June
Canadian Indigenous History Month
20 World Refugee Day
21 Treaty Day/National Indigenous Peoples Day (Canada)
July
(We currently have no relevant dates listed for July)
August
9 International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
23 International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
September
Hispanic Heritage Month (United States)
30 Orange Shirt Day (honouring Indigenous Peoples who were sent to residential schools – Canada)
October
Mi’kmaq History Month (Nova Scotia)
1 Treaty Day (Nova Scotia)
2 International Day of Non-Violence
4 Sisters In Spirit (Canadian Day for Remembering Missing and Murdered Women and Girls)
17 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
November
16 International Day of Tolerance United Nations
December
2 International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
18 International Migrants Day United Nations
*Notes on Heritage Days
- It is acknowledged that this list is by no means exhaustive. It is simply offered as a place to start.
- Most “International Days of” are United Nations declarations.
- There are number of nationality “Heritage Months” out there (and it’s sometimes difficult to say who has declared it to be such): Irish, Italian, German, etc. However, the above dates have been chosen in relation to the populations that would be considered “racialized people” within the North American (Canadian) context.
- Last updated March 6, 2020
- Note that there are multiple commemorations of this tragedy, some with moveable dates. The UN day is included here since it is consistently on this date.
- The emphasis is certainly environmental. We include it here for consideration of a much broader definition of “Earth” to include racial diversity and health.
- No national or international group outside of Haiti seems to have adopted this; however, it is recognized locally in American cities and counties with significant Haitian populations (e.g. Miami Beach, Florida)