RTTUZYUW RUOIAAA8069 0911513-UUUU--RUOIAAA. ZNR UUUUU R 311330Z MAR 16 PSN 189358H34 FM SECNAV WASHINGTON DC TO ALNAV INFO RUOIAAA/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC ZEN/CNO WASHINGTON DC ZEN/CMC WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS ALNAV 020/16 MSGID/GENADMIN/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC/-/MAR// SUBJ/2016 DIVERSITY HERITAGE CELEBRATIONS AND NATIONAL OBSERVANCES// RMKS/1. This ALNAV announces the Diversity Heritage Celebrations and National Observances for calendar year 2016. 2. All commands are strongly encouraged to increase their knowledge and awareness of Diversity Heritage Celebrations and Special Observances by supporting programs, exhibits, publications, and participation in community military and civilian sponsored – events throughout the year. 3. List of Diversity Heritage Celebrations and National Observances: a. Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM) Dates: 1-30 April 2016 Theme: Eliminate Sexual Assault: Know Your Part, Do Your Part Reducing the threat of sexual violence from within our ranks continues to be an all hands effort to provide a safe environment for our Sailors and Marines at all levels. This year's SAAPM theme provides recommendations on what we all can do: (1) Eliminate Sexual Assault: Every Service Member, at every level in our military, must know, understand, and adhere to service values and standards of behavior in order to eliminate sexual assault , and other inappropriate behavior. (2) Know Your Part: Each member of our Department of Defense (DoD) community has a unique role in preventing and responding to sexual assault. We must recognize our part in stopping this crime starting with our own awareness and knowing when and where to intervene. (3) Do Your Part: We have to act. If we see a crime or inappropriate behavior unfolding, we need to step in to prevent it. We each need to add our voice to the call to end this crime. (4) This month should be used to underscore the Department of the Navys (DON) commitment to responding to and providing compassionate support to victims, reinforcing the importance of prevention and bystander intervention, and overall, creating an environment of true dignity and respect for all our shipmates. SAAPM will serve to emphasize our command and institutional commitment to a climate which elevates our Navy's core values, as well as charge each Sailor, Marine, and civilian partner to actively participate in an environment that does not tolerate, condone, or ignore destructive and sexist behaviors. For more information about SAAPM visit www.sapr.navy.mil. (5) Point of contact for SAAPM is LCDR Steven Smiraldo, (703) 604-1204, steven.smiraldo(at)navy.mil./HQMC SAPR POC (703) 432-9765, Ms. Christine Heit, (703) 784-4941, christine.heit(at)usmc.mil./USMC SAPR POC. b. Days of Remembrance/Holocaust Remembrance Day Dates: 1-8 May 2016/5 May 2016 Theme: TO BE ANNOUNCED. Please visit www.ushmm.org for updates. The Holocaust was the state-sponsored systematic annihilation of European Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. Between 1933 And 1945, more than six million Jews were murdered while Poles, Soviet prisoners of war, gypsies, Jehovah's Witnesses, political dissidents, the physically and mentally disabled, and homosexuals also suffered grievous persecution under Nazi tyranny. Established by Congress in 1980 as the nation's annual commemoration of the Holocaust, the Days of Remembrance includes the observance of "Yom Hashoah," or Holocaust Remembrance Day. c. Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Dates: 1-31 May 2016 Theme: Walk Together, Embrace Differences, Build Legacies Directed by Congress in 1977 and established by presidential proclamation in 1978, Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week was first observed the week of 4 May 1979. In 1990, President George H. W. Bush expanded the observance to encompass the month of May; and in 1992, Congress passed a law permanently designating May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. The month of May is significant for this observance as it commemorates the arrival date of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States on 7 May 1843 and the significant contributions from Chinese pioneers completing the first Transcontinental Railroad on 10 May 1869. d. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month Dates: 1-30 June 2016 Presidential proclamation (historically published the beginning of June). Theme: TO BE ANNOUNCED. Please visit https://deomi.org/SpecialObservance/index.cfm for updates. In recognition of June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month, the DON celebrates the sweeping changes of the past year that advance a culture of inclusion for all DON employees. (1) In April of 2014, the DoD re-issued its Human Goals Charter to include specifically the sexual preference of military personnel, thereby aligning the values of diversity and inclusion. As the Charter states, We gain a strategic advantage through the diversity of our total force and create a culture of inclusion where individuals are drawn to serve, are valued and actively contribute to overall mission success. In July 2014, President Obama signed an Executive Order protecting federal employees from discrimination based on gender identity. This was followed in September 2014 by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commissions (EEOC) filing of two historic lawsuits concerning discrimination against transgender people. For the first time the protections of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 were applied by EEOC to challenge discrimination based upon gender identity. These actions are the result of committed leaders, both within the LGBT community and throughout government. e. Womens Equality Day Date: 26 August 2016 Theme: Celebrating Women's Right to Vote Women's Equality Day commemorates the struggle of women to gain the right to vote. The movement for women's rights was launched on a national level in 1848 at what is now known as the Seneca Falls Convention, which originally advertised itself as a "Women's Rights Convention." Voting rights advocates Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, also known as "suffragists," along with Susan B. Anthony and other activists, formed organizations that raised public awareness and lobbied the government to grant voting rights to women making the right to vote a centerpiece of the women's rights movement. It would take 72 years after the suffrage movement began for these groups to emerge victorious with the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on 18 August 1920, which Prohibited any U.S. citizen from being denied the right to vote on the basis of sex. On Election Day that same year, more than eight million women across the nation voted for the first time. In 1971, to honor and commemorate this historic event, Congresswoman Bella Abzug (D-NY) introduced, and Congress signed, a resolution to designate 26 August as Women's Equality Day recognizing the anniversary of suffrage and of women's continued efforts toward equal rights. f. Suicide Prevention Month Dates: 1-30 September 2016 Theme: Every Sailor, Every Day Since 1974, the American Association of Suicidology has recognized The week of September 10th as National Suicide Prevention Week. Since 2012 the DoD has expanded this effort, devoting the entire month of September to promoting sustainable community-wide approaches to suicide prevention education and awareness. The DON uses Suicide Prevention Month as a launch-pad for continuous engagement throughout the year, providing Sailors, Marines, leaders, commands and families with the tools to effectively navigate through stressful times while supporting help-seeking behavior. Supporting resources and communications are available at http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers- npc/support/21st_Century_Sailor/suicide_prevention/spmonth/Pages /default.aspx to support commanders and unit Suicide Prevention Coordinators tailoring local initiatives. We are stronger together. For more information about Suicide Prevention Month, visit www.suicide.navy.mil/. g. Hispanic Heritage Month Dates: 15 September-15 October 2016 Theme: TO BE ANNOUNCED. Please visit www.hispanicheritagemonth.org for updates. Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from 15 September to 15 October, by celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. 15 September Was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on 16 and 18 September, respectively. The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period. It was enacted into law on 17 August 1988, by the approval of Public Law 100 - 402. h. National Prisoner of War/Missing In Action (POW/MIA) Recognition Day Date: 18 September 2016 Theme: TO BE ANNOUNCED. Please visit www.dtic.mil/dpmo for updates. The President of the United States issues an annual proclamation commemorating this national day of observance. Americans are to offer remembrance, honor, and reverence to those who were a POW and to over 33,000 Sailors who remain MIA from our nation's wars. It is also a day we remember the families of POWs/MIAs and the sacrifices they have endured. For more information on National POW/MIA Recognition Day visit www.dtic.mil/dpmo. i. National Disability Employment Awareness Month Dates: 1-31 October 2016 Theme: TO BE ANNOUNCED. Please visit www.dol.gov/odep/topics/ndeam/index-2014.htm for updates. Held each October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is a national campaign that raises awareness about disability employment issues and celebrates the many and varied contributions of America's workers with disabilities. For more information on the DONs NDEAM, visit https://portal.secnav.navy.mil/orgs/MRA/DONHR/EEO/Pages/DON -Special-Emphasis-Program.aspx. j. National American Indian Heritage Month Dates: 1-30 November 2016 Theme: TO BE ANNOUNCED. Please visit https://deomi.org/SpecialObservance/index.cfm for updates. Native American Heritage Month first began with the establishment of American Indian Day by the Governor of New York in May 1916. Later, several additional states enacted celebrations during the fourth Friday in September, but the celebration did not gain official national recognition until President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 as "National American Indian Heritage Month." Similar proclamations under different names, including, "Native American Heritage Month" and "National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month," have been issued each year since 1994. 4. DoD themes are promulgated by the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI). More information, guidance , and resources on Diversity Heritage Celebrations and National Observances can be found on the DEOMI website at http://www.deomi.org/SpecialObservance/. 5. Articles, presentations, and other supporting information can be found at the Naval History Command's website at http:/ /www.history.navy.mil/. 6. More information on diversity observances is available at the Navy Diversity and Inclusion web site at http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers -npc/support/21st_Century_Sailor/diversity/Pages/DiversityObservances.aspx. 7. Points of contact for Navy diversity observances are CDR Charles Wilson, (703) 604-5082, Charles.J.Wilson(at)navy.mil and Ms. Shirley Copeland, (703) 604-5080, shirley.copeland(at)navy.mil. 8. Point of contact for Marine Corps diversity observances is Mr. Marc Sheppard, (703) 784-9371, marc.sheppard(at)usmc.mil. 9. Point of contact for DON civilian Special Emphasis Program is Marco Bagnas, (202) 433-0938, marco.bagnas(at)navy.mil. 10. Point of contact for Navy Suicide Prevention Program is Caroline Miles, (901) 874-6922, caroline.miles.ctr(at)navy.mil. 11. Point of contact for Sexual Assault Prevention Month for Navy is LDCR Steven Smiraldo, (703) 604-1204, steven.smiraldo(at)navy.mil./HQMC SAPR POC and for the Marine Corps, contact Ms. Christine Heit, (703) 784-4941, Christine.heit(at)usmc.mil. 12. Point of contact for National POW/MIA Recognition Day Rudy Gonzales, (901) 874-2273, rudolph.gonzales2(at)navy.mil. 13. Released by Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy.// BT #8069 NNNN UNCLASSIFIED//