I’m not calling out specific white men – so if you identify as white and you identify as a man, and you know me don’t take this post personally, you don’t have to avoid me or be awkward around me – many of you already are either overly confident or get weird and try to give me all of your social justice credentials (I’ve had to endure many awkward conversations while white men explain why they aren’t typical white men).  

Are you really that fragile?

I’m tired of fragile white men who can’t take feedback or even slight pushback when someone tells them they need to consider a different way of thinking. Many of you have been told you’re right for most of your life. Rarely have you been questioned or asked to consider anything other than your own truth as being gospel truth. The thing is, that gospel truth is only YOUR truth, many of us may not agree but you are so fragile when anyone says anything otherwise you throw tantrums and we just throw up our hands and walk away – there are few direct consequences for your fragility.

Recently, I commented on an Instagram reel about how the white dog owner was perpetuating cultural appropriation by using a Hawaiian word. White men made up the bulk of the racist sub-comments. They couldn’t handle a little feedback saying a video they really don’t have a stake in might be wrong – protect whiteness at all costs. The white men also felt emboldened to type out what was on their minds, often rude and racist comments, and again no one checked them on their behavior – racism protects racism.

I’ve also seen white men throw tantrums in professional settings. It comes off as bullying and questioning. The peacocking behavior of puffing up the chest and needing to prove you are right is tiresome, especially when you’re not right. Dudes, there are better ways. I don’t need your tantrums, anger, or pretend nice. The amount of anger and passive aggressiveness POCs deal with is exhausting. Humility and being open to learning will go a long way. People don’t expect you to know everything, in fact, often it builds trust and respect to say “I’m not the expert on that, let me get back to you,” and then to follow up.

I’m not going to give you lessons on how to behave, you need to figure that out on your own. Many women of color and white allies have already given you lessons you probably have ignored. I know this will frustrate some of you who are like “You’re pointing out the problems but not telling me how to solve it, you are part of the problem.” I’ve been accused of that before. This is where I say, “It isn’t my job to teach you,” which will further annoy and possibly infuriate you. Recently I pointed out to a white male colleague why something is inequitable. He wrote back and said “What […] do you propose…” I wrote back a lengthy reply, complete with articles and links. I haven’t heard back. I gave a lot of free labor, thoughts, and teaching with no reply. I thought I was investing in a relationship to move a project forward, nope.

What I will give you is a reminder that there are better ways I hope you find some for yourselves.

I will drop this title if you want to learn more on your own time. Author Ijeoma Oluo did a fab job in her book Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America.

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Thank you to our Patreon subscribers. At this time I don’t offer ‘extras’ or bonuses for Patreons. I blog after working a full-time job, volunteer and family commitments thus it is hard to find time to create more content. Whatever level you are comfortable giving pays for back-end costs, research costs, supporting other POC efforts, etc. If your financial situation changes please make this one of the first things you turn-off — you can still access the same content and when/if you can re-subscribe I’ll appreciate it.

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Back in the 2000s and 2010s, diversity was the ‘in’ word. Organizations and companies set up diversity committees to ensure their company looked like a United Colors of Benetton ad – a multiracial group of people with different skin tones standing next to each other. It was a solid first attempt at breaking out of whiteness. Now we’re smarter than that and know that just throwing together a group of people doesn’t make them a cohesive unit, especially when putting together diverse adults.

We also know adding one person of color to an all-white group doesn’t change much. The power dynamics of the group will continue to favor whiteness. Having been that one POC in the room, I can also say it was often uncomfortable to have to bring up topics regarding race, who’s voices were missing, or other topics that went against the majority voice. For many POCs in those positions we know we need to disrupt the status quo, but it doesn’t mean we feel like we have security or belonging in that room. We need to be more thoughtful and change the dynamics of groups and rooms if we want to create deeper changes.

Socially Engineer Relationships

I’m a big fan of gently, but forcefully pushing people to get to know other people. If you think about a gathering you attended or an event you hosted with a group of people who didn’t know each other, what happened? I bet the people who know each other gravitated towards each other and the new people stood on the side or awkwardly moved about the room. As hosts and employers we need to do better at creating situations to integrate and force people to meet.

Recently, I met with a colleague who works for a large historically white-led and white-serving nonprofit. The organization is diversifying, but leadership and much of the staff, especially for the more tenured staff. My colleague is a POC and said while the organization is making changes it is hard to feel like she belongs there. The organization’s culture feels sterile and caters to whiteness.  

We brainstormed how to shift the culture of the organization to accepting POCs in the little ways she has the power to shift. We acknowledged it will be a long slog, that might be too slow for many of the POCs who have to work in it. This is also why leadership at all levels matters. We talked about ways she could influence her own team, and while others could poke and chip away at other parts of the organization.

In another example, I recently attended a small conference where it looked like many of the attendees knew each other from previous years. It was great to see so many enjoying themselves and reconnecting. That said, as a newcomer it was hard to break into the crowd and meet people. Having a sense of belonging takes more than throwing people into a reception room and providing them with drinks and appetizers. Socially engineering some forced ways for people to meet is helpful. It wasn’t until the end of the conference where we had to take several mini buses and vans and being stuck in there that I connected with people.

What to do…

Creating the feeling of belonging and inclusion take intentionality but aren’t hard. As a convener or host, you can do things like:

• Have name tags
• Assign seating or a way to force people to not sit with their friends, for online environments put people into breakout rooms  
• Provide conversation prompts (there are question banks on the Fakequity blog – here and here)
• Introduce people to each other
• Mix people up into different groups

For in-person office settings, having natural places where people gather is important. A kitchen table where people gather for lunch or snacks is a good place to start. Model using it and invite people to join you. I remember reading when Steve Jobs was building Apple’s campus, he wanted just one set of bathrooms in a central location to force people to bump into each other at that spot. He didn’t win that argument, but the idea is still true – people need places to organically grow relationships, synergy and belonging happen because of it.

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Thank you for subscribing. Please check fakequity.com for the most up-to-date version of the post. I often make grammatical and stylistic corrections after the first publishing which shows up in your inbox. To subscribe — on the right sidebar (desktop version) is a subscribe box. To see what I’m reading and recommended books check out the Fakequity Bookshop. I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org where your purchases support local bookstores. I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. The commission goes into purchasing books by POC authors or about disabilities to donate to high-poverty public schools.

For this week’s blog post, I want to share a little about my Japanese American culture. Some of you may know about Girls’ day – Hinamatsuri, and for others this may be a completely new concept and holiday to learn about.

As a Japanese American, I grew up with many of the Japanese traditions, but they have been adapted in Hawai’i. One of the celebrations I grew up with is Japanese Girls’ Day, Hinamatsuri. Always celebrated on March 3, 3/3, it is one of five seasonal festivals in Japan. The other festivals are on 1/1 – New Year’s Day, 5/5 – Boys’ day and Children’s day, Kodomo no Hiこどもの日 – a holiday in Japan, 7/7 – bamboo festival, and 9/9 – Kiku Chrysanthemum festival. In Hawai’i, I only remember celebrating 1/1 since it is New Years day, 3/3 Girls’ Day, and 5/5 for Boys’ Day.

As a note, Hawai’i’s traditions are probably different from how Japanese people in Japan or other diaspora communities celebrate. Time, isolation, and proximity to other communities cause traditions to adapt and morph. In my view this is neither right or wrong, just the reality of migration and adaptation.

Girls’ day, represented by the peach flower, is celebrated with dolls. When a girl is born, she is given a set of dolls, hina ningyo or hinakazari (雛飾り), depicting the royal court of the Heian period wedding, to display on Girls’ day. These dolls are not to play with – display dolls, akin to a Christmas Nativity set that is put out once a year for a holiday. Sometimes these dolls are passed down through a family, or she’s gifted a new one. The dolls are set on a red cloth and arranged with the empress on the top and downward according to hierarchy. The dolls symbolize good health, prosperity, and traditionally a good marriage. It is also believed that displaying the dolls will ward off evil spirits.

My family didn’t put out a doll set. I vaguely remember making paper dolls at school or maybe in art class to honor the holiday.

Food

As a part of the Japanese diaspora and growing up in Hawai’i, I didn’t celebrate the holiday with a doll display. Instead, my mom would make a big pan of chi chi dango mochi to take to school and share.

Chichi dango is made of mochiko (rice flour), with conspicuous amounts of sugar, coconut milk and a few other ingredients. For a traditional Girls’ Day dessert, the batter is divided into three, and colored green, white, and pink to represent spring colors. My kids love chi chi dango and know to request it around Girls’ day. Their school friends also know to look for them around this time for a piece of the sweet dessert.

Other traditional foods include Chirashi-zushi (ちらし寿司) – served in a lacquered bowl it is more like a sushi rice bowl than rolled sushi, very festive. Ushiojiru (潮汁) is a clear clam-based soup with salt and sake – very spring flavors. And inarizushi (いなり寿司) is a favorite in our house, they look like pillow pockets of rice.

I hope you celebrate the girls in your life every day.

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Thank you to our Patreon subscribers. At this time I don’t offer ‘extras’ or bonuses for Patreons. I blog after working a full-time job, volunteer and family commitments thus it is hard to find time to create more content. Whatever level you are comfortable giving pays for back-end costs, research costs, supporting other POC efforts, etc. If your financial situation changes please make this one of the first things you turn-off — you can still access the same content and when/if you can re-subscribe I’ll appreciate it.

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It is mid-winter break so I also haven’t put a ton of thinking or research into the topic, even though it is an important one. It’s been rolling around in my head for a while.

In Fall 2023 I participated in the Marshall Memorial Fellowship, one of the signature programs of the German Marshall Fund. It was a privilege to spend three weeks traveling throughout Europe. As I wrote before Europe is impossibly far away from Hawai’i where I grew up, and only a hair closer to the West Coast where I now live. Before the fellowship, I rarely spent time thinking about international politics. I spend a lot of time thinking about city and local politics and policy. For many people and communities of color international politics don’t often feel relevant, and the media and policy think tanks rarely make the connections clear. I’ve heard communities of color ask why should we care about what happens abroad.

I get it. Local problems are in our face. they impact our neighbors and our friends. There is never enough money, attention, or time to solve everyone’s problems. There is also a feeling of if we can’t fix something like ensuring we have good schools, why are we funding and supporting international aid.

First, we should re-frame the conversation. Both are big problems and complex problems. One isn’t simpler to solve than the other. School funding, fentanyl addiction, local gun violence, and so on are problems that need to be fixed right now. The war in Ukraine and Gaza, immigration, climate change, and so on are also problems that needs solutions immediately. This is where we need to value both local and international problems.

For communities of color, it can feel like the conversation on international problems is sucking the oxygen out of the room. There is also a feeling of when will our problems receive attention; don’t tell us to wait cause we’ve always taken a backseat while other problems are fixed first. That said we also need to pay attention to and work on international problems as well.

It is only lately I’ve been paying closer attention to international politics. I still don’t understand 95% of it, but in paying attention the more I see the connections to local politics and policy. The conflict in Ukraine matters to communities of color because military action has always impacted communities of color. As an example, as artificial intelligence (AI) evolves and is used in military applications, such as removing the human element of harm with drones or the decision making around targets these can both be seen as advantageous to war efforts. But what happens when that technology is employed at the local level with law enforcement locally? What safeguards are in place to ensure it doesn’t harm communities of color? The questions are all interconnected and should haunt us.

Fentanyl usage and addiction is hurting many directly or indirectly in the US, especially in our communities of color. While the drug use is local, the problem extends from our borders to international politics when we look at the sources of the ingredients for the drugs. Communities of color cannot fix these problems on our own. This needs to be a coordinated local and international fix.

It is well-documented that climate change is impacting poor people of color differently than wealthier people. It is also true we need international solutions to get ahead of climate change. No individual community of color can fix it. Yet many of our communities of color are on the front line of finding solutions that work. The disconnect is are we listening to communities of color?

In a future post, I’ll explore more about what the international policy community needs to step up and build better relationships with communities of color to recognize the unique and different needs by communities of color.  

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Thank you to our Patreon subscribers. At this time I don’t offer ‘extras’ or bonuses for Patreons. I blog after working a full-time job, volunteer and family commitments thus it is hard to find time to create more content. Whatever level you are comfortable giving pays for back-end costs, research costs, supporting other POC efforts, etc. If your financial situation changes please make this one of the first things you turn-off — you can still access the same content and when/if you can re-subscribe I’ll appreciate it.

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To honor Black History Month, I asked my Black friends to share phrases they are asked/told/endure for a BINGO board. My hope is by putting out this BINGO board we can expose the racism, thoughtlessness, and stereotypes that Black people endure every day. I also hope it gave my friends a chance to be honest about the things they put up with, often more gracefully than the rest of us.

To the non-Blacks reading this, please learn from the honesty shared in this post. If you are wondering about any of the phrases on here, do some reflection on why it is on the BINGO board. All of the squares have themes that have repeatedly come up for Black people, and some basic internet research will provide a ton of articles, videos, and material for you to learn from.

If you see something on the list that you’ve done in the past, please don’t melt like a snowflake and cry to a Black person. Instead, learn about it and work to be a better ally. Also, learn about reparations and other efforts to bring justice to Black people.

Since the graphic is not screen reader-friendly here is a description. Black background with red, yellow, and green diagonal stripes in the background and a black squiggle in the top right and bottom left corner.

Text title: Don’t Say That to Me – Black History Month BINGO

• Can I touch your hair?
• I love your skin, I wish I could get a good tan.
• You’re so articulate
• I knew you were mixed with something else
• But where are you reeeeaaaaalllly from?
• I have a Black friend
• You don’t sound Black
• “I’m so glad you’re here.” When you’re the only Black person in the room
• Do you sell weed?
• You look mad
• Says “Time to crack the whip”
• Is it OK to say the n word around you?
• STOP AND THINK BEFORE TALKING
• Cop, “You look nervous, what you hiding?”
• Were you the diversity candidate?
• Look I’m almost your color
• Am I different from the other white girls?
• Can you teach me to twerk?
• “You’re just being too sensitive” when pointing out racist behavior
• Why are we celebrating Black children? They aren’t anymore special
• Are you the first in your family to go to college?
• Did you grow up in a single family home?
• I’m sorry I didn’t realize you work here
• Do you swim/camp/hike?
• Asks a Black person, When is MLK day?

Thank you to my Black friends and colleagues for sharing to make this post as authentic as possible. I wasn’t able to fit everything shared, but have it filed away for a future post. Thank you.

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Thank you to our Patreon subscribers. At this time I don’t offer ‘extras’ or bonuses for Patreons. I blog after working a full-time job, volunteer and family commitments thus it is hard to find time to create more content. Whatever level you are comfortable giving pays for back-end costs, research costs, supporting other POC efforts, etc. If your financial situation changes please make this one of the first things you turn-off — you can still access the same content and when/if you can re-subscribe I’ll appreciate it.

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Lunar New Year is tomorrow, Saturday, 10 February. As my friend Susan said it is like Thanksgiving, Halloween, your birthday, and Christmas rolled into one holiday and spread over two-weeks.

In Chinese culture Lunar New Year will usher in the year of the dragon. The Chinese Zodiac has 12 animals and each Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year, ushers in a new animal with an accompanying trait like earth, water, fire, or gold/metal. This coming new year welcomes the wood dragon.

Back in 2020, one of the last posts conceived in person before we went into COVID lockdown, several friends and I conceived the Fakequity version of your Chinese Zodiac horoscope. It felt like a good time to reprise those horoscopes and update them for the epic year of the dragon. I am not an astrologer, as always this is for fun, entertainment, and to give us some things to think about.

Rat – People born in the year of the rat are known for being quick-witted, clever, resourceful, and wise. Some legends say the rat was the hero who took a bite of the dark egg, and with that crack in the egg light and air were let into the world. Other legends say the rat is conniving and used other animals, Ox and Tiger (sometimes known as the cat) to get what he wanted. Which animal are you going to be in your pursuit of racial justice – the one who takes a bite to let light in or the one who uses people of color to get ahead? May the year of the dragon give you the push you need to serve others ahead of yourself.

Ox – Oxen are hardworking, taciturn, strong, and determined. Ox people are who you want on your team to get a job done over the long haul. They have the potential to be a guiding star and to never waiver. That said make sure you find ox people who are on the right side of justice, cause if they are dug in on a belief that is where they will stay. Ox your mission this year of the dragon is to avoid high-risk sports (not a lucky year for those things) and to instead go deep on reading and learning about race.

Tigers – Tigers and dragons are known to fight. If this is the case, please align and fight injustice together rather than fight on opposite sides. Tigers are known for being adventurous, generous, outspoken, anxious, and brave. Tigers are known for chasing away evil and big wins. In 2024, perhaps some of the tigers’ lessons can be racial equity work is often built on smaller gains not just the big wins.

Rabbits – Elegant, quiet, respectable, finicky, and clever these adorable bunnies make loyal companions on any journey. Legend says the rabbit finished the race that set the Zodiac by hopping from stone to stone on a river – a clever way to cross the river since rabbits can’t swim well. Use those smarts to improve yourself this coming year. It is a good year for self-improvement and learning a new skill, so make that skill a useful one to the racial justice causes.  

Dragon – Dragons are confident, intelligent, rigid, passionate, and charismatic. Even though this is your year, it is better to keep a low-profile and be humble. Those who are showy and outspoken will be hit harder. Instead use the year to listen, build relationships not for gain, and slow down to enjoy life. Dragons can also use the year to attend more joyous and happy events to attract good luck this year – go out and support other communities of color with their festivals, maybe it will bring you luck too.

Snake – Enigmatic, vein, mysterious, and wise the snake will use its charm on you. Snakes are known for learning by doing and through life experiences. They are also known for being charming and trying to use that charm to gain fortune and favor. Snakes use your charm to open doors for justice based causes. This is a good year for relationships for you, so pay it forward by supporting others.

Horse – Easygoing, witty, outspoken, and honest the horse is known for being independent and intuitive. Sometimes a project needs a foreperson to go scout the landscape ahead – send the horse on this mission. The year of the dragon is a good year for the horse to travel. Take advantage of opportunities to learn, near and afar, from many different people. Learning and building relationships allows people to learn and innovate. Be kind to the earth too with the travel, learn from the land itself and the indigenous people in the places you visit.

Sheep – Intelligent, compassionate, romantic, and disorganized the sheep (sometimes referred to as the goat on the zodiac) is known as a team player. Every group needs people who keep the team going, the diplomats who can bring compassion and care to the group. Sheep this is your gift to racial justice work – being gentle, kind, and supportive when feelings are tender. These good Samaritan traits are needed when times get tough, like with the upcoming 2024 elections.

Monkeys are clever, inventors, sharp, and funny. They can also be arrogant and manipulative when not checked. According to one fortune webpage, this will be a good year for the monkey to make and spend money. If this is true for you monkeys, make sure to put that money toward supporting people and communities of color. Spend your money at POC businesses and invest in communities of color. Your playful nature will shine brightly in these spaces.

Rooster – Self-reliant, talented, honest, and observant the rooster is known for being resourceful and problem solving. Many say their skillful observations help them find new solutions and with limited resources. However, they are also known for being cocky and self-congratulatory in these situations too. This is not an attractive trait when working with others to fix community problems. In the year of the dragon focus on supporting others and building relationships.

Dog – loyal, sincere, protective, and stubborn dogs will experience a lot of changes this year. It is a good year to practice prudence. Sometimes being a supporter is an important way of engaging with community work, you don’t always have to lead. Loyalty and being there for the long haul is important in community based projects.

Pig – generous, creative, responsible, and thoughtful, these are traits we will be need in the coming year. Pigs may have to work a little harder this year to see gains, so don’t give in to the side of you that wants to laze around. Your hard work will pay off for yourself and others.

Have a blessed lunar new year. Lunar New Year is the welcoming of spring so enjoy the season and be kind to each other in the year of the dragon.

To my Asian relations – Gung he fat choy, happy Tet, and Selloal.

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Thank you to our Patreon subscribers. At this time I don’t offer ‘extras’ or bonuses for Patreons. I blog after working a full-time job, volunteer and family commitments thus it is hard to find time to create more content. Whatever level you are comfortable giving pays for back-end costs, research costs, supporting other POC efforts, etc. If your financial situation changes please make this one of the first things you turn-off — you can still access the same content and when/if you can re-subscribe I’ll appreciate it.

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Today is 1 February – the start of Black History Month. Please take some intentional time to learn about Black history in your communities. Black history is everywhere and important to learn from and experience.

For the past week I’ve cringed before opening my Instagram account. A while ago I commented on a reel with a cute dog is practicing cultural appropriation. There is a TikTok and now IG trend where dog owners use the same syrupy women’s voiceover saying they are their dog’s protector, guardian, and attendant – a Native Hawaiian concept. Many people are not happy with having to think about cultural appropriation. I’m purposefully not linking to any of the reels and keeping the details off the post so people don’t give them extra clicks.

I’m taking a few of the juicy and a few of the eye-roll comments and explaining why I disagree. After reading some of the comments it is also clear cultural appropriation is not widely understood.

My disclosure: I am not Native Hawaiian. I grew up in Hawai’i and continue to maintain strong ties to the people and place. I do not speak for Native Hawaiians in this post or any other writing. My intention and purpose of this post is to focus less on the use of the Native Hawaiian word used and more on the concept of cultural appropriation and its harm.

“The meaning belongs to everyone.” “Life philosophies can transcend cultures.”

The meaning behind something can have universal themes, but that doesn’t mean we can take a very specific cultural concept and language and allow others to claim it as their own. In this case a social media influencer who most likely is not Native Hawaiian is using the Hawaiian language and an Indigenous concept to gain clicks, that will eventually be monetized. How are Native Hawaiians compensated from this arrangement? While the concept is universal the reel and social media usage of the concept is being exploited for personal gain.

“What if I enjoy a coconut [is that cultural appropriation]?” and “You better not eat Italian food or you’re appropriating my culture.”

First, coconuts are not native to Hawai’i. They were imported to the islands. Eating any food from another culture isn’t cultural appropriation. What would be appropriation is if I made Italian food and claimed that I as a non-Italian was doing it better than Italians with no deference to the food’s cultural roots or heritage. There is a line between appreciation and appropriation. Appreciating something is different than claiming it and saying you are doing it better, and not honoring the history or culture behind it.

There is also colonization to consider in how we think about food and its place in culture and appropriating it. Colonization through food happened in the past and continues to happen. This is a deeper topic for a full post of its own. In the meantime, there are a lot of articles on the internet about this topic.

“This is not cultural appropriation, it is merely explaining something this person thinks is wonderful… Can someone not explain something from another culture without it being cultural appropriation.”

Sure, people can explain something from another culture – this leads to innovations and new ways of thinking. My thinking and learning about race and culture have benefited from learning from other people, cultural backgrounds, and histories.

The difference is, when I share what I learned I do my best to honor the history behind it and to pay deference to the original thinkers. For me this means learning from the sources when possible, respecting other people’s spaces and knowing when I shouldn’t share something because it isn’t for me to share – especially around cultural ceremonies, giving credit to the original sources, and paying reparations and working to be in just relations with my POC relations and communities.

In this case, the reel didn’t credit any Native Hawaiians or acknowledge their language or origins – cultural exploitation.

As a side note, February is Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi month in Hawai’i, a time to learn and honor ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Native Hawaiian language. A great time for the dog person to pay some reparations for the profit she’s making from having a Hawaiian language reel.

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Thank you to our Patreon subscribers. At this time I don’t offer ‘extras’ or bonuses for Patreons. I blog after working a full-time job, volunteer and family commitments thus it is hard to find time to create more content. Whatever level you are comfortable giving pays for back-end costs, research costs, supporting other POC efforts, etc. If your financial situation changes please make this one of the first things you turn-off — you can still access the same content and when/if you can re-subscribe I’ll appreciate it.

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I was talking to a friend who consults on racial equity. Normally she’s very hard to book, her schedule is filled and I knew if I wanted to hire her for a training or project I would have to book her months in advance. These days though she said the schedule is open and business has been slow. This was a change from several years ago where organizations, government, businesses, and people in general were clamoring to do something in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.

Back in 2020 many was anxious to do something to show support for Black people. Protests were happening, books by Black authors were flying off shelves, racial equity consultants were turning down requests. Where is that same anxiousness to do something today?

Racial equity work can’t just happen when it is fashionable. Racial equity work needs to be sustained and to grow. It is easy to stand with the cause when everyone does, but really the quiet times is when we need people to stay the course the most. During these quieter times when riots aren’t happening, when race isn’t on the news every night is when spoonfuls of progress are quietly chipped away.

Opening the news there are so many articles about how the fragile gains that were made in 2020 are slowly being taken apart. Affirmative action was struck down in the Supreme Court, book bans in schools, voting rights and redistricting happening, and so on. This is when we need to double down and have our organizations invest in racial equity training, holding ourselves and partners accountable to race work, and looking for ways to push forward.

Here are some questions to ask your organization to gauge if your organization’s commitment needs a boost:

• Do you know where the organization’s racial equity statement is located, if your organization has one
• The racial equity statement was actively talked about at a staff meeting within the six months
• Racial disaggregated data was used, bonus points if the data was granular enough to see ethnicity
• Within the past 3 months the organization shared resources with a POC led organization with no expectation of reciprocity
• The organization has conducted mandatory racial equity training in the last 6 months
• People are comfortable talking about race. Comfortable means using racial terms – Black, Brown, Asian, Latino, Middle Eastern, Native American, white, etc.
• Staff members can call out racism as it happens, right the wrong, and repair the relationship so people can move forward effectively together
• The team is looking for ways to deepen work, including adjusting work to find the intersections of race with other marginalized identities – disability, immigration, elders and youth, poverty, LGBTQ, etc.

Most likely by thinking through these questions there are places where your work can be deepened. Now is the time to do it, not just when it is en vogue and everyone is making statements about how enlightened they are or becoming. Sustained efforts will keep us moving forward.

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Thank you to our Patreon subscribers. At this time I don’t offer ‘extras’ or bonuses for Patreons. I blog after working a full-time job, volunteer and family commitments thus it is hard to find time to create more content. Whatever level you are comfortable giving pays for back-end costs, research costs, supporting other POC efforts, etc. If your financial situation changes please make this one of the first things you turn-off — you can still access the same content and when/if you can re-subscribe I’ll appreciate it.

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We’re only three weeks into 2024, but I’m looking ahead to my favorite second New Year — Lunar New Year. I love Lunar New Year (LNY). It is the only Asian-y day kinda-sorta recognized in the Western world. No other Asian based holiday is remotely recognized in the US and other Western countries. We gotta claim our holiday and be proud.

Over the past few years, I’ve created a list of children’s book titles related to Lunar New Year. To help prepare for LNY I thought I’d share some of the titles early (several weeks before LNY) so you can pick them up at the library or order them ahead of LNY. The 2024 Lunar New Year date is Saturday, 10 February 2024.

In the list below I’ve included books from across several different ethnic backgrounds. LNY is celebrated differently depending on cultural backgrounds and regions. It is also called different names — Tết Nguyên Đán (‘Festival of the first day’), colloquially called Tết – Vietnamese, Chūn Jié (Chinese), and Seollal (Korean).

As always, this isn’t an exhaustive list and will focus mostly on children’s books because those are the titles I’ve collected over the past few years. I hope you find some new titles and enjoy learning more about Lunar New Year. If you want to learn more about LNY check out some of Fakequity’s previous LNY posts, especially this one with food pics.

I’ve linked many of the titles to Fakequity’s Bookshop.org affiliate store. Fakequity receives a small commission from the sales. The commissions are used to donate diverse books to public schools. If you choose to order elsewhere please order from POC owned bookstores and not the mega-retailer named after a river.

Children’s Books

Chinese New Year’s Colors, by Rich Lo is a concept book focused on colors. It now comes in a board book format and is perfect for baby’s first bilingual Chinese New Year book. I like bilingual books and this one is delightful.

Home for Chinese New Year, A Story Told in English and Chinese by Wei Jie and Xu Can is another fave for bilingual books. In this story a father working in the city in China returns home to spend Lunar New Year with his family, including his young boy.

Tomorrow Is New Year’s Day: Seollal, a Korean Celebration of the Lunar New Year by Aram Kim. A young schoolgirl shares Seollal with her classmates, including her hanbok outfit. Will her younger brother get into the fun of Seollal or be a downer on the special day?  

Golden Blooms by Y.T. Tran shows how Tet is celebrated, including showing foods such as the tray of togetherness, tray with five colorful fruits, and family celebrations. This is a good book for toddlers and preschoolers.

Dumpling Soup is not an exclusively lunar new year book, but I’m including it because it shares how new year’s is celebrated in a multicultural way in Hawai’i. And who doesn’t like a good soupy dumpling!

Nian Monster by Andrea Wang and Grumpy New Year by Katrina Moore both fill my need for stories with grumpiness and a little scare. Not everything is happy and festive during holidays. As a bonus Grumpy New Year has a few recipes in the back.

Early Chapter Book

Mindy Kim and the Lunar New Year Parade by Lyla Lee is an early chapter book series. Mindy takes on celebrating Seollal without her mom for the first time. The Mindy Kim series is a wonderful early chapter book series that can help to diversify reading for new independent readers.

Graphic Novel

Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang and illustrated by Leuyen Pham. Both authors are known for amazing works on their own, so combined this is a dream combo. I haven’t read this young adult graphic novel love story yet, but I’m excited and want to include it on this list in the hopes you will get to read it soon too. Here is a review of the book to get a sense of the book.

There are so many more fun books to share, but hopefully, these will give you a start. I hope you’ll gather some books to read and share with others – a great way to welcome the Year of the Dragon. I’ll sneak in one more LNY dragon book title – Dragon’s Hometown.

For my full list of Lunar New Year and other New Year celebrations books visit Fakequity’s Bookshop page and look for the Lunar New Year list.

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Thank you to our Patreon subscribers. At this time I don’t offer ‘extras’ or bonuses for Patreons. I blog after working a full-time job, volunteer and family commitments thus it is hard to find time to create more content. Whatever level you are comfortable giving pays for back-end costs, research costs, supporting other POC efforts, etc. If your financial situation changes please make this one of the first things you turn-off — you can still access the same content and when/if you can re-subscribe I’ll appreciate it.

Adrienne, Agent001, Aimie, Alayna, Alessandra, Alessandra, Alex E, Alexa, Aline, Alison FP, Alison P, Allison, Amanda, Amber, Amira, Amy, Amy K, Amy P, Amy R, Andie, Andrea J, Andrea JB, Andy, Angelica, Angelina, Ashlie, Ashlie B., Aya, Barb, Barbara, Barrett, Betsy, Big Duck, Brad, Brenda, Bridget, Brooke B, Brooke DW, Cadence, Caitlin, Calandra, Callista, Cari, Carmen, Carolyn, Carrie B, Carrie C, Carrie S, Catherine, Cathy & David, Chelsea, Christa, Christina C, Christina S, Clara, Clark, Clark G., Courtney, Dan, dana, Danielle, Danya, Debbie, Dede, DeEtta, Denyse, Dennis, Dennis F, Diane, Don, Ed, Edith, Edith B, Eileen, Elizabeth, Emily, Erica J, Erica RB, Erin, Gene, Genita, Hannah, Hayden, Heather H, Heather M, Heidi and Laura, Heidi, Hilary, J Elizabeth, Jaime, Jake, James, Jane, Janet, Jelena, Jen C, Jen E,  Jen H, Jena, Jenn, Jennet, Jennifer, Jess, Jessica F, Jessica G, Jillian, Jody, John, Jon, Jordan L, Jordan S, Josie, Julia, Juliet, June, Karen, Kate, Katharine, Kathryn, Katie O, Kawai, Keisha, Kelly, Kiki, Kim, Kimberly, Kyla, LA Progressive, Laura, Lauren, Leah, Leslie, Lily, Liora, Lisa C, Lisa P-W, Lisa S, Liz, Lola, Lori, Lyn, Maegan, Maggie, Maile, Maka, Maki, Marc, Mareeha, Marilee, Mark, Matthew, Maura, McKenzie, Melissa, Melody, Meredith, Michael, Mickey, Migee, Mike, Milo, Mindy, Misha, Molly, Nat, Natasha, Nicole, paola, Peggy, PMM, Porsche, Rachel, Raquel, Rebecca, Robin, Sally, Sally P., Sandra, Sarah B, Sarah D, Sarah H, Sarah KB, Sarah R, Sarah S, Sarita, Selma, Sharon B, Sharon Y, Shaun, Shawna, Siobhan, Steph, Stephanie, Steve, Su, Sue, Sue C D, Susan, T Wang, Tania DSA, Tania TD, Tara, tash, Teddi, Tim, Titilayo, Tracy G, Tracy TG, Venu, virginia, Vivian, Ward, Wendy, Willow, and ZanIf you subscribe to the blog, thank you. Please check fakequity.com for the most up-to-date version of the post. We often make grammatical and stylistic corrections after the first publishing which shows up in your inbox. Please subscribe, the sign-up box on the right sidebar (desktop version). To see what Erin is reading and recommended books check out the Fakequity Bookshop. I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org where your purchases support local bookstores. I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. The commission goes into purchasing books by POC authors or about disabilities to donate to high-poverty public schools.

Welcome to 2024. This is an annual post of the Fakequity blog and one I hear many look forward to. As the editor of this list, I intentionally do not include dates commonly found on Western calendars (e.g. Valentine’s Day, Easter, Fourth of July, etc.); inclusion on this list would center Western cultures. This list is meant to highlight important days to POCs and in some cases religious days that are often less well-known.

The list was put together with the help of friends and colleagues, therefore our biases show through. To name some of them, English speaking/literate, US West Coast demographic bias, college educated, and connected to technology. I’ve done my best to expand the list over the years while still centering POCs. I’ve also done my best to research the dates and verify them against several websites, but I know there will be errors, omissions, and differences in when dates/holidays are practiced or celebrated. Please always check with your local communities to understand nuances. If there are errors please email fakequity@gmail.com with corrections.

2024 Dates

• Korean American Day — 1/13/24, annual date 1/13
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – 1/16/24
• International Holocaust Remembrance Day — 1/27/24 – annual date 1/27
• Setsuban, end of winter start of spring (Japanese) – 2/3/24 – annual date 2/3
• Lunar New Year (Chinese) – Year of the Dragon / Tet (Vietnamese) / Seollal (Korean) – 2/10/24
• Maha Shivaratri (also spelled as Shivratri, Shivaratri and Sivaratri) (Hindu) – 3/8/24
• Mardi Gras / Fat Tuesday – 2/13/24
• Lantern Festival – 2/24/24 (China)
• Hinamatsuri – Girl’s Day (Japanese) – 3/3/24 – annual date 3/3
• Ramadan – 3/10 (sundown) – 4/8/24 (tentative dates, dependent on the sighting of the moon. Follows the lunar calendar.)
• Eretria Easter, Coptic Easter – 3/19/24
• Holi – 3/24/24 sundown to 3/25/24 sundown
• Baisakhi / Vaisakhi (Sikh New Year) – 4/13/24 – generally celebrated on 13 or 14 of April every year
• Pesach / Passover (Jewish) – 4/22 (sundown) – 4/30/24 (nightfall)
• Eid ul-Fitr – 4/10/24 sundown until 4/11/24, the date may vary due to local practices, other dates listed 4/9 – 4/10/24
• Orthodox Easter – 5/5/24
• Ethiopian Orthodox Easter – 5/5/24
• Children’s / Boy’s Day (Japanese) – 5/5/24 –annual date 5 May
• Vesak / Vesākha / Vaiśākha / Wesak/ Buddha Jayanti / Buddha Purnima / Buddha Day (Buddhist) – 5/22/24 or 5/23/24 or 5/24/24 (follows the lunar calendar)
• Kamehameha Day (Hawai’i) – 6/11/24 – annual date 6/11
• Shavuot (Jewish) – 6/11 -6/13/24
• Juneteenth – 6/19/24 – annual date 6/19
• Dragon Boat Festival (China) – 6/20/24, takes place on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar
• Summer Solstice (northern hemisphere) – 6/20/24 @ 1.50 p.m. PDT, 20.50 UDT
• Hajj (Islam) – 6/14/24 (starts evening) – 7/1/23
• Eid al-Adha – 6/16/24 (sundown), or 6/17/24 (contingent on moon sighting)
• Liberation Day (Guam) – 7/21/24 – annual date 7/21
• Tish’a B’Av (Jewish) – 8/12-8/13/24
• Obon (Japan) – 8/13/24
• Hungry Ghost Festival (China) – 8/18/24, celebrated on the 15^th day of Ghost Month, the 7^th lunar month
• Enkutatash – Ethiopian New Year – 9/11/24 or 9/12/24 because of the leap year, annual date 9/11
• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – 9/13/24 – annually recognized 9/13
• Prophet Muhammed’s birthday (Palestine) – 9/15/24
• Mid-Autumn Festival / Mooncake Festival – 9/17/24
• Rosh Hashanah (Jewish) – 10/2 – 10/4/24 (starts sundown)
• Yom Kippur (Jewish) – 10/11 – 10/12/24 (starts sundown)
• Sukkot (Jewish) – 10/16 – 10/23/24
• Lotu Tamaiti – White Sunday (Samoa) – 10/8/24 – Second Sunday of October, public holiday
• Indigenous Peoples’ Day – 10/14/24 – observed the second Monday of October
• Hanal Pixán (Mayan) — 10/31-11/2/24 (added 1/12/24)
• All Saints Day – 11/1/24 (annual date 1 Nov)
• Día de los Muertos – 11/1/24, annual date 11/1
• All Souls Day – 11/2/24, annual date 11/2
• Diwali / Deepavali / Dipavali / Bandi Chhor Divas (Sikh) – 10/31/24 or 11/1/24  
• US National Election Day – 11/5/24
• Transgender Day of Remembrance – 11/20/24 – annual date 11/20
• Bodhi Day (Buddhist) – 12/8/24 – annual date 12/8, or 12/9/24
• Human Rights Day – 12/10/24 – annual date 10 Dec
• Las Posadas and Noche Buena (Christian Latin American) – 12/16-24/24 – annual dates 12/16-24
• Simbang Gabi (Filipino) – 12/16 – 12/24/24
• Winter Equinox (northern hemisphere) 12/21/24, 1.20 a.m. PST
• Hanukkah / Chanukah – 12/25/24 – 1/2/25 (starts and ends at nightfall)
• St. Nicholas Feast Day (Orthodox) — 12/6/24, some observe the date as 12/5/24
• Kwanzaa – 12/26-1/1/24 – annual dates 12/26-1/1
• Orthodox / Ethiopian Orthodox Christmas / Eritrean Orthodox Christmas (Note: Not all Orthodox celebrate Christmas on this day, many celebrate Christmas on 12/25; the 1/7/24 date follows the ‘old calendar’) – 1/7/24 or 1/6/24 (less common)

Complete list of Jewish holiday dates, please consult this list.
Comprehensive list of Islamic special days
List of Buddhist days

New Years Dates

• Orthodox New Year – 1/14/24
• Lunar New Year (Chinese) / Tet (Vietnamese) / Seollal (Korean) – 2/10/24
• Losar / Tibetan New Year – 2/10/24
• Tsagaan Sar/ White Moon (Mongolian) – 2/10 – 2/12/24
• Nyepi Bali Hindu New Year – 3/11/24 and 3/12/24
• Persian Nowruz / Iranian New Year – 3/21/24, check the date with your local community some list it as 3/19 or 3/20/24
• Naw-Rúz / first day of the Baháʼí calendar – 3/20-21/24
• Ugaadhi / Telegu and Kannada New Year – 4/9/24
• Baisakhi / Vaisakhi (Sikh) – 4/13/24
• Thingyan (water festival) / Burmese New Year Festival – 4/13 – 4/16/24, 4/17/24 Burmese New Year
• Aluth Avurudda (Sinhalese New Year, Sri Lanka) – 4/12-4/13/24
• Songkran (Thailand) – 4/15/24 Thai New Year, 4/13/24 – National Elder Day, 4/16/24 National Family Day
• Khmer New Year – 4/14-16/24
• Bun Pi Mai (Lao) – 4/13 – 4/15/24
• Bengali New Year, Pohela Boishakh – 4/14/24
• Matariki, Maori New Year (New Zealand) – 6/28/24
• Al-Hijra / Muharram (Islamic/Muslim), Islamic New Year (Palestine) – 7/7/24
• Enkutatash / Ethiopian New Year – 9/11/24
• Rosh Hashanah (Jewish) – 10/2 – 10/4/24 (starts sundown)
• Diwali / Deepavali / Dipavali / Bandi Chhor Divas (Sikh) – 10/31/24 or 11/1/24  
• Guru Nanak Jayanti (Sikh) – 11/15/24

Monthly Recognitions

• January – none
• February –African American History Month, Black History Month, Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi language month (Hawai’i)
• March – Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, Deaf History Month (March 13-April 15)
• April – Arab American Heritage Month
• May – Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Jewish American Heritage Month
• June – LGBTQ Pride Month
• July – Disability Pride Month
• August – Black Business Month
• September – Hispanic Heritage Month (15 Sept – 15 Oct), Hawaiian History Month
• October – Disability Employment Awareness Month, Filipino American History Month, LGBT History Month
• November – Native American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month
• December – Universal Human Rights Month

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Thank you to our Patreon subscribers. At this time I don’t offer ‘extras’ or bonuses for Patreons. I blog after working a full-time job, volunteer and family commitments thus it is hard to find time to create more content. Whatever level you are comfortable giving pays for back-end costs, research costs, supporting other POC efforts, etc. If your financial situation changes please make this one of the first things you turn-off — you can still access the same content and when/if you can re-subscribe I’ll appreciate it.

Adrienne, Agent001, Aimie, Alayna, Alessandra, Alessandra, Alex E, Alexa, Aline, Alison FP, Alison P, Allison, Amanda, Amber, Amira, Amy, Amy K, Amy P, Amy R, Andie, Andrea J, Andrea JB, Andy, Angelica, Angelina, Ashlie, Ashlie B., Aya, Barb, Barbara, Barrett, Betsy, Big Duck, Brad, Brenda, Bridget, Brooke B, Brooke DW, Cadence, Caitlin, Calandra, Callista, Cari, Carmen, Carolyn, Carrie B, Carrie C, Carrie S, Catherine, Chelsea, Christa, Christina C, Christina S, Clara, Clark, Courtney, Dan, dana, Danielle, Danya, Debbie, DeEtta, Denyse, Dennis, Dennis F, Diane, Don, Ed, Edith, Edith B, Eileen, Elizabeth, Emily, Erica J, Erica RB, Erin, Gene, Genita, Hannah, Hayden, Heather H, Heather M, Heidi and Laura, Heidi, Hilary, J Elizabeth, Jaime, Jake, James, Jane, Janet, Jelena, Jen C, Jen E,  Jen H, Jena, Jenn, Jennet, Jennifer, Jess, Jessica F, Jessica G, Jillian, Jody, John, Jon, Jordan L, Jordan S, Josie, Julia, Juliet, June, Karen, Kate, Katharine, Kathryn, Katie O, Kawai, Keisha, Kelly, Kiki, Kim, Kimberly, Kyla, LA Progressive, Laura, Lauren, Leah, Leslie, Lily, Liora, Lisa C, Lisa P-W, Lisa S, Liz, Lola, Lori, Lyn, Maegan, Maggie, Maile, Maka, Maki, Marc, Mareeha, Marilee, Mark, Matthew, Maura, McKenzie, Melissa, Melody, Meredith, Michael, Mickey, Migee, Mike, Milo, Mindy, Misha, Molly, Nat, Natasha, Nicole, paola, Peggy, PMM, Porsche, Rachel, Raquel, Rebecca, Robin, Sally, Sally P., Sandra, Sarah B, Sarah D, Sarah H, Sarah KB, Sarah R, Sarah S, Sarita, Selma, Sharon B, Sharon Y, Shaun, Shawna, Siobhan, Steph, Stephanie, Steve, Su, Sue, Sue C D, Susan, T Wang, Tania DSA, Tania TD, Tara, tash, Teddi, Tim, Titilayo, Tracy G, Tracy TG, Venu, virginia, Vivian, Ward, Wendy, Willow, and ZanIf you subscribe to the blog, thank you. Please check fakequity.com for the most up-to-date version of the post. We often make grammatical and stylistic corrections after the first publishing which shows up in your inbox. Please subscribe, the sign-up box on the right sidebar (desktop version). To see what Erin is reading and recommended books check out the Fakequity Bookshop. I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org where your purchases support local bookstores. I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. The commission goes into purchasing books by POC authors or about disabilities to donate to high-poverty public schools.