That same year King received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, where he acknowledged: “I accept this award today with an abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in the future of mankind.”

As we are ‘the future of mankind’, King’s vision of social and racial equality continues among us. King’s call for accountability prompts us to ask ourselves daily: What am I doing for others? This, King affirmed, is “life’s most persistent and urgent question.”
President Ronald Reagan signed the federal holiday into law in 1983, and it was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.

Please join us in reflecting on the great work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.!

 Christian Lawrence, Chief Resident
Jessie Feudale, Central Administration
UNC Hospitals Remembers - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Friday, January 17 at 11:45a - 1:00p
NC Children’s Hospital Lobby
No Registration Required

Brad Julian, the Diversity and Inclusion Ambassador for 2020 Environmental Services at UNC Hospitals will be speaking on the life of Dr. King, “A Lifetime Example of Commitment to Caring” .

This event also includes musical selections by the Nile Hargrove Trio and vocal selections by Colandra McDowell.
University & Community Annual MLK Banquet
Sunday, January 19 at 6p (reception beginning at 5p)
Friday Center for Continuing Education
Tickets: $30

This year’s speaker will be Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, the first African American woman in the North Carolina Supreme Court’s 200-year history to serve as Chief Justice. She has been on the state’s highest court since 2012 and was appointed by Governor Cooper to serve as Chief Justice in March of 2019.
MLK Lecture and Awards Ceremony
Wednesday, January 22 at 7p
Memorial Hall
Tickets: Free, but required.

Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, author, radio host and Georgetown University sociology professor, will deliver the keynote and the Unsung Hero(es) award(s) and MLK Scholarship Awards will be presented.
As we celebrate diversity in the new year, it’s worth considering a diverse religion that will not actually celebrate its new year until the spring equinox. The Bahá’í Faith is one of the world’s most diverse religions and is considered by some to be the world’s youngest monotheistic system of worship, having begun in Persian (modern day Iran) in the 19 th century. 

Central to the Baháʼí Faith is the belief that there is essentially one God, one religion, and one race. Baháʼís historical view spiritual leaders, such as Krishna, Abraham, Moses, Zoraster, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad, as different manifestations of God or as Baháʼu ' lláh, the founder of the faith, states it, “The peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God.” 
A major goal of the faith is world peace and the unification of humankind. Baháʼís treasure diversity as reflected by another comment from Baháʼu ' lláh, “Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship.”  Baháʼís also have a strong belief in the importance of science and education in fostering global prosperity and wellbeing. 
 
The Baháʼí Faith follows a 19 month calendar, known as the Badí ' Calendar. The calendar is comprised of 19 months each consisting of 19 days along with 4 (5 in leap years) intercalary days. Baháʼís spend the last month of the year, according to the Badí ' Calendar, fasting and will celebrate their new year, also known as Naw - Rúz or the Persian new year, on March 19, 2020. 

Georgette A. Dent, MD
Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Associate Dean for Student Affairs - UNC School of Medicine

For additional information please visit...
Grand Rounds
This semester two Grand Rounds speakers will highlight diversity, equity, and inclusion related topics. Stay tuned for dates and presentation titles.

Gretchen C. Bellamy, JD, LLM
Senior Director for Education, Operations and Initiatives
UNC University Office for Diversity and Inclusion
David J. Brown, MD
Associate Vice President and Associate Dean for Health Equity and Inclusion
Associate Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
University of Michigan
January Dates to Note
Additional Information available at:
January 1: New Year's Day
Observed on the first day of the year on the Gregorian calendar
January 5: Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Ji
A day to remember Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the Tenth Guru of the Sikhs. Known as the Father of the Khalsa, he initiated their Five K's tradition: Kesh (uncut hair), Kangha (a wooden comb), Kara (an iron or steel bracelet), Kirpan (a sword or dagger), and Kacchera (short breeches).
January 6: Epiphany
Observed by Eastern and Western Christians, that recognizes the visit of the three wise men to the baby Jesus 12 days after his birth.
January 10: Mahayana New Year
Celebrated on the first full-moon day in January by members of the Mahayana Buddhist branch. On this day, Buddhists meditate and reflect on their life in the previous years with the objective of identifying and correcting any wrongs they may have done.
January 15: Makar Sankranti
Major harvest festival observed throughout India with social festivities such as colorful decorations, fairs, dances, bonfires, feasts, and by flying kites.
January 19: World Religion Day
Observed by those of the Baha’i faith to promote interfaith harmony and understanding.
January 20: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Commemorates the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the recipient of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize and an activist for non-violent social change until his assassination in 1968.
January 25: Chinese New Year
Observed on the first new moon of the Chinese lunar calendar. One of the most sacred of all traditional Chinese holidays, it is a time to honor ancestors and enjoy family reunions.
January 27: International Day of Commemoration
The anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp in 1945 and the UN Holocaust Memorial Day - We remember the victims of the Holocaust.
January 31: Birthday of Guru Har Rai
A day to remember the peaceful mind and endeavors of Guru Har Rai, the Seventh Sikh Guru. This is a day for forgiveness as the Guru taught his disciples to forgive all those who would wrong them.
Safe Zone Training

Registration is open for a Health Care Safe Zone training offered by the School of Medicine on January 17, 2020, 8a-12p . If you are interested in more information about the training or would like to register, please visit the DEI Certificate Program webpage .


Alternatively, the Department of Pediatrics is hosting a Safe Zone Training on
February 20, 1:00-5:00p . RSVP to jessie_feudale@med.unc.edu
 
The Standard Safe Zone is a 4-hour training is designed to introduce concepts, terminology and resources related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.
 
Safe Zone trainees develop:
  • A deeper awareness of personal ideas, stereotypes, and assumptions related to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and asexual (LGBTIQA) individuals
  • An increased comfort level in addressing concepts and language regarding LGBTIQA communities with the university community and with individuals
  • An increased awareness of services on campus that support LGBTIQA and allied individuals
  • A network of community and campus staff, faculty, and students to support people of all sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions on campus.
DEI Certificate Program

The DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) Certificate Program is a new initiative from the SOM Office of Inclusive Excellence in support of the 2019 SOM Strategic Plan to foster an inclusive workplace environment. The program’s curriculum offers workshops and trainings designed to broaden awareness about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion topics among the SOM faculty/staff and deepen engagement with and between individuals in the SOM at all levels – from patients to leadership. The workshops offered as part of the certificate program address a broad array of DEI topics, including those related to race and ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation, culture and religion, socioeconomic status, and more.

For details on program curriculum visit the Office of Inclusive Excellence website.
Stuart Gold, Committee Chair
Christian Lawrence
Robin Howard
Jennifer McElroy
Nina Jain
Jessie Feudale
Hadley Kifner
Ian Buchanan
Kenya McNeal-Trice
Benny Joyner
Jennifer Gutierrez-Wu
Zachary Pettigrew