Lillis McLean
NYS Diversity Director

Our nation's greatest strength is its diversity. We can celebrate that diversity by learning more about the many cultures that live and thrive here.

Hispanic Heritage Month
September 15 - October 15

First proclaimed as a week of celebration by Congress in 1968 and then established by public law as a month of celebration in 1988, Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15th each year. This date marks the anniversary of independence for five Hispanic countries - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico achieved independence on September 16, and Chile on September 18.

National Hispanic Heritage Month provides the nation an opportunity to express appreciation to Hispanic Americans for their countless contributions to our society and to pay tribute again to America's distinctive diversity.

National Disability Employment Awareness Month
October

Congress designated each October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). The Office of Disability Employment Policy has the lead in planning NDEAM activities and materials to increase the public's awareness of the contributions and skills of American workers with disabilities. Various programs carried out throughout the month also highlight the specific employment barriers that still need to be addressed and removed.

Native American Heritage Month and Alaska Native Heritage Month
November

The celebration of Native American heritage has roots in efforts at the turn of the 20th century to recognize the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of the United States. Starting as a day of recognition in 1916 in some states, then becoming Native Awareness Week in 1976, the celebration expanded to a month in 1990 and has been signified by Presidential Proclamation every November since 1994.

Black History Month
February

Black history in America is a story of people rising above great injustice to make incredible contributions to our country. Black History Month is a time to recognize and celebrate African Americans and the accomplishments that enrich our multicultural, national heritage and possibilities for the future. It is a time to celebrate the considerable contributions of African Americans in the United States. February was chosen for Black History Month because of the month's many important anniversaries and remembrances relating to African Americans, including Frederick Douglass's presumed birthday (February 14) and Abraham Lincoln's birthday (February 12).

Women's History Month
March

In 1978, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women in California, began a "Women's History Week" celebration. The week was chosen to coincide with International Women's Day, which was first celebrated March 8, 1911, in Europe.

Three years later, the United States Congress passed a resolution establishing National Women's History Week, which was expanded to a month in 1978 at the request of the National Women's History Project. Every year since then the U.S. Congress has issued a resolution for Women's History Month.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
May

May has been celebrated as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month by Presidential Proclamation since 1990. It is a time to recognize and celebrate the cultural traditions and contributions of people who represent more than 30 ethnic backgrounds from Asia to the Pacific Islands - adding to the rich diversity, heritage, and accomplishments of the United States.

And learn how diverse the United States is, county-by county:

Racial and ethnic diversity have increased significantly since 2000, new Census data show. The probability that two people chosen at random in each of the USA's 3,143 counties would be of a different race or ethnicity (on a 0-100 scale):

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/county-by-county-diversity.htm

Sources: Source: Analysis of 2009 Census Bureau estimates by Paul Overberg, USA TODAY

Census population estimates out June 10 show that on July 1, 2009, minorities made up more than half the population in 317 counties, four states (Hawaii, New Mexico, California, Texas) and the District of Columbia.

The detailed estimates provide a final glimpse of the USA's demographic transformation this decade. Official results of the 2010 Census, now being conducted, will come out beginning in December.