April 14th - National Day of Silence
Posted on Apr. 20, 2023 / DEIC / Subscribe 0
April 14th which recently passed is the National Day of Silence. This day was created by a University of Virginia student in 1996 named Maria Pulzetti who felt LGBTQ+ youth were being silenced and ignored by administrators. She created a Day of Silence to promote awareness by surrounding teachers and administrators with silence that they couldn’t help but notice. On this day, millions of people on school campuses, universities and organizations partake in a day long vow of silence to spread awareness about the effects of bullying and harassment against the LGBTQ+ community. For those who are anatomy educators, consider the historical discrimination LGBTQ+ individuals have faced by the medical community, and consider the current attacks especially on the transgender community. Likely this has and will continue to play a role in the lack of representation in body donation, curricular time, and disproportionate level of health disparities. Reflect on what hardships the LGBTQ+ community on your campus might still be facing and how you can help improve their learning environment. Whether you are a part of the LGBTQ+ community or an ally, consider not only honoring this day in the future by entering it into your calendar but also consider setting aside a time each month or even each week to continue to honor and commemorate this day by remaining silent. Use this time also for reflection on what you and the members of your program, department, and/or institution can do to emerge from the respectful silence, focused and energized to speak out and become active in standing in solidarity with our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters in fighting for equal rights and equitable treatment.
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