JUNE: PRIDE MONTH

Celebrate Pride with us! Harbor Care will participate in Nashua’s Pride Parade and Festival, starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 22. Learn more. Pride Month celebrates dignity, equality, and visibility for the entire LGBTQIA+ community. This movement for equity started on June 28, 1969, when the LGBTQIA+ community rioted after a police raid of the Stonewall Inn in New York City. The riot and further protests that summer led to the creation of a national movement for equal rights. (Wendy LeBlanc, Henry Cabrera, and Jeff Beland of Harbor Care’s HIV/AIDS Services - Photo from 2023).

JUNE: MEN’S MENTAL HEALTH MONTH

It’s June, when we celebrate Men’s Mental Health Month, and ask men everywhere to bravely ask directions to their own feelings and emotions. But why should we ask men to embrace vulnerability, share their feelings, and admit it’s OK to let the tears flow?

1. 6 million men suffer from Depression each year.

2. 1 million men are affected by Bipolar Disorder and 90% of people with Schizophrenia by age 30 are men.

Please remind that tough dude who is encroaching your personal space - that he needs a mental tune up. Yes, for sure he won’t ask directions to the nearest therapy session, so politely mention that he can visit www.mhascreening.org for a free, quick, and confidential screening for Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Anxiety, PTSD, and Substance Use problems. Other important infographic here. Hey men, cheer up - this is the month to experience the full spectrum of feelings! (George Chege)

Source: Infographic: Mental Health for Men | Mental Health America (mhanational.org)

JUNE: AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC APPRECIATION MONTH

This month we celebrate the influences and legacy of Black and African American musicians who have greatly impacted American music, culture, and history. The many genres created over time have been fostered through the Black experience in America from slavery to segregation to civil rights and the present. National Endowment for the Arts Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD states, “Music plays a role in self-expression, cultural preservation, and resilience in African American communities. It is an instrument to preserve and express humanity, tell stories, fuel movements for justice, sustain hope, and nourish the soul.”

Black Music Genres

Sacred Music| Spiritual, Christian psalms and hymns, Gospel

Folk Music| Field hollers, work chants and game songs, protest music

The Blues| Mississippi Delta, Memphis, Chicago, Southern Texas

Military Music| Armed service’s military bands, fife and drum corps

Jazz| Ragtime, Dance-oriented music of 1920s, Modern avant-garde

Rhythm and Blues| Soul Music, Diverse Genre in jazz, the blues, and gospel music

Rock and Roll | American pop and country

Hip-Hop and Rap | Culturally embedded in music traditions, voicing opinions towards social and political issues

AAMM Activity

Party people, put on your dancing shoes! It’s time to crank up soul, jazz, gospel, and hip hop. Here’s one rumor and funky facts:

Louis Armstrong’s trumpet was a secretly disguised saxophone.

James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, holds the record for the most Billboard Hot 100 hits—without a single number 1!

Platform shoes were designed for dancers to touch the ceiling. Why??

As we enjoy the beats and lyrics, let’s remember the legends who make music that powerfully impacts our minds, bodies, and relationships. Making the world a better place for you and me.

Learn more: Celebrate Black Music Month this June! | National Endowment for the Arts ; Celebrating Black Music Month | National Museum of African American History and Culture; Honor Black Excellence: Celebrate African American Music Appreciation Month (bleumag.com)

African American Music Appreciation Month was established by President Jimmy Carter in 1979 and is re-established yearly by presidential proclamation. (Jaimeika Lewis & George Chege)

JUNE: NATIONAL CARIBBEAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

This month, we celebrate the diverse cultures of millions of Carribean-American people, who have greatly impacted American culture and contributed to the nation's development. We aim to learn more about the history, better understand cultural values, and support all Carribean-American people. President Biden stated within the 2024 Proclamation the importance of this month, “We celebrate the contributions … of people across our Nation with Caribbean heritage, who have never let us walk away from our Nation's most sacred values of opportunity and freedom.” Learn more. (Jaimeika Lewis)\

JUNE 19: Juneteenth (Click for more)

Harbor Care honors and recognizes the official U.S. holiday Juneteenth and its lasting impact on American history. Juneteenth is reserved for June 19 as a day of celebration and reflection and represents perseverance, resilience, liberation, and freedom. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND SEE NH EVENTS. (Jaimeika Lewis)

JUNE 5: WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

Fifty years ago, World Environment Day was established by the UN General Assembly. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme, the day exists to celebrate environmental action and the power of governments, businesses, and individuals to create a more sustainable world. Each year is a different theme, and this year the focus is on land restoration, desertification and drought resilience, under the slogan “Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration.” Learn more. (Emily Soleil)

JUNE 19: INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN CONFLICT

Every year on June 19, the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict raises awareness for conflict-related sexual violence. It refers to rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, pregnancy, abortion, sterilization, marriage, and any form of sexual violence directly or indirectly linked to a conflict. The day also honors the victims and survivors of sexual violence around the world. The date was chosen to commemorate the adoption on June 19, 2008 of Security Council resolution 1820 in which the Council condemned sexual violence as a tactic of war and an impediment to peacebuilding. Learn more at the United Nations - https://www.un.org/. (Laina Reavis)

JUNE 27: HELEN KELLER’S BIRTHDAY (JUNE 27, 1880)

Helen Keller (top left photo above) was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama and was afflicted with an illness at 19 months old that was thought to be Scarlet Fever or Rubella, which left her blind and deaf. Her life changed on March 3, 1887, when Anne Mansfield Sullivan came to Tuscumbia to be her teacher. Anne, in her own right, has a remarkable story as well, depicted in the movie, The Miracle Worker. From an early age, Helen championed the rights of the underdog and used her skills as a writer to speak truth to power. Helen's ideals found their purest, most lasting expression in her work for the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB). Helen joined AFB in 1924 and worked for the organization for over 40 years. The foundation provided her with a global platform to advocate for the needs of people with vision loss. State commissions for the blind were created, rehabilitation centers were built, and education was made accessible to those with vision loss. Helen's ability to empathize with the individual citizen in need, as well as her ability to work with world leaders to shape global policy on vision loss made her a supremely effective ambassador for disabled persons worldwide. Helen Keller died on June 1, 1968, at Arcan Ridge, a few weeks short of her 88th birthday. Senator Lister Hill of Alabama gave a eulogy during the public memorial service. He said, "She will live on, one of the few, the immortal names not born to die. Her spirit will endure as long as man can read and stories can be told of the woman who showed the world there are no boundaries to courage and faith." Learn more about Helen’s amazing life (Laina Reavis)

Downtown Nashua when French Canadians began to arrive in the late 1850s.

JULY: NATIONAL FRENCH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

July is designated as National French American Heritage Month to honor the contributions of those of French heritage to the development of America. This is highly reflected in New Hampshire’s history: Between 1850 and 1900, 340,000 French Canadians abandoned the poor economic conditions that existed in their native province of Quebec for the promise of a better way of life and a chance to more fully realize their ambitions in the industrial centers of New England. The French Canadians, who were primarily Catholic, also fled the demise of The Catholic Church when the British took over Canada. As of 2020, 114,000 French Canadians still reside in NH. Learn more in their history from NHPR.

JULY 2: THURGOOD MARSHALL’S BIRTHDAY

Born July 2, 1908, Marshall was an influential leader of the civil rights movement, whose tremendous legacy lives on in the pursuit of racial justice. He founded the Legal Defense Fund in 1940, serving as its first Director-Counsel until 1961. He became the first black Supreme Court Justice when he was confirmed by the Senate on August 30, 1967. After nomination by President Lyndon B. Johnson and confirmation by the U.S. Senate, Marshall served as Associate Justice from 1967-1991. He retired from the bench in 1991 and passed away on January 24, 1993 in Washington, D.C. at the age of 84. Visit the Legal Defense Fund to learn more. (Donna Marston)

JULY 4: INDEPENDENCE DAY

The Fourth of July is the anniversary of the publication of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain in 1776. There were an estimated 2.5 million people living in the 13 colonies that year. Independence Day is a day of family celebrations with picnics and barbecues, showing a great deal of emphasis on the American tradition of political freedom. Activities associated with the day include watermelon or hotdog eating competitions and sporting events, such as baseball games, three-legged races, swimming activities, and tug-of-war games. It’s estimated 150 million hot dogs will be consumed this July 4. The American flag is often placed outside homes and buildings on July 4, and communities arrange fireworks after dark. Learn more. (Donna Marston)

JUN-JUL | JEDI NEWS (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion)