TAMIL HERITAGE MONTH Important Dates: January 2022 Nero Krishnasamy, Noelyn Selvanayagam & Praveen Muruganandan Happy New Year! January was recognized by the House of Commons in 2016 as Tamil Heritage month in Canada. Currently, there are 74 million Tamils in the world, with over 200,000 living in the GTA. Toronto is home to the largest group of Tamils outside South East Asia. The Tamil Canadian Centre for Civic Action is a Canadian organization that works towards the success of all Tamil Canadians in the social, political, economic and cultural spheres of Canada. They annually recognize "Tamils 30 Under 30" in Canada to acknowledge and promote talents and leaders within our young generation. 2022's 30 Under 30 will focus on recognizing Tamil Women leaders within our community. You can learn more about these trailblazers by reading through their profiles on TCCCA's Instagram page. Tamils have been immigrating to Canada since the 1950s with the majority coming during the early 1980s during a time of political unrest in Sri Lanka when 800,000 Tamils were forced to leave their homeland. For many Tamils, Canada has become our permanent home. Every January, many Tamils celebrate Thai Pongal (Tamil Harvest Festival) which represents the end of the harvest season. It is similar to Thanksgiving and generally considered a time to celebrate with family and friends! Did you know? Tamil is considered the oldest 'living' language in the world! It is believed to have been born before 500BC. DID you Know? The CEO of Google is Tamil? Sundararajan Pichai has been responsible for the innovation and development of Google Chrome, Google Drive and Gmail!
Resources to Check Out Watch the Senior School Student Equity Committee’s Interview for the International Day of Persons With Disability Read about the new ways many celebrated Hanukkah, while keeping safe during a pandemic. Click here to learn more about the Tongan Eruption, and here to view ways to help. Read the article about York School students attending Diversity and Leadership Conference
LOOKING AHEAD February: The Student Equity Committee will be planning events and initiatives during the month of February. Wellness Week is also in February We will also be welcoming our guest speaker, Patricia Deguire (Ontario's Human Rights Commissioner) to speak with students. Black History Month is February where The York School will highlight many ways we can learn and teach from the past to work towards a more equitable future. Chinese New Year is Tuesday, February 1! The DEI Newsletter team is also looking forward to doing a number of write ups about some of the amazing teachings our students are learning on First Nations in Canada and reporting back on the recent staff and student DEI focus groups held with Equity Connections.
Tamil Heritage Month Alzheimer's Awareness Month January 1st: Gantan-sai World Day of Peace Temple Day Last Day of Kwanzaa January 4th: World Braille Day January 5th: Birth of Guru Gobind Singh January 5th: Twelfth Night January 6th: Epiphany January 6th, 7th: Orthodox Christmas (Armenia)(Russia) January 10th: Sakyamuni Buddha's Enlightenment January 11th: Sir John A. Macdonald Day January 13th: Maghi and Lohri, midwinter Indian Festival Pasha Putrada Ekadashi Vaikuntha Ekadashi January 14th: Makar Sankranti Orthodox New Year January 14th - 17th: Thai Pongal January 16th: World Religion Day January 17th: Tu B'Shevat Raoul Wallenberg Day January 17th - 24th: No Name Calling Week January 18th: Martin Luther King Jr. Day Mahayana New Year January 19th: Eastern Orthodox Epiphany January 21st: Feast of the Wedding of Cana Lincoln Alexander Day January 24th: International Day of Education World Day for African and Afro Descendant Culture January 26th: Let's Talk Day January 27th: International Holocaust Remembrance Day Family Literacy Day January 28th: Shattila Ekadashi January 29th: Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia January 30th: Jashan-e-Sadeh
STUDENT EQUITY COMMITTEE INTERVIEW ON DISABILITY
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TONGAN ERUPTION Camille Maraj On January 15th shockwaves reverberated around the globe as the underwater volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai erupted in the South Pacific. The explosion was strongly felt by many Pacific island nations, as well as far as Japan, the UK and the US, with tsunamis being reported along Russian and Peruvian shores. Of all nations affected, Tonga has been hit the hardest, with over 80% of the small nation's population having to contend with heavy ashfall, and devastating tsunamis. Being a flat archipelago, flooding was widespread, and due to ash contamination, drinking water has been compromised. Communication with and amongst the residents of Tonga has also been severely hampered, with the eruption damaging an underwater fiber-optic cable, disconnecting Tongans from the outside world, and each other. A phone line has recently been repaired, but with only limited access. Many are still waiting to get word on the safety and whereabouts of their loved ones. Efforts are being made to organize relief, but sending assistance has its own challenges, in the face of Covid-19. While Tonga remains cut off from the global community, we can be connected to them through information and aid. Information on supporting Tonga’s recovery can be found in our Newletter’s Resource section, as well as further reading and images on the scope of the explosion.