Seward’s Day

Seward’s Day is an official holiday to commemorate the purchase of the state of Alaska from Russia in 1867. While celebrations are primarily held in “The Last Frontier,” people in other regions of the country may also observe the holiday, which is held every last Monday in March. This is not a federal holiday, but Seward’s Day marks an important milestone in our country, and Americans continue to enjoy the resources that are derived from Alaska every year.

A Purchase from Russia

The purchase of Alaska came about relatively easy. The United States was interested in the land, and Russia was eager to get rid of the territory for monetary reasons. A price was negotiated for $7.2 million, which was extremely controversial during a time when a big portion of the United States was still recovering from the aftermath of the Civil War. Still, the American government unanimously agreed that there was potential in the large piece of land, and they went on with the agreement.

Secretary of State William Henry Seward was largely responsible for the negotiations, and he subsequently signed the treaty for the sale. This is why the holiday has its name of “Seward’s Day.” The transaction officially took place on March 30, 1867. However, the official transfer took months to complete. Some Americans who opposed the transaction referred to it as “Seward’s folly.” Little did they know that Alaska would prove to be a valuable resource; unfortunately, Seward died five years later before he had a chance to witness this.

Alaskan Resources

Seward’s purchase from Russia proved to be a financial success years later. The transaction came about during the height of the frontier period, where adventure and fortune seekers were already scouring the western states for new opportunities. In 1897, miners discovered gold along the Klondike River, which attracted even more inhabitants to the new frontier.

While gold certainly prompted many people to relocate to the area, Alaska has provided numerous other resources over the decade. Examples include seafood, lumber, oil and natural gas. Such resources are not only utilized by U.S. residents and exported to other nations, but they also create numerous jobs for hardworking people.

Celebrations

Alaskans are proud to celebrate Seward’s Day as a new beginning to what would become the nation’s 49^th state in 1959. Residents celebrate the holiday through parades, public educational events and history lessons surrounding the era. Schools often have special events and assignments surrounding the week of Seward’s Day. Residents and visitors can also access parks and monuments dedicated to Secretary Seward around the capital of Juneau.

Better yet, many people get the day off of work and school on Seward’s Day. Government offices and public schools are closed for the holiday. It is a state holiday, so such closures do not extend to other areas of the country. If you are visiting Alaska around Seward’s Day, it is important to be prepared for increased traffic on this holiday so you can make transportation plans accordingly.

Seward’s Day vs. Alaska Day

Seward’s Day is often confused with Alaska Day. The latter holiday is celebrated on October 18, which commemorates the official transfer of Alaska from Russia. On October 18, 1867, Russia made the transfer, nearly seven months after Secretary Seward signed the treaty. Both Seward’s Day and Alaska Day are celebrated by residents of the Last Frontier. Many residents also enjoy paid time off during both holidays.

Administrative Professionals Day

Administrative professionals are essential in virtually all sectors of businesses and institutions. Their contributions are celebrated annually on Administrative Professionals Day. This holiday was founded in the United States, but other countries celebrate it, too. It is recognized in conjunction with Administrative Professionals Week, formerly known as National Secretaries Week.

Date of Celebration

In the United States, Administrative Professionals Day is celebrated on Wednesday within the last full week of April. This same week is also Administrative Professionals Week. In 2013, Administrative Professionals Day is slated for observance on April 24^th.

Many other countries and communities around the world also celebrate this holiday. While some choose to observe Administrative Professionals Day on the same date as the U.S., others celebrate it on a different day of the month. For example, France always celebrates the holiday on every third Thursday in the month of April.

Before 1955, Administrative Professionals Day was observed in June. Known then as Secretaries Day, the holiday was moved up in the year due in part to the fact that many professionals take their summer vacations in the month of June. The date was changed so that everyone has a chance to partake in the celebrations of appreciation for administrative staff.

History

Administrative Professionals Day originally stems from an idea from the former president of the National Secretaries Association, Mary Barrett. The Association was established during World War II to help support increasing numbers of secretaries and receptionists across the United States. Still, Barrett recognized a general lack of appreciation for these types of professionals in the workplace, so she wanted to increase awareness for all workers, including future administrative professionals.

Barrett worked with Victor Toldoya of Young & Rubicam, as well as C. King Woodbridge of Dictaphone Corporation to formulate her concept. Collectively, the three came up with the idea of a National Secretaries Week. Charles Sawyer, the Secretary of Commerce, declared the first week of June as the first annual National Secretaries Week. That Wednesday, June 4, was the very first National Secretaries Day.

The dates were changed in 1955 to better suit celebrations. Years later, the name of the holiday was changed to emphasize other administrative roles aside from secretaries. Since 2000, the date has been officially known as Administrative Professionals Day, which takes place during the newly-named Administrative Professionals Week. In addition, the former National Secretaries Association is now called the International Association of Administrative Professionals.

Observance

Administrative Professionals Day is considered a secular holiday and is not recognized by the federal government. While some companies might give their administrative professionals the day off, others might rotate paid days off throughout Administrative Professionals Week. Since these professionals are essential to day-to-day operations, many do not take the day off. However, they are often celebrated at the workplace through office parties and administrative gifts. This is not a government holiday, so no related institutions are closed on Administrative Professionals Day.

The International Association of Administrative Professionals also sells pins to help raise funds for the annual holiday celebrations. These pins carry a logo of the globe with the Association’s name across the equator. Many workers wear the pins on Administrative Professionals Day to help show their support.

Administrative Professionals Day Gift Ideas

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World Day of Social Justice

World Day of Justice is held annually on February 20^th. It was approved as a world-recognized holiday by the United Nations in 2007, and it officially went into effect in February 2009. The purpose is not only to recognize social justice across all countries, but participants are welcome to collaborate with the U.N.’s World Summit for Social Development to help achieve related goals.

While it is one of the newest holidays in recent history, this day recognizes worldwide issues that people have struggled with for centuries. Basic human rights are withheld in certain regions due to differences in economic statuses, gender, ethnicity, culture, age, race, disability and religion. Withholding basic rights is not only inhumane, but such division is impossible in terms of achieving peace among all nations. World Day of Justice aims to uphold the U.N.’s mission of equal human rights while helping nations set goals to achieve peace and better living conditions for all.

History

On November 26, 2007, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed February 20^th as World Day of Justice. This holiday has been years in the making, and it originally stems from the development of the Copenhagen Declaration and Program of Action, which was drafted at 1995’s World Summit for Social Development. In 2005, the United Nations looked at the Declaration and unanimously decided to put forth concrete efforts to promote worldwide social justice. Two years later, a vote helped form World Day of Social Justice.

Goals

Peace has been a long-sought after idea that has yet to be fulfilled. While many western nations have promoted peace through democracy, there is a great deal of social injustice throughout all nations. The United Nations established World Day of Social Justice as a way to highlight such injustices to increase awareness of divisions between people. Examples include lack of access to healthcare, water, food and good employment on the basis of differences in backgrounds.

Ultimately, division is what sparks battles and wars. The oppressed stand up for their rights, while their governments may attempt to fight back against them. Sadly, many lives are lost over fights for justice, and some battles are not won on behalf of the oppressed. Peace cannot be achieved unless everyone has equal rights to basic resources—World Day of Social Justice seeks to raise awareness to help promote equality for all.

Celebrations

While World Day of Social Justice is a holiday, it is more of a day for observance and call to action. People across the world recognize the goals this holiday promotes, including leaders within governments. At the same time, it is not a public holiday, so all government entities remain open during this day.

World Day of Social Justice is celebrated in a number of ways. Schools and universities are particularly active in the celebrations, as the youth tend to be more open and determined to create solutions for social equality than older generations. With that being said, this holiday is not exclusive to the youth, as this would directly contradict the goals set fort for World Day of Social Justice. It is up to citizens of all ages to be thoughtful of their actions and reflect as to whether their societies promote the welfare of all.

By: Kristeen Moore

Read Across America Day

Read Across America Day is a holiday that encourages reading for all ages. While the focus is on children who are in the middle of mastering reading skills, book lovers young and old participate in this special day. It falls on March 2^nd, which is the same day as Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Schools heavily promote this holiday, but it is also equally important for parents to encourage participation from all at home.

History

Read Across America Day was founded by the National Education Association (NEA) in 1997. The NEA is an organization of current and retired teachers and other education professionals, as well as parents and prospective teachers. The group unanimously voted on an idea for a holiday that would promote reading and literacy of all ages on a national scale. Subsequently, the very first Read Across America Day was celebrated on March 2, 1998.

Many symbols are linked to the holiday. The NEA’s national symbol is often utilized in promotional materials, as well as graphics of books and children reading.

Impact of Dr. Seuss

Before Read Across America Day could officially launch, members of the NEA had to choose an appropriate date. March 2^nd was chosen because it was the same date as the birthday of the beloved children’s author, Dr. Seuss.

Born Theodor Seuss Geisel, Dr. Seuss remains one of the most popular children’s books author of all time. He is famous for classics, such as Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Ten Apples Up on Top and Horton Hears a Who. These stories are not only silly and fun in nature, but the rhyming has helped children learn how to read over the years. In fact, many of Seuss’s books are published today with icons on the covers to help parents indicate whether the particular title is a good independent read, or if it is more appropriate to read together. Children and adults both love these classic books.

Dr. Seuss died at 87 years old in 1991. Since his death, his birthday has been observed to celebrate children’s literature. When the NEA decided to take the celebrations a step further by creating a national Read Across America Day, citizens were more than happy to oblige.

Annual Celebrations

Since the holiday falls on Dr. Seuss’s birthday, much of the celebrations of Read Across America Day involve the famous children’s writer. Most schools allow students to wear Cat in the Hat hats, as well as silly socks or other famous wardrobe pieces from the author’s books. Some cafeterias even make green eggs and ham. Local libraries often participate through book fairs and special readings from children’s authors.

While schools tend to keep the celebrations silly and fun in nature to engage the kids, there are many more serious issues at stake when considering Read Across America Day. Millions of adults are illiterate because they did not have opportunities to read as children. This holiday promotes the importance of reading across all ages to help improve quality of life. Without essential reading skills, adults cannot complete day-to-day tasks or gain optimal employment.

Special Considerations

Read Across America Day is officially on March 2^nd, which falls on the birthday of Dr. Seuss. However, due to the wide participation by schools, the day is celebrated on the closest weekday whenever the holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday. For example, March 2, 2013 is on a Saturday, so schools will observe Read Across America Day on Friday, March 1^st. In 2014, public schools will celebrate the day on Monday, March 3^rd.

Read Across America Day Gift Ideas
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