DE&I Committee: World Day for Cultural Diversity

Were a little late in commemorating this important day, but each year May 21st is recognized as World Day for Cultural Diversity, an international holiday sanctioned by the United Nations General Assembly in late 2002. The UNs decision evolved as a response to destruction of historic Buddha statues in Afghanistan in 2001. It also served as an important acknowledgement that culture not only adds much needed social and economic benefits into everyone's lives, but also offers opportunities to learn from and collaborate with others.

There are countless ways to pay tribute to this holiday. One in particular is to invite those from different backgrounds to share stories, food and celebrations from their culture. Our fellow colleague, Michele Durrani, has done just that with her photos shown below, which illustrate her familys celebrations of Eid Al Fitr.

This celebration marks the end of Ramadan for Muslims around the world. For a month, Muslims fast from dusk until dawn as a method of self-purification, reflection and to commemorate the Koran. For comparisons sake, there is a collage of photos shown below of Micheles Eid Al Fitr celebrations from 2019, demonstrating the typical family celebration that features extended family members and a large arrangement of food.

EID 2019

And the following image, taken this past weekend, shows this years celebration, which was toned down a bit due do our current social distancing requirements. But observed happily by Micheles immediate family, nonetheless.

EID 2020

Thank you, Michele, for this glimpse into your culture and from your entire Epstein family, "Eid Mubarek!"