This month, the IDEAS Council chose to highlight National Native American Heritage & Birth of Báb
When European explorers first “discovered” the Americas, there were already 50 million Native Americans and Indigenous people thriving on this land. Of those, approximately 10 million Native Americans were living within the borders of what we now know as the United States.
In 1915, Red Fox James, a member of the Blackfoot Nation, rode over 4,000 miles on horseback from state to state seeking approval to select a day to honor Native Americans. On December 14, 1915, he presented the endorsements of 24 state governments at the White House to then-President Woodrow Wilson. His efforts were successful and this became the very first Native American Day that took place on the second Saturday in May 1916 in New York.
These first steps for Native American recognition evolved over time into what we now celebrate as Native American Heritage Month. Every November, we celebrate Native American Heritage Month by recognizing the diverse cultures, traditions, stories, and significant contributions of Native Americans, along with acknowledging the population’s hardships and struggles throughout history, most of which still continue today.
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Born in Shiraz, Iran on October 20, 1819, Siyyid Ali-Muhammad would become known to the world as the Báb (meaning “the Gate” in Arabic).
The Báb was the symbolic gate whose mission was to herald the coming of the promised manifestation of God known as Baháʼu’lláh. In the Bahá’i calendar, the Birth of the Báb and the Birth of Baháʼu’lláh are celebrated one after the other during the festival known as the “Twin Holy Days”. In the Islamic lunar calendar, the actual dates of the Twin Holy Days change every year because each new month begins with the appearance of a new moon.
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We are looking for two new council Members to join the IDEAs council, if interested please reach out to Hailey Lavoie at HLavoie@CMCenergy.com or the council general email at Ideascouncil@CMCenergy.com.
IDEAs Council topics for the coming months:
January newsletter – International Human Rights Day & Kwanzaa
Stay tuned for next year’s IDEAs Council topics and reach out if there is anything you would like to see us cover.
If any of these topics inspire you and you want to share your story, a friend or loved one’s story, or simply would like to expand on why the topic is important to you, please feel free to reach out to the IDEAs Council at ideascouncil@cmcenergy.com.