Dates: September 15 - October 15

History: Latine Heritage Month has its beginnings from 1968, where it was originally observed as “Hispanic Heritage Week”, but it was later extended to a month in 1988. Since then, LHM has been celebrated nationwide via festivals, art shows, conferences, community gatherings, and much more. The month starts on September 15th and ends on October 15th as it encapsulates the independence days of several Latin American countries, including: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua on September 15th, Mexico on September 16th, and Chile on September 18th. It also includes holidays such as the Virgin Islands-Puerto Rico Friendship Day on October 9th and Día de la Raza on October 12th. (sources: U.S. Dept. of Education, Hispanic Heritage Month, )

**We are adopting the use of "Latine" as opposed to "Latinx" or "Hispanic" after Latine student organizations hosted conversations around how they'd like to self-identify as a community. The use of the term "Latine" came about as a way to still honor the original inclusive intentions of "Latinx" in including gender-expansive and gender non-conforming individuals while also sounding more fluid in pronunciation in Spanish. The community of course continues to honor the different ways individuals personally choose to identify as well. Any usage of the term "Latinx" henceforth is due to that presently still being the title/naming of the program or organization. 

Local Bay Area resources:

• Attend Latin Bay Area events
  • East Bay LHM events for kids & families
• Support Bay Area Latine businesses
• Get connected with Latine organizations
  • La Raza Community Resource Center
  • La Madre Tierra's list of Latine community based organizations working in conservation

Date: October 

History: While we celebrate Pride Month in June, we also celebrate LGBTQ+ Heritage Month in October, which was first observed in the U.S. in 1994. As Pride Month is in June, and USF's academic calendar ends in May, we are excited to announce our very own inaugural "Out-tober" LGBT+ Heritage Month as a way for our campus community to recognize, honor, and celebrate the queer identities, history, and culture of our community members.  "Out-tober" is named as such to recognize National Coming Out Day on October 11th. This year's theme draws inspiration from 1980's queer punk.

Local Bay Area resources:

• USF's LGBTQ Caucus Resource Guide
  • A thorough, albeit non-exhaustive, compilation of LGBTQ resources related to:
    • USF
    • The Bay Area
    • African American, Asian-Pacific Islander & Latino LGBTQ Organizations
    • Online
    • Magazines
    • Blogs, Etc.

Date: October

History: Pilipinx American History Month is celebrated in October to commemorate the arrival of the first Filipinos in modern-day Morro Bay, California in the United States on October 18, 1587. "Following years of campaigning and advocacy by both the civil society and organizations, the Filipino American National Historical Society established Filipino American History Month in 1992. In  2009, Congress recognized the month of October officially as Filipino American History Month in the U.S." (source: National Today)

Local Bay Area resources:

• USF Yuchengco Philippine Studies Program (YPSP)
• USF Kasamahan Community Resources List
• Filipino American Development Foundation
  • Bayanihan Community Center
• Lead Filipino
• Pilipino Association of Workers and Immigrants
• San Francisco Filipino Community Center

Date: The second Monday in October = Oct. 9, 2023

History: Indigenous Peoples Day began as a counter-celebration to Columbus Day. This stems from the rejection of the notion of honoring Christopher Columbus, someone who represents the violence of colonization and the genocide of Indigenous communities. Indigenous Peoples' Day is centered in the recognition, reflection, celebration, and education of Indigeneity. It is a time for learning and unlearning. (source: NPR) 

Local Bay Area resources:

• USF Indigenous Peoples Day Resource Guide 2022
  • Extensive guide with links to learning more, Native content (music, social media, podcasts, films & TV, books), activism, and ways to support
• A Year of Discernment: Indigenous Engagement at USF White Paper
• USF  Pacific Islander Collective
• The Ramaytush Ohlone
• The Muwekma Ohlone
• The Amah Mutsun

Date: November 1-2

History: Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though depending on the locality, is also sometimes celebrated on October 31 or November 6 too. Family and friends gather to pay honor and celebrate the lives of friends and family members who have died. This is a time of celebration and joy rather than mourning. Typically altars are built at home and filled with the favorite food and drinks of those being remembered. Sugar skulls are decorated and given to friends and family along with pan de muerto as a part of the festivities. (source: Wikipedia)

Local Bay Area resources:

• Day of the Dead SF
• SOMArts’ annual Día de Los Muertos exhibition

Date: November

History: On August 3, 1990, November was declared as National American Indian Heritage Month, also referred to as Native American Heritage Month. Numerous advocates and initiatives took place since the early 1900s for a time to honor Native Americans. "The month is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people. Heritage Month is also an opportune time to educate the general public about tribes, to raise a general awareness about the unique challenges Native people have faced both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges." (source: National Congress of American Indians)

Local Bay Area resources:

• Official Native American Heritage Month website
• USF Land Acknowledgement Statement
• The Ramaytush Ohlone
• The Muwekma Ohlone
• The Amah Mutsun
• Support local Lisjan Ohlone territory through The Sogorea Te Land Trust
• Buy from Native Businesses
• USF Indigenous Peoples Day Resource Guide 2022
  • Extensive guide with links to learning more, Native content (music, social media, podcasts, films & TV, books), activism, and ways to support

Date: November 13-18

History: Starting since November 2000, International Education Week (IEW) is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. This joint initiative of the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of State is part of our efforts to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and to attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences (source: U.S. Dept. of Education).

Check Out ISSS' Page About IEW For More:

• USF (ISSS) International Education Week - Schedule of Events

Resources:

• International Student and Scholar Services
• Culturally Focused Clubs Council

Dates: Feb 1-29

History: Carter G. Woodson, Black American historian, had a goal of raising awareness of African American's contributions to civilization. From the beginnings of his initiative in February 1926 as a singular week to the eventual expansion of a month long celebration in 1976, the very first Black History Month was held 50 years later. Since then, it's been a nation-wide recognition of the importance of recognizing and celebrating both Black achievements and culture (sources: Black History Month ).

*The Office of the Provost also has a dedicated page listing USF BHM events, with imagery included. Visit that page here: Black History Month 2025

Local Bay Area resources:

Dates: Starts Feb 10, 2024 (Year of the Dragon)

History: The Lunar New Year is a time of celebration for the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year based on the lunisolar calendar. It's a holiday celebrated in China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Tibet, and other countries with large populations of cultures that celebrate the Lunar New Year. The holiday is often centered around traditions involving family, luck and prosperity, and the holiday can last as long as 16 days. Each year correlates with a zodiac sign. 

Lunisolar New Year celebrations of other cultures such as Burmese, Cambodian, Lao, Sri Lankan, and Thai people are based on the Buddhist calendar and occur in mid-April. (sources: Smithsonian and Wikipedia ).

Local Bay Area resources:

Dates: March 2024

History: "Every year, March is designated Women’s History Month by presidential proclamation. The month is set aside to honor women’s contributions in American history...Women’s History Month began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California. The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women planned and executed a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978. The organizers selected the week of March 8 to correspond with International Women’s Day. The movement spread across the country as other communities initiated their own Women’s History Week celebrations the following year.

In 1980, a consortium of women’s groups and historians—led by the National Women’s History Project (now the National Women's History Alliance)—successfully lobbied for national recognition. In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8th 1980 as National Women’s History Week.

Subsequent Presidents continued to proclaim a National Women’s History Week in March until 1987 when Congress passed Public Law 100-9, designating March as “Women’s History Month.” Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month. Since 1995, each president has issued an annual proclamations designating the month of March as 'Women’s History Month.' "(Source: Women's History Month). 

The National Women’s History Alliance selects and publishes the yearly theme. The theme for 2024 is “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion”.

Local Bay Area resources:

Date: March 25-28, 2024

Please join us in celebrating disability pride, visibility and awareness at USF. All events are open to the entire USF community.

History: Disability Awareness campaigns may take place at different times of the year depending on the institution. October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) and celebrates the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities past and present and showcases supportive, inclusive employment policies and practices that benefit employers and employees. Meanwhile, March is the Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month as highlighted by the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD). No matter what time of year you choose to celebrate Disability Awareness, its goal is to increase awareness, respect, and acceptance for disabled people, and to bring a greater sense of pride to disabled people. 

At USF, the Office of Student Disability Services celebrates Disability Awareness Week in March!

USF resources:

• Student Disability Services

Date: May

History: "May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. A rather broad term, Asian/Pacific encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island). The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants." (Source: Asian Pacific Heritage Website)

**At USF, due to the demands of the academic calendar in May, we opted to celebrate Pacific Islander heritage in April. We also chose to have separate celebrations of Pacific Islander heritage from Asian & Asian American heritage in recognition of the unique customs and traditions that make up Pacific Islander culture and as to not homogenize cultures. 

Local Bay Area resources:

UndocuWeek is a weeklong series of events for undocumented students and allies from April 8th - 12th! We will have several workshops, fairs, and discussions in order to support undocumented students at USF. UndocuWeek is planned and hosted by the Latine Undergrad Network of Activists (L.U.N.A.). Please contact them for more information on any of these events.

Local Bay Area resources:

Date: April

History: "National Arab American Heritage Month (NAAHM) takes place in April. It celebrates the Arab American heritage and culture and pays tribute to the contributions of Arab Americans and Arabic-speaking Americans. Beginning in the 1990s, Arab American heritage was celebrated sporadically in various states at different times of the year, primarily in school districts. It wasn't until 2017 when Arab America began a national initiative to coordinate all states under National Arab American Heritage Month. On April 30, 2019, Arab American organizations asked Congresswoman Debbie Dingell to issue a congressional resolution proclaiming National Arab American Heritage Month.[4] It was then introduced to the house on April 30, 2019, and then referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.[5] The largest and most promising achievement towards federal recognition of the month of April as the National Arab American Heritage Month was the proclamation published by the U.S. Department of State, which was accomplished on April 1, 2021, by the efforts of independent Syrian-American advocate and author, Pierre Subeh." (Source: National Arab American Heritage Month)

Local Bay Area resources:

Date: May

History: "May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. A rather broad term, Asian/Pacific encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island). The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants." (Source: Asian Pacific Heritage Website)

At USF, due to the demands of the academic calendar in May, we opted to celebrate Asian & Asian American heritage in April. 

Local Bay Area resources: