A Diversity Message from Neil Meltzer, President and CEO, and Dr. Sybil Pentsil, Chief Diversity Officer - August 2022

A meaningful commitment to diversity and belonging is one of our most essential priorities here at LifeBridge Health. With these monthly Diversity Messages, we aim to celebrate the unique cultures and rich diversity represented by our team members across the network, honoring our differences and reflecting on our common purpose - to care for our communities together.

August 1 is Lammas or Lughnasadh, a Gaelic festival celebrating the beginning of the harvest season. The day is celebrated by many Pagans and in some English-speaking countries such as England, Ireland and Scotland in the Northern Hemisphere (in the Southern Hemisphere, it is recognized on February 1). Observers traditionally bake Lammas bread, make corn dollies, bundle twigs together and enjoy feasts with family. In some regions of Ireland, the holiday is celebrated with pilgrimages that involve climbing hills and mountains.  

Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar which began this year on Friday, July 29, and will continue through August 28. Muharram is one of the four Islamic holy months; and its tenth day, known as Ashura, holds great significance for followers of the Islamic faith. For most Muslims, Ashura honors the day that Prophet Nuh (Noah) left the ark, as well as the day that God saved Prophet Musa (Moses) from the Pharaoh and is observed with fasting. However, for devotees of the Shi'a branch of Islam, Ashura is a day for fasting and mourning the death of the Prophet Mohammad's grandson, Hussain. 

Every year on the seventh day of the seventh Chinese lunar month, the Qixi (Double Seven) Festival is celebrated in China, falling this year on August 4. Also known as Chinese Valentine's Day, the holiday originates from a Chinese legend about a humble cowherd who fell in love with a fairy from heaven, but the lovers were separated by a goddess. While its traditional customs have now largely faded, Qixi remains as the most romantic Chinese holiday and is still celebrated with exchanges of gifts, such as flowers or chocolate, between lovers.

In 1994, the United Nations established August 9 as the annual International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous people are those who descend directly from the earliest inhabitants of a given geographic region. International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is both a celebration of indigenous peoples' accomplishments across the globe and an effort to raise awareness and protect their rights, given that indigenous populations remain marginalized in many regions around the world.

In the United States, Women's Equality Day is observed annually on August 26 in celebration and acknowledgment of the Nineteenth Amendment's ratification in 1920, legally granting women the right the vote. The day was first celebrated in 1973 following a congressional resolution passed thanks to its original proponent, Congresswoman Bella Abzug. Women's Equality Day is an opportunity to reflect on both the advancements and struggles women still face in society, and to recognize the importance of gender equality.  

Thank you for the commitment you make every day to CARE BRAVELY and live our LifeBridge Health values.