This August, the IDEAS Council wants to discuss Black Women’s Equal Pay Day and the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.
Black Women’s Equal Pay Day was July 27 and is the approximate day a black woman must work into the New Year to make what a white, non-Hispanic man made at the end of the previous year. That equals an extra 208 days. Black Women’s Equal Pay Day was started by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996. The goal of Equal Pay Day is to raise awareness about the gender wage gap and work to provide fair wages for all people.
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The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition started In Saint-Domingue, Haiti. This city witnessed the uprising that would play a crucial role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. It is against this background that the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is commemorated.
This International Day, August 23 each year, is intended to remind all people of the horror of the slave trade. It offers an opportunity for collective consideration of the historic causes, the methods and the consequences of this tragedy, and for an analysis of the interactions between Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean.
The transatlantic slave trade led to unprecedented mass human trafficking and unspeakable human rights violations. Behind these atrocities are millions of human stories. The stories of those who were ripped from their homelands and families. The stories of those who fought against their oppressors. The stories of those who triumphed against all odds to win their freedom. Those stories continue today as people across the globe keep struggling together against the transatlantic slave trade’s most enduring legacy – racism.
The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is a time to learn about and reflect on those stories. To pay tribute to the millions of Africans who were torn from their homelands and to stand up in solidarity against racism everywhere. On this International Day, let us stand united against racism and work to build societies based on dignity, equality and solidarity.
The IDEAs Council would like to congratulate Elyssa Musngi on being voted Co-Chair of the Council! We are so grateful for her dedication and hard work.
IDEAs Council topics for the coming months:
September – Sukkot and Yom Kippur
October – Metal Health Day and International Pronouns Day
November – Diwali and International Men’s Day