What’s your month?
At the first of each month, I send my children a text wishing them a happy month. This time it was “Happy March!” with an appropriate emoji. Did you know that March is Women’s History Month and March 8 is International Women’s Day? Are we to say “Happy Women’s Day”? Who knew? I have no idea that the Oracle-that-Names had labeled this month as such. But then March is also National Mustache Month and National Colon Cancer Awareness Month. It got me wondering what the OTN has called the other months. Here is a not so comprehensive list.
January
National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month (hopefully more than just one month)
National Polka Month
February
Black History Month
American Heart Month
National Bird Feeding Month
March
National Women’s History Month
National Mustache Month
National Colon Cancer Awareness Month
April
Arab American Heritage Month
Jazz Appreciation Month (I love Be-Bop)
Mathematics Awareness Month (OK what’s 5% of 10,000?)
National Child Abuse Prevention Month
National Poetry Month
Sexual Assault Awareness Month
May
ALS Awareness Month (then why is MLB’s Lou Gehrig Day June 2?)
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Brain Tumor Awareness Month
Haitian Heritage Month
Jewish American Heritage Month
Lyme Disease Awareness Month
National Bike Month
National Pet Month
National Stroke Awareness Month
June
African-American Music Appreciation Month (wasn’t Jazz Appreciation Month in April?)
Caribbean American Heritage Month
Pride Month
July
Harold Black Birthday Awareness Month (just saying)
National Ice Cream Month
August
None! (What’s up with that?) Couldn’t the Oracle-that-Names shift a couple names to August?
September
Suicide Prevention Month
Gospel Music Heritage Month (Amen!)
National African Immigrant Heritage Month (who knew?)
National Bourbon Heritage Month (I don’t think they mean the French dynasty)
National Guide Dog Month
National Hispanic Heritage Month
National Honey Month (Hi Sweetie!)
National Prostate Health Month (May all your problems be behind you)
October
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Country Music Month
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Filipino American History Month
Italian-American Heritage Month (Columbus Day is October 13)
National Pizza Month (seems reasonable to me)
Polish American Heritage Month (no National Pierogi Month?)
November
Black Catholic History Month (is there a white Catholic history month?)
COPD Awareness Month
National Novel Writing Month
Native American/Alaska Native Heritage Month
December
None! But why don’t we just label it National Merry Christmas Month?
What no Appalachian Appreciation Month? No Western European Heritage Month? No Men’s Heritage Month? No Hip-Hop Month? No German Shorthaired Pointer Month? No Chocolate Chocolate Chip Appreciation Month? But I guess some republican (hello Andy Ogles) will propose a Donald J. Trump Month.
haroldblackphd.com 