Heritage & History Celebrations


Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Asian American Pacific American Heritage Month (AAPIHM) is a month-long celebration that occurs during the month of May. The purpose of AAPIHM is to celebrate, honor, and educate the Tuck and Dartmouth community on issues of Asian Pacific American identity, history, and culture through educational programs, speakers, and community-building events. Formerly known as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the celebration was renamed to be more inclusive of Pacific Islander identities and experiences within the larger Pan Asian community.

Elisabeth Sum T’21 shares a portrait series celebrating AAPIHM at Tuck.

Black Legacy Month

Black Legacy Month (BLM) at Tuck takes place in February and focuses on moving beyond history to let history inform the present and illuminate the future possibilities of Blackness at Tuck and the world at large. The purpose of Black Legacy Month is to recognize the Black experience in the U.S. and at Tuck and Dartmouth, explore topical issues in the Black community while giving context to a vision of what the Black future could be, and engage the Tuck community in an appreciation for all that Black people have contributed to the campus and the world at large.

Learn more about Black Legacy Month at Tuck.

Diwali

Diwali is celebrated by Hindus and others as a celebration of light and victory over darkness. Week-long celebrations usually include candles, fireworks, colored powders and dancing. According to Shanti president and Sucharita Jayanti ’14 GR ’21, the word Diwali comes from the word ‘Dipawali’ in Sanskrit; “Deepa” means light or lamp, and “awali” means rows.

Hispanic American and Latinx Heritage Month

Hispanic American and Latinx Heritage Month is a month-long celebration of Latinx identity which seeks to recognize and celebrate the contributions of Latinx people in the U.S. and on Tuck and Dartmouth’s campus. LHM achieves this through a month-long series of events dedicated to education, awareness and commemoration of Latinx heritage, history and culture.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Carol Reyes T’21 shares lessons from her first year at Tuck.

Juneteenth

Tuck and Dartmouth celebrate and honor Juneteenth, June 19, the oldest national commemoration connected to the Emancipation Proclamation order. In June 2021, President Joe Biden signed into law a bill to make June 19 "Juneteenth National Independence Day," a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

“As we strive to build a society that is inclusive and just, it is critical that we examine and challenge the systems of racism and oppression that restrict and shape the lives of Black people and that we embrace an accurate accounting of past wrongs and persistent problems,” says Dartmouth President Philip J. Hanlon D’77. 

Learn more about Juneteenth from Matthew Delmont, the Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of History at Dartmouth.

LGBTQIA+ History Month

LGBTQIA+ History Month celebrates and honors queer history, recognizes the legacy of the Gay Rights Movement, and highlights areas where intersectional queer identities continue to strive for liberation. Throughout the month of October, events will promote and foster exploration, conversation, and reflection while contributing to mutual respect, diversity, and inclusion at Tuck and Dartmouth.

Learn more about Tuck Pride and how Tuck celebrates LGBTQIA+ History Month.

Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year is commonly referred to as Spring Festival (春节) as it marks the end of winter and the beginning of the spring season. Lunar New Year is a traditional holiday celebrated in many Asian cultures including Chinese, South Korean, Vietnamese, Singaporean, Malaysian, Filipino and Indonesian. Each culture has its own name for the New Year. For instance, Lunar New Year in China is called the Spring Festival, or chūnjié. South Korea refers to the Lunar New Year as Seollal. In Vietnam, Lunar New Year is called Tết, which is short for Tết Nguyên Đán. 

Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration

The month-long Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at Tuck and Dartmouth, inspired by Dr. King’s life and legacy, provides opportunities for learning, for reflection, for hope, and for action.

“As we celebrate the life of and honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I cannot help but wonder what he would have thought about this year of collective trial, tribulation, and change,” wrote Dia Draper, assistant dean of DEI, during the 2021 celebration. “I believe that Dr. King would not be surprised by the state of the union or the world, but I do believe he would still be hopeful. You can hear both hope and steadfastness in his words. They point to his understanding that justice and equality would not come swiftly or easily.”

Learn more about the MLK Jr. Celebration.

Movember

Each November, Tuck students and partners join together to help change the face of men’s health. The Movember Foundation is the leading charity supporting men’s health, having funded thousands of projects within the areas of prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention.

Learn more about Movember at Tuck.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Month 

On the second Monday in October, we recognize and celebrate Indigenous People’s Day and invite the Tuck community to reflect on the original inhabitants of our land, research the Indigenous communities that stewarded the land you grew up on, and to learn about their history and culture. Dartmouth College exists on the land of the Abenaki people. In recent history, it has become more common at Dartmouth (and across the U.S.) for leaders and event organizers to open events and programs with a land acknowledgement which can be powerful moments of recognition and connection.

Throughout the month of October and through mid-November, Dartmouth and Tuck—in collaboration with Dartmouth’s Native American Program, Native Americans at Dartmouth (NAD), and other campus partners—celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Month with a series of events exploring the important contributions of Native people and honoring their rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories.

Learn more about Indigenous Peoples’ Month at Dartmouth.

Pride

Dartmouth PRIDE is the annual celebration of LGBTQIA+ identities that aims to affirm individuals, promote awareness, and create community. PRIDE provides opportunities to encourage inclusion and discussion through celebration.

Learn more about Dartmouth PRIDE.

Transgender Awareness Week

Nationally celebrated Transgender Awareness Week aims to raise the visibility of transgender and gender non-conforming people. The final day of Transgender Awareness Week is Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), an annual observance on November 20 that honors the memory of those whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. Due to the academic calendar, Tuck celebrates Transgender Awareness week during October or early November.