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Created in 2006, Confederate History Month is declared by the state government or governor each year in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia. The Confederacy, or Confederate States of America, existed between 1861 and 1865. It consisted of South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee, joined with the declaration of war. By the 1850s, the southern states had grown tired of northern influence, achieved primarily due to its impact on culture and its concentration in industry and finance. The Confederacy was largely agriculturally based, with limited industry, and financially poor by comparison. The southern states voted to leave the United States and create their own country. One of the issues prompting this was the use of cradle-to-grave slavery constituting its primary workforce. Enslaved people were not considered human; they were property and represented a significant portion of the wealth held in the south. With the election of Republican Abraham Lincoln, the Union (northern states) took a stance to end the spread of slavery—but not stop it. To the agrarian south, this was unacceptable. It depended upon slave labor to harvest its crops, meaning its entire economic system and the personal wealth of the landowners would implode. A common misconception is that the US Civil War was fought to free slaves. Slavery was one of several issues to the Confederacy, and ending slavery was a favorable outcome of the war but not the spark. Rather, it was a test of the Constitution, specifically state rights versus federal rights. The Confederacy believed they had the right to determine how they lived and by which rules without interference from the federal government. When the Union refused to allow the Confederacy to cede, it overrode state rights to maintain the continuity of the United States. At the founding of the United States in 1776, the national government was created to be less powerful than the state governments, with a few exceptions: dealing with foreign nations, national defense, and facilitating interstate commerce. All other issues were to be handled on a state level. According to the US Constitution, the states had a right to withdraw from the union, and by preventing that, the Confederacy argued the federal government usurped its state rights. Due to the 400-year legacy of slavery (ending in 1865) and state-supported racial segregation (ending in 1964), Confederate Heritage Month is highly contentious and seen as a celebration of racism by many critics. Detractors insist Confederate Heritage Month plays into existing racism and celebrates white supremacy and slavery. Proponents of Confederate Heritage Month insist that the Confederacy played a significant role in shaping the United States, and the ramifications of its actions and contributions continue today. They argue that to deny a portion of our past, good and bad, is selective censorship. Whether you side with the detractors or the proponents, the best way to acknowledge this month is to read the United States Constitution and learn both sides of the history. A great place to start is with Howard Zinn's "Peoples' History of the United States." The disagreements between many of the former Confederate states and the rest of the United States continue today. Once again, states' rights are at the center, with extremists calling for another civil war on both sides. In the twenty-first century, highly authoritarian approaches to social issues wrapped in xenophobic scare tactics and dispensationalist religious nationalism, often informed by racism, have replaced slavery and the practice of owning people as property on the former Confederacy side. However, intolerance and fanaticism are not one-sided. Extreme social engineering, alterations to science to match current biases, a patent disrespect for religious views, and ignoring individual safety—particularly a woman's right to feel secure in same-sex spaces lead. The movement continues to attack culture, rewriting multiple languages, books, and films and displaying complete disrespect for personal values that do not embrace theirs. These are the ideas of the extremists of today's Union side. Ultimately, both sides attempt to rewrite history, censor books and control the narrative. Both sides are equally zealous and self-righteous in trolling, lashing out, shaming, and threatening. Meanwhile, the rest of America, the seventy percent that isn't extremist, is being batted back and forth in this latest iteration of the United States, trying to navigate these extremes and get on with life.

Africa

Apr

Counseling Awareness Month: April

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ACA designates April of each year as Counseling Awareness Month. It is a time of professional advocacy and a celebration of counselors' efforts in diverse settings as they seek to facilitate their patient's growth and development.

Africa

Apr

Couple Appreciation Month: April

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Couplehood, it's a state where two are better than one. If you're lucky enough to have found your better half, then April is a month to show your appreciation, nurture your relationship and be grateful for the gift your union gives.

Africa

Apr

Credit Union Youth Month™, Ntl.: April

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National Credit Union Youth Month is an event organized by the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) to raise awareness among K-12 students about the importance of savings and financial knowledge through edutainment games. Formerly, this was a week-long event, and it now covers the entire month of April.

Africa

Apr

Customer Loyalty Month, Intl.: April

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A month set aside to work on your customer journey sales funnel and customer service policies to find additional ways to increase customer loyalty through appreciation. The Loyalty Formula: Loyalty = Great Service + Confidence "Customer Loyalty is about the next time – every time. Every day, and all of the time. All year long!" -Shep Hyken

Africa

Apr

Decorating Month, Ntl.: April

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Do-it-Yourself Decorating Guru Donna Babylon created National Decorating Month. Occurring in April each year, Decorating Month is about refreshing and updating your home or office by doing it yourself or hiring a professional to help.

Africa

Apr

Diabetes Month, Ntl. Defeat: April

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National Defeat Diabetes Month seeks to provide people with the tools and knowledge to reduce their risk of contracting diabetes or managing it if they've already acquired it.

Africa

Apr

Distracted Driving Awareness Month, Ntl.: April

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Distracted Driving Awareness Month occurs in April each year. Cellular phones and smartphones used while driving kill thousands needlessly each year, whether handheld or hands-free. During Distracted Driving Awareness Month: - Take a pledge to stop using your smartphone while driving - Recognize that hands-free devices offer no safety benefit - Understand the dangers of cognitive distraction to the brain - Tell others about the dangers of cell phone distracted driving

Africa

Apr

Donate Life Month, Ntl.: April

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Donate Life Month is committed to educating the public about the importance of being a registered donor. Organ transplantation is a medical procedure that has helped save countless lives in the United States. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which manages the nation's organ transplant system, more than 40,000 organ transplants were performed in the US in 2020. World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 139,000 organ transplants were performed worldwide in 2019 (most recent number available). The most commonly transplanted organs are kidneys, livers, hearts, lungs, and pancreas. In addition, tissue transplants, such as corneas, skin, and bone, are also commonly performed. Despite organ transplantation's success, many challenges are still facing the field. One of the biggest challenges is the shortage of donor organs. There are currently more than 100,000 people on the waiting list for a transplant, and many of them will die before a suitable organ becomes available. Ongoing efforts to increase the number of organ donors, both living and deceased, in recent years, coupled with a push to increase the use of organs from so-called "marginal" donors, including older donors or those with medical conditions that might make their organs less desirable. In addition, there is ongoing research into ways to grow replacement organs in the lab, although this technology is still in its early stages. Overall, organ transplantation remains a critical part of modern medicine in the United States, and ongoing research and efforts to increase donor availability are helping to improve outcomes for patients in need.

Africa

Apr

Dyngus Day (C): April 1

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Dyngus Day, also called Wet Monday (Polish Śmigus-Dingus or Lany Poniedziałek), denotes the Monday following Easter. Historically a Polish tradition, it celebrates the end of the observance of Lent and the joy of Easter. Buffalo, New York, holds a festival on this day.

Africa

Apr

Earth Month: April

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Earth Month is formally National Environmental Education Week, which seeks to raise awareness of the importance of proactively protecting nature and the planet. This event expanded to the full month of April in 2022.

Africa

Apr

Egg Salad Week: April 1-5

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Celebrate Egg Salad Week follows the Easter holiday. According to the US Census Bureau, Americans consume, on average, 254 eggs each year. Easter, with its traditional Easter egg hunts, bolsters that number. What do you do with a couple of dozen hard-boiled eggs? Make egg salad, of course! An egg salad requires only a few ingredients: eggs, mayo, diced onion, lemon juice, salt, & pepper. For those who don’t like mayo, try sour cream mixed with cream cheese can be used instead. Enjoy!

Africa

Apr

Emaishen (LU): April 1

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Love is in the air the day after Easter in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Lovers and families head into the local market to purchase and exchange ceramic gifts, the chief among these being a ceramic whistle in the shape of a bird called Peckvillchen. This 17th-century tradition was revived in 1937. The Peckvillchen signifies rebirth and the endearing sweetness of love.

Africa

Apr

Emotional Overeating Awareness Month: April

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When we are stressed, we tend to overeat as a way of calming ourselves and dealing with the feelings associated with difficulties. Emotional Overeating Awareness Month seeks to inform and educate people about the misconceptions of overeating due to stress while providing strategies for coping.

Africa

Apr

Explore Your Career Options Week: April 1-7

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If you have been thinking about a career change, this is the week to explore your options. Consider courses you can take or research industries that interest you and perhaps discover your next adventure.

Africa