November is a time of celebrations and remembrance. There are several awareness months celebrated in November. These include Native American Heritage Awareness, Men’s Health Awareness, Diabetes Awareness, Epilepsy Awareness and National Homeless Youth Awareness.
Native American Heritage Month was signed into law in 1990. The US wanted to start calling attention to the culture, traditions and achievements of the nation’s original inhabitants. They also wanted to remember their descendants. Congress chose November to celebrate Native American Heritage Month since that month concludes their traditional harvest season and it is a time of giving thanks.
November is also where we support awareness and funds for men’s health. During the month of November, men grow mustaches and women step up and support them. We specifically raise awareness for men’s health regarding prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention.
Several male teachers in our school are participating in this by shaving off their mustaches at the beginning of the month and seeing who has the best mustache by November 30. The winner will receive the Ned Flanders Cup. Hosa members will photograph their glorious mustaches for voting. Voting begins on November 13th and will continue through the 30th.
Diabetes Awareness Month is also celebrated throughout the month of November. Communities come together to bring awareness about diabetes. The main focus is on taking action to prevent diabetes health problems. Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also known as blood sugar, is too high.
November is also known as Epilepsy Awareness Month. Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders that affects anyone of all ages. There are roughly 470,000 children living with this neurological disorder in the US alone.
Usually, when a person has had two or more seizures, it is important to get a diagnosis from a doctor. A seizure is a short change in normal brain activity. Seizures are the most common sign of Epilepsy. November is a month for us to uplift those who experience Epilepsy and to educate the public on what it means to experience seizures.
In 2021, the US Senate made a decision to designate November as National Homeless Youth Month. That is so that every November we can come together as a whole to confront this crisis head-on. Roughly 4.2 million youth, each year, experience homelessness. 700,000 of these are unaccompanied minors. We need to urge others to get loud, take action, and shed a light on these issues.
November is full of celebrations and remembrance. Which will you remember to celebrate?