Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
UI Health Celebrates Diversity
Inclusion Calendar
UI Health CHAMPIONS
Black History Month
Women's History Month
Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month
LGBTQ+ Pride Month
Disability Pride Month
Hispanic Heritage Month
Native American Heritage Month
Jewish American Heritage Month
Inclusion Calendar
The UI Health Inclusion Calendar was created to build overall awareness of cultural and heritage months and celebrations. We hope to expand knowledge of American culture as many dates honor anniversaries of events in US history and to promote enhanced communication and compassion when scheduling events on or near cultural and heritage holidays.
March
Bisexual Health Awareness Month, Social Worker Month, National Irish American Heritage Month, National Nutrition Month, and Women’s History Month
- Employee Appreciation Day
March 3, 2023
- Holika Dahan
March 7, 2023
- Purim
March 6 – 8, 2023 - A Jewish celebration that marks the time when the Jewish community living in Persia was saved from genocide. On Purim, Jewish people dress up in costumes, offer charity, and share food with friends.
- Holi
March 8, 2023 - The annual Hindu and Sikh spring religious festival observed in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, along with other countries with large Hindu and Sikh populations. People celebrate Holi by throwing colored powder and water at each other. Bonfires are lit the day before in memory of the miraculous escape that young Prahlada accomplished when demoness Holika carried him into the fire. It is often celebrated on the full moon (the Phalguna Purnima) before the beginning of the vernal equinox as based on the Hindu calendar
- International Women’s Day
March 8, 2023 - First observed in 1911 in Germany, International Women’s Day is a major global celebration honoring women’s economic, political, and social achievements.
- Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day
March 8, 2023
- Patient Safety Awareness Week
March 12 - 18, 2023
- Healthcare HR Week
March 13 - 17, 2023
- St. Patrick’s Day
March 17, 2023 - Started in Ireland, a holiday to recognize St. Patrick, the patron saint who brought Christianity to that country in the early days of the faith.
- Hindu New Year
March 22, 2023 - First day of Hindu Luni-Solar calendar and beginning celebration of Chaitra Navaratri, a nine-day festival.
- Ugadi/ Gudi Padwa
March 22, 2023 - Springtime festival that marks the new year for Marathi and Konkani Hindus along with Hindus from Central Indian states.
- Beginning of Ramadan
March 23, 2023- April 21, 2023 (observed from sundown until sundown) - Ramadan, an Islamic holiday marked by fasting, praise, prayer, and devotion to Islam.
- Doctor’s Day UI Health Observed
March 20, 2023
- LGBTQ+ Health Awareness Week
March 20 - 24, 2023
- Doctor’s Day
March 30, 2023
- Ram Navami
March 30, 2023 - Hindu day of worship and celebration of the seventh avatar of Vishnu (Lord Rama). Devotees typically wear red and place extravagant flowers on the shrine of the god.
- Anesthesia Technician Day
March 31, 2023
- Trans Day of Visibility (TDOV)
March 31, 2023 - International Transgender Day of Visibility is an annual event occurring on March 31 dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide, as well as a celebration of their contributions to society.
April
Arab American Heritage Month, Autism Acceptance Month, Celebrate Diversity Month, Minority Health Awareness Week, National Volunteer Month, National Donate Life Month, and Occupational Therapy Month
- Patient Access Week
April 3 - 9, 2023
- Passover (Pesach - First Two Days)
April 5 - 7, 2023
- Passover
April 5 - 13, 2023 - An eight-day Jewish holiday in commemoration of the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt.
- Good Friday
April 7, 2023 - A day celebrated by Christians to commemorate the execution of Jesus by crucifixion. It is recognized on the Friday before Easter.
- Easter
April 9, 2023 - A holiday celebrated by Christians to recognize Jesus’ return from death after the crucifixion.
- Black Maternal Health Week
April 11-17, 2023 - On April 10th President Biden officially proclaimed April 11th through April 17, 2023, as Black Maternal Health Week to raise awareness of the state of Black maternal health in the United States. Addressing Black maternal health has been a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration. https://blackmamasmatter.org/2023-black-maternal-health-week/
- Vaisakhi (also known as Baisakhi)
April 14, 2023 - Commemorates the founding of the Sikh community as the Khalsa (community of the initiated) and the birth of the Khalsa. Celebrates justice and creation of a more equal society.
- Press Ganey Engagement Survey
April 17 – May 12, 2023 - Confidential survey for all UI Health employees hired prior to December 12, 2022.
- Laylat al Qadr
April 18, 2023 (observed from sundown until sundown) - The holiest night of the year for Muslims, and is known as the Night of Power. It commemorates the night the Quran was first revealed to the prophet Muhammad and is traditionally celebrated on the twenty-seventh day of Ramadan.
- Eid Al-Fitr
April 21, 2023
- Administrative Professionals Week
April 23 - 29, 2023
- Medical Laboratory Professionals Week
April 23 - 29, 2023 - Last Week in April annually
- Patient Experience Week
April 24 - 28, 2023 - Patient Experience Week is an annual event designed to honor and celebrate all team members who have an impact on patient experience. UI Health activities will involve themes around quality, safety, collaboration, partnership and the ICARE values.
- Administrative Professionals Day
April 26, 2023
May
Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, Better Speech and Hearing Month, Critical Care Recognition Month, Jewish American Heritage Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, National Nurses Month, Older Americans Month, and Oncology Nurses Month
- Nurses Week UI Health Observed
May 1 - 5, 2023
- National Day of Prayer
May 4, 2023 - A day of observance in the United States when people are asked to “turn to God in prayer and meditation.”
- Cinco de Mayo
May 5, 2023 - The holiday commemorates the Mexican Army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861–1867).
- Nurses Day
May 6, 2023
- National Nurses Week
May 6 - 12, 2023
- National Hospital Week
May 7 - 13, 2023
- Lag BaOmer
May 8 - 9, 2023 (observed from sundown until sundown) - Jewish holiday marking the day of hillula of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.
- Healthcare Technology Management Week
May 14 - 20, 2023
- Food Allergy Awareness Week
May 14 - 20, 2023 - from https://www.foodallergy.org/resources/facts-and-statistics
- Speech-Language Pathologists Day
May 18, 2023
- Visakha Puja
May 19, 2023 - Also known as Buddha Day, this Buddhist festival marks Gautama Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death. It falls on the day of the full moon in and is a gazetted holiday in India. Alternative dates of celebration include May 5th and May 19th.
- Bike to Work Day
May 19, 2023
- World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
May 21, 2023 - Established by the United Nations as an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the values of cultural diversity and to learn to live together in harmony. https://www.unesco.org/en/days/cultural-diversity-dialogue-development
- EMS Week
May 21 - 27, 2023
- Shavuot
May 26 - 27, 2023 (observed from sundown until sundown) - Jewish holiday that has double significance. It marks the wheat harvest in Israel and commemorates the anniversary of the day when the Jews received the Torah at Mount Sinai.
- Pentecost
May 28, 2023 - Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles.
- Memorial Day*
May 29, 2023 - Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the United States armed forces. UI Health Holiday
June
Caribbean American Heritage Month, Immigrant Heritage Month, National Cancer Survivor Month, National Safety Month, and LGBTQ+ Pride Month
- HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day
June 5, 2023
- Hand Therapy Week
June 5 - 11, 2023
- Flag Day
June 14, 2023
- Men’s Health Week
June 15 – 21, 2023
- Nursing Assistants Week/CNA Week
June 15 – 21, 2023
- Health Risk Management Week
June 19 - 23, 2023
- Juneteenth*
June 19, 2023 - Also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day. This celebration honors the day in 1865 when slaves in Texas finally learned they were free, two months after the end of the Civil War. June 19, therefore, became the day of emancipation for thousands of African Americans. UI Health Holiday.
- Waqf al Arafa
June 27 - 28, 2023 (observed from sundown until sundown) - The second day of pilgrimage within the Islamic faith.
- Eid al-Adha
June 28 – 29, 2023 (observed from sundown until sundown) - An Islamic festival to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim (also known as Abraham) to follow Allah’s (God’s) command to sacrifice his son, Ishmael. Muslims around the world observe this event.
July
Disability Pride Month
- Dharma Day
July 3, 2023 - Celebration of Buddha’s first teachings.
- Independence Day*
July 4, 2023 - Also known as Fourth of July, this holiday celebrates the passage of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. UI Health Holiday
- International Nonbinary People’s Day
July 14, 2023 - Celebrates the contributions of nonbinary people around the world while also raising awareness and organizing around the many systemic issues they face.
- Disability Independence Day
July 26, 2023 - Celebrates the anniversary of the 1990 signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
- International Day of Friendship
July 30, 2023 - Proclaimed in 2011 by the UN General Assembly with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures, and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.
August
- National Health Center Week
August 6 – 12, 2023
- Obon
August 13 – 15, 2023 - Buddhist festival and Japanese custom that honors the spirits of ancestors.
- Health Unit Coordinator Day
August 23, 2023
- Women’s Equality Day
August 26, 2023 - Congresswoman Bella Abzug first introduced a proclamation for Women’s Equality Day in 1971. The day commemorates the 1920 certification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution that gave women the right to vote. Every US President since 1971 has published a proclamation recognizing August 26 as Women’s Equality Day.
September
Childhood Cancer Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month September 15 - October 15, National Sickle Cell Awareness Month, National Suicide Prevention Month, and Pain Awareness Month
- Labor Day*
September 4, 2023 - A federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the contributions of laborers. UI Health Holiday
- Krishna Janmashtami
September 6, 2023 - Hindu celebration of Lord Vishnu’s most powerful human incarnation, Krishna, the god of love and compassion. Celebrations include praying and fasting.
- Simchat Torah
September 7 - 8, 2023
- Physical Therapy Day
September 8, 2023
- National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week
September 10 - 16, 2023 - Held annually the second week in September, a weeklong celebration of the vital role HBCUs play in molding Black leaders, encouraging high-school aged youth to enroll into HBCU’s, providing scholarship dollars for matriculation, and sustaining a pipeline for employment from undergraduate to corporate America. https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/hbcu-week-conference/2023-national-hbcu-week-conference/
- Housekeeping & Environmental Services Appreciation Week
September 10 - 16, 2023
- Mawlid Al-Nabi
September 10 - 16, 2023 - Observance of the birthday of Islam’s founder, the prophet Muhammad, celebrated during the month of Rabiulawal, the third month of the Muslim calendar. Shi’a Muslims celebrate it five days later than Sunni Muslims.
- Construction Appreciation Week
September 11 - 15, 2023
- National Hispanic Serving Institutions Week
September 11 – 17, 2023
- Rosh Hashanah
September 15 - 16, 2023 (observed from sundown until sundown) - Jewish New Year celebration, marking the creation of the world.
- Ganesh Chaturthi
September 18, 2023 - Hindu holiday lasting approximately ten days, in which the Hindu god, Ganesh, is praised and given offerings.
- International Equal Pay Day
September 18, 2023 - Celebrated for the first time in 2020, represents the long-standing efforts toward the achievement of equal pay for work of equal value. It further builds on the United Nations’ commitment to human rights and its efforts to eliminate all forms of discrimination, including discrimination against women and girls.
- International Day of Peace
September 21, 2023 - Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on September 21st. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire.
- Yom Kippur
September 24 - 25, 2023 (observed from sundown until sundown) - Holiest day on the Jewish calendar, this day of atonement is marked by fasting and ceremonial repentance.
- National Food Service Employees Day
September 26 - 27, 2023
- Sukkot
September 29 - October 6, 2023 - Beginning five days after Yom Kippur, Sukkot celebrates the gathering of the harvest and commemorates the 40 years of Jewish wandering in the desert. Sukkot is named after the booths or huts (sukkot in Hebrew) in which Jews are supposed to dwell during this week-long celebration.
October
Breast Cancer Awareness Month, National Physical Therapy Month, National Pharmacy Month, Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month, LGBTQ+ History Month, and National Hispanic Heritage Month September 15, 2023 - October 15, 2023
- Midwifery Week
October 1 - 7, 2023
- Healthcare Supply Chain Week
October 1 - 7, 2023
- Healthcare Foodservice Workers Week
October 1 - 7, 2023
- Pediatric Nurses Week
October 2 - 6, 2023
- Shemini Atzeret
October 6 - 7, 2023 (observed from sundown until sundown) - Jewish holiday also known as The Eighth (Day) of Assembly, takes place the day after the Sukkot festival, where gratitude for the fall harvest is deeply internalized. Work is traditionally prohibited.
- Simchat Torah
October 7 - 8, 2023 (observed from sundown until sundown) - Jewish holiday, marks the end of the weekly readings of the Torah. The Torah is read from chapter one of Genesis to Deuteronomy 34 and then back to chapter one again, in acknowledgement of the words of the Torah being a never-ending cycle.
- Case Management Week
October 8 - 14, 2023
- Emergency Nurses Week
October 8 - 14, 2023
- National Indigenous Peoples Day
October 9, 2023 - Alternative celebration to Columbus Day, gives recognition to the indigenous populations affected by colonization.
- World Mental Health Day
October 10, 2023
- National Coming Out Day
October 11, 2023 - For those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer, this day celebrates coming out and the recognition of the 1987 march on Washington for gay and lesbian equality.
- Bosses Day
October 16, 2023
- International Pronouns Day
October 18, 2023 - Held annually on the third Wednesday of October. Pronouns Day is celebrated to make respecting, sharing, and educating about personal pronouns more commonplace.
- National Medical Assistant Day
October 18, 2023
- National Massage Therapy Awareness Week
October 22 - 28, 2023
- National Respiratory Care Week
October 22 - 28, 2023
- Pastoral/Spiritual Care Week
October 22 - 28, 2023
November
Home Care & Hospice Month, National Family Caregivers Month, and Native American Heritage Month
- International Pathology Day
November 8, 2023
- Veterans Day
November 11, 2023
- Diwali
November 12, 2023 - The Hindu, Jain, and Sikh five-day festival of lights celebrates new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness.
- Nurse Practitioner Week
November 12 - 18, 2023
- Operating Room Nurse Day
November 14, 2023
- America Recycles Day
November 15, 2023
- Transgender Awareness Week
November 13 - 19, 2023 - Held the week before Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) 11/20. People and organizations work to raise the visibility of transgender people- their contributions and the challenges they face day to day.
- International Men’s Day
November 19, 2023 - Celebrated in over 70 countries this holiday emphasizes issues impacting males.
- Transgender Day of Remembrance
November 20, 2023 - Established in 1998 to memorialize those who have been killed as a result of transphobia and raise awareness of the continued violence endured by the transgender community.
- Thanksgiving*
November 23, 2023 - An autumn harvest holiday and celebration in the United States. UI Health Holiday
- Native American Heritage Day
November 24, 2023 - Held annually on the Friday after Thanksgiving, encourages Americans of all backgrounds to observe and honor Native Americans through appropriate ceremonies and activities. The law establishing the day was signed by President George W. Bush in 2008.
December
- World AIDS Day
December 1, 2023
- National Handwashing Awareness Week
December 3 - 9, 2023
- Advent
December 3 - 24, 2023 - Christian season of celebration leading up to Christmas.
- Hanukkah
December 7 - 15, 2023 - Jewish holiday that is celebrated for eight days and nights. Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the Maccabean, leaders of the Jewish people, over the Greek Syrian ruler, Antiochus, approximately 2,200 years ago.
- Bodhi Day
December 8, 2023 - Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama (Shakyamuni), experienced enlightenment; also known as Bodhi in Sanskrit and Pali.
- International Human Rights Day
December 10, 2023
- Las Posadas
December 16 - 24, 2023 - A Mexican religious celebration lasting nine days. It commemorates the trials Mary and Joseph endured in their journey to Bethlehem.
- Christmas Day*
December 25, 2023 - A religious and cultural celebration festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. UI Health Holiday
- Kwanzaa
December 26, 2023 – January 1, 2024 - Week-long celebration affirming African American heritage, values, community, and culture ending in a communal dinner called Karamu. Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga.
Please note: This list is NOT all-inclusive of every culture and heritage. In addition, different customs may use a variation of the dates listed.
If you would like to see another holiday or celebration recognized in future UI Health Inclusion Calendars, please share your feedback by emailing UIHealthDiversity@UIC.EDU
*UI Health Holidays highlighted in blue apply to all employees working in essential units including but not limited to the University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics.