NTEU Chapter 78 - Honesty, Integrity, Accountability

DEEOAC stands for Diversity and Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Committee.

"THE MISSION OF OUR COMMITTEE IS TO: 

• Ensure fairness and integrity in the application of all Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Programs for current and future employees;
• Educate current and future employees to understand their obligation to respect and value diversity within our workforce.” 

Smokey Robinson said of Motown's cultural impact:

“Into the '60s, I was still not of a frame of mind that we were not only making music, we were making history. But I did recognize the impact because acts were going all over the world at that time. I recognized the bridges that we crossed, the racial problems and the barriers that we broke down with music. I recognized that because I lived it. I would come to the South in the early days of Motown and the audiences would be segregated. Then they started to get the Motown music and we would go back and the audiences were integrated and the kids were dancing together and holding hands.”

The DEEOAC Committee is celebrating African American Hisory Month wih a showing of Standing in the Shadows of Motown. Come join us on the 25th of February from 12:00 p.m. till 2:00 p.m. Stay tuned and watch for flyers with more information.

In 1959, Berry Gordy gathered the best musicians from Detroit's thriving jazz and blues scene to begin cutting songs for his new record company. Over a fourteen year period they were the heartbeat on "My Girl," "Bernadette," I Was Made to Love Her," and every other hit from Motown's Detroit era.

By the end of their phenomenal run, this unheralded group of musicians had played on more number ones hits than the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Elvis and the Beatles combined - which makes them the greatest hit machine in the history of popular music. They called themselves the Funk Brothers.  

The DEEOAC Committee is having a Women's History Month Celebration on 25 March 2010 from 12:00 to 2:00p.m. in the Triple Training Rooms

We will be showing a video (Not For Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony www.pbs.org/stantonanthony/) celebrating Women's History Month and raffling away the four dolls that are currently displayed as you pass the security entrance. So bring your lunch, relax and watch the video, register for the raffle (other prizes/gifts will be awarded), and test your knowledge of Women's History (we have 31 questions pertaining to Women's History you might find interesting).

Women's History Month.gov link - Women Taking the Lead to Save Our Planet

This year's theme recognizes the hard work and perseverance of those women who have fought and succeeded in bringing the environment to the forefront of our nation's conscience.

The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of women whose commitment to nature and the planet have proved invaluable to society.

The Library of Congress has additonal interesting notes on Women in History at http://womenshistorymonth.gov/.

This year's theme (Leadership to Meet the Challenge of a Changing World) recognizes the contributions and accomplishments of our nation's Asian and Pacific Islander citizens, past, present and future.

The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America’s history and are instrumental in its future success.

Check out the Asian Pacific Heritage web site at http://asianpacificheritage.gov/ for a wealth of information on Asian Pacific Heritage History.

In the Realm of the Buddha

Enter the Realm of the Buddha by attending exhibition-related events such as Buddhist-themed films, exhibition tours, a dance performance, talks, and the making of a sand mandala.

Global Sounds - Asia

Global Sounds The Smithsonian's Global Sound project brings together traditional music from around world. Presentations for Asian-Pacific Heritage month include music from the countries along the Mekong River in Southeast Asia as well as songs and chants that record the ancient oral history of Hawaii.

Veterans History Project

Grant Hirabayashi Asian Pacific Americans made lasting contributions to America’s wartime efforts. Collected stories highlight service from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq.

For Teachers

A little smiling child Put the power of primary sources to work in the classroom. Browse ready-to-use lesson plans, student activities, collection guides and research aids.

This year's theme recognizes the strength and hard work of Hispanic Americans, whose zeal for family and country has helped shape society.

The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society.

The Library of Congress has an intresting site with more information on Hispanic Heritage at http://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/.

Thomas Edison

(Feb. 11, 1847 – Oct. 18, 1931)

At an early age, Thomas Alva Edison showed a fascination for mechanical things and chemical experiments. In 1859, he took a job selling newspapers and candy on the Grand Trunk Railroad to Detroit. In the baggage car, he set up a laboratory for his chemistry experiments and a printing press, although an accidental fire forced him to stop his experiments on board.

Around the age of 12, Edison lost almost all his hearing, possibly because of scarlet fever or, as he believed, as the result of an incident in which he was grabbed by the ears and lifted onto a moving train. His disability did not discourage him, and he often treated it as an asset that allowed him to concentrate on his experiments and research.

In his 84 years, Edison acquired 1,093 patents-a record for his time. His laboratory in Menlo Park, N.J., was often called the "invention factory." It was there that he invented the phonograph, motivated in part by the machine’s ability to play material useful to blind individuals, much like today’s "talking books."

With his invention of the light bulb in 1879 came his endeavor to engineer an entire electrical lighting system that could be supported in a city. The first commercial electric light system was installed on Pearl Street in the financial district of Lower Manhattan in 1882.

After moving to a larger laboratory in West Orange, N.J-one equipped with a machine shop, phonograph and photograph departments, a library and ancillary buildings for metallurgy, chemistry, woodworking and galvanometer testings-Edison began work on his own motion picture camera. Though it was actually invented by his associate William K. L. Dickson, Edison took sole credit for both the Kinetograph, a motion picture camera, and the Kinetoscope, a motion picture peephole viewer. When Dickson aided competitors who were developing another peephole motion picture device, Edison fired him. Edison subsequently adopted another projector design, renamed it the Vitascope and marketed it under his name. The Vitascope premiered on April 23, 1896, to great acclaim.

During the 1920s, Edison spent much of his time at home, where he continued to experiment. On Oct. 14, 1931, he lapsed into a coma, and he died four days later at his estate, Glenmont, in West Orange, N.J. During his lifetime, Edison managed to become not only a renowned inventor but also a prominent manufacturer and businessman through the merchandising of his inventions.

Click here to find other interesting information at the Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/disabilityawareness/.

Pride in Our Heritage. Honor to Our Ancestors.

The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans.

And you probably guessed The Library of Congress http://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/.

Victory! Congress Approves Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act
September 18, 2008
NOW salutes Congress' passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Amendments Act. This bill to reinstate important civil rights protections for people with disabilities should be on President Bush's desk by end of the week where it is expected that he will sign the bill into law.
A series of Supreme Court decisions in 1999 seriously undermined the original bi-partisan intent of the ADA, narrowing the category of who qualifies as an "individual with a disability." The ADA amendments, crafted in partnership with the disability rights and civil rights community, concerned employers and those overseeing public accommodations, will restore the original purpose of the bill and reinstate anti-discrimination protection for the broad range of individuals with disabilities who had been denied coverage a decade ago by the Supreme Court.
On Thursday, September 11 the Senate passed S. 3406 by "unanimous consent," and yesterday the House passed the Senate version by a voice vote. The House had previously supported a similar bipartisan legislation introduced by Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) that passed by a 402-17 margin this summer. This will cap a decades-long effort to restore the original intention and coverage of the 1990 landmark civil rights bill guaranteeing equal rights and access to individuals with disabilities.
This is an important victory, especially for women, because many of the disabling conditions that had been denied by the Supreme Court are ones that women experience. The Court, in its supposed medical wisdom, had decided that a person who takes medication or uses a technical aid such as a prosthetic limb or hearing aid to mitigate a disability is not considered disabled.
The amendments just passed by Congress will include in the definition of disability any condition that limits a major life activity, regardless of whether or not it is treatable with medication or technology. It updates the definition of a major life activity to include conditions that limit bodily function such as that of the immune system, circulatory system or brain.
NOW echoes Senator Hatch's declaration that "this bill continues our ongoing effort to expand opportunities for individuals with disabilities to participate in the American Dream."