February is Ramadan, Lunar New Year, Ash Wednesday and More: A Guide to Respectful Inclusion

Hello all,

In addition to February's role in reminding us to celebrate and learn more about Black History, we also get to celebrate several other special days and seasons.

We have Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day, and President's Day. We also have Lunar New Year (Year of the Fire Horse), Ramadan, Mardi Gras, and Ash Wednesday among many others.

This week's focus is on acknowledging holidays, events, and traditions in a respectful manner. Ignoring special holidays and traditions might seem easier when we don't know a lot about them, but that ignores important parts of our colleagues' lives. So we need to educate ourselves, and then let those who are celebrating take the lead in how or if they want our participation or support.

From a 2024 Forbes article, this paragraph really sums up the essence of how to be respectful: Avoid Appropriation; Instead Practice Appreciation

"If you choose to participate in others’ cultural celebrations in an attempt to learn and educate, be sure to practice appreciation of that culture and avoid appropriation. Cultural appropriation is defined as taking something with high cultural importance in another’s culture and using it for your personal gain or enjoyment. When learning about other cultures, it’s important to avoid reinforcing stereotypes and to steer clear of the use of sacred symbols or practices if you don't have proper context or authorization."

From Karen Catlin's Better Allies newsletter on how to Support coworkers during Ramadan:

"The holy month of Ramadan begins on February 17th this year. I appreciated reading Understanding Ramadan and Supporting Your Muslim Colleagues by Yusuf Zakir, chief talent and inclusion officer at Davis Wright Tremaine. He explains that during Ramadan, most Muslims fast from dawn to dusk (including not drinking water), are more dedicated to prayer, increase their charitable giving and community service, and spend more time with family and members of the community at their place of worship.

Here’s Zakir’s advice for supporting coworkers during this time:

• Acknowledge the month’s significance by wishing them Ramadan Mubarak (have a happy Ramadan) or Ramadan Kareem (have a blessed Ramadan).
• Understand how busy they may be, working their regular hours while fasting and then participating in prayers and festivities in the evening.
• Be empathetic of the stress and uncertainty many are feeling, given humanitarian crises and political rhetoric targeting Muslim and other minority communities.
• Encourage them to take off Eid-ul-Fitr, which marks the end of the 30 days of Ramadan and is commonly considered the most widely celebrated holiday for Muslims worldwide. You can also wish them Eid Mubarak (have a happy Eid)."

We can make Zakir's advice universal by taking the following steps with all our colleagues.

1. Acknowledge their traditions.
2. Appreciate the extra effort, time, and stress even welcome traditions add to our lives (think of your own traditions—wonderful and stressful).
3. Be empathetic and understanding.

All the best,
Holly