Category Archives: SJSU IT Internal

Passover & Easter Holidays

Colleagues,

This year, the Jewish holiday Passover (also called Pesach or חַג הַפֶּסַח), lasts from April 5 to April 13. Celebrating the escape of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, Passover brings in the start of Spring with Matzah, songs, and family. The stories and traditions of Passover acknowledge the liberation and freedom of the Jewish people.

For more information about Passover, visit https://www.ifcj.org/learn/jewish-holidays/what-is-passover.

Coinciding with Passover, the Christian Holiday of Easter ( also called Pascha or Resurrection Sunday) on April 9 is a spring festival commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The gifting and decorating of eggs now associated with Easter has been a springtime tradition throughout written human history. Early Christians in Mesopotamia dyed eggs in the period after Easter, a practice that was adopted and spread, as eggs represent new life and rebirth. In the UK, Pace Eggs are rolled down hills in childrens’ races.

Learn more about the history of Easter at https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/history-of-easter.

Best Regards,

The SJSU IT Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

Norma Brown

Ryan Campbell

Tino Cruz

Kara Li

Bob Lim

Matthew Loo

Maggie Panahi

Willie Simon

César E. Chávez National Holiday Tomorrow 3/31/23

Colleagues,

César E. Chávez National Holiday is a US federal commemorative holiday celebrated on César Chávez’s birthday, March 31st. This marked the first time that a labor leader or Latino has been honored with a public legal holiday.

César Chávez was working full time at an orchard when he first began organizing labor professionally. He helped thousands of workers register to vote and fought for the rights of Latino workers. He quickly became a full-time community organizer.

César Chávez was the face and heart of the push to allow farm workers the right to unionize. He and the farm workers faced violent union-busting tactics from the grape growers during this process. Some workers were even arrested or shot.

César Chávez fasted to bring attention to his cause. Taking inspiration from the nonviolent heroes who inspired him, Chávez used long fasts to protest violence against farm workers who were trying to unionize and to bring attention to the dangerous work conditions workers faced from pesticides and long hours in the sun. His most well-known fast was a 36-day Fast For Life, which focused on the dangers of pesticides to workers, their children, and consumers.

The Grape Strike was the largest strike in the history of US labor. It lasted five years and ended in major growers signing union contracts.

Today, César Chávez Day brings together hundreds of thousands who engage in celebrations, service and learning projects, and other actions that further the many causes which Cesar Chavez worked for.

Learn more at: https://chavezfoundation.org/about-cesar-chavez/

Read about President Biden’s Cesar Chavez Day Proclamation: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/03/30/a-proclamation-on-cesar-chavez-day-2022/

Best Regards,
The SJSU IT Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

Norma Brown

Ryan Campbell

Tino Cruz

Kara Li

Bob Lim

Matthew Loo

Maggie Panahi

Willie Simon

Nowruz 2023

The word Nowruz (Novruz, Navruz, Nooruz, Nevruz, Nauryz) means “new day” and the Nowruz celebration marks the first day of spring on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox, which usually occurs on or around March 21. It is celebrated as the beginning of the new year by more than 300 million people all around the world and has been celebrated for over 3,000 years in the Balkans, the Black Sea Basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East, and other regions.

Inscribed in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as a cultural tradition observed by numerous people, Nowruz is an ancestral festivity marking the renewal of nature. It promotes values of peace and solidarity between generations and within families as well as reconciliation and neighborliness, contributing to cultural diversity and friendship among peoples and different communities. Its traditions and rituals reflect the cultural and ancient customs of the civilizations of the East and West, which influenced those civilizations through the interchange of human values.

Learn more: https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-nowruz-day

Celebrating Nowruz means the affirmation of life in harmony with nature, awareness of the inseparable link between constructive labor and natural cycles of renewal, and a solicitous and respectful attitude towards natural sources of life.

Best Regards,
The SJSU IT Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

Norma Brown

Ryan Campbell

Tino Cruz

Kara Li

Bob Lim

Matthew Loo

Maggie Panahi

Willie Simon

Holi 2023

Holi, an ancient Hindu festival to express the pure joy of the triumph of good over evil, is being celebrated today, March 8th, this year. Holi represents the arrival of spring, forgiving others for past wrongdoings, and promoting unity and brotherhood. This is a particularly special holiday in India because although it began as a Hindu celebration, today it is celebrated by most Indians regardless of religion.

The name Holi comes from the legend behind the holiday in which the demoness Holika was sent by King Hiranyakashipu to kill his son Prahlada, an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna. Holika tried to trick Prahlada into burning to death on a pyre, but because her intentions were evil, she was the one who was burned and killed, while Prahlada was protected by Lord Krishna.

Holi’s “color fight” actually comes from the legend of Lord Krishna, a Hindu god who is also worshiped on Holi. According to the stories, Krishna was well-known for playing pranks and being mischievous. One prank he played on the village girls involved dousing them in colors and water.

Over time, putting colors on others came to represent a way to express joy and the story of Krishna transformed into the tradition of the joyous color fight we see today.

Learn more at https://www.holifestival.org/significance-of-holi.html

Best Regards,

The SJSU IT Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

Norma Brown

Ryan Campbell

Tino Cruz

Kara Li

Bob Lim

Matthew Loo

Maggie Panahi

Willie Simon

Women’s History Month 2023

Colleagues,

March is Women’s History Month, highlighting the contributions of women to contemporary society. The commemoration is a California legacy, began in 1978 as “Women’s History day” in Sonoma County, California, and was championed by Gerda Lerner and the National Women’s History Alliance to be recognized as a national week (1980) and then month (1987) in the United States, spreading internationally after that.

Learn more at: https://womenshistorymonth.gov/

What’s more, International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, occurs annually on March 8th. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements or rally for women’s equality. You might take this opportunity to:

  • celebrate women’s achievements

  • raise awareness about women’s equality

  • lobby for accelerated gender parity

  • fundraise for female-focused charities

Learn more at https://www.internationalwomensday.com/

Thank you to all of the women working at SJSU IT. Your voices are valued and we’re glad you’ve chosen our campus as a place to build your success.

Best Regards,
The SJSU IT Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

Norma Brown

Ryan Campbell

Tino Cruz

Kara Li

Bob Lim

Matthew Loo

Maggie Panahi

Willie Simon