April: A Month of Service, Reflection, and Celebration By: Jim Saunders, Lancer Insurance Company April 7, 2021
TIDA’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee was formed to draw attention to the richness of our varied individual backgrounds, and how our different life experiences can support successful transportation businesses, insurance programs, and legal practices. We recognize that conversations surrounding diversity and inclusiveness can be uncomfortable at times. We hope that our series of articles will spark friendly and productive discussions about these timely issues. Today, we will touch on religious diversity, and how, for some, ancient traditions can inform contemporary values. Words are powerful, so we believe that definitions are important. When we speak of “diversity”, we mean that the variety of race, ethnicity, religion, gender expression, sexual orientation, political affiliation, and other ways that people identify themselves, are recognized and accepted. By “inclusion” we mean taking a further step: we value diversity enough to welcome and value all people as employees, customers, co-workers, colleagues, and clients. April: A Month of Service, Reflection, and Celebration Over time, the Diversity & Inclusion Committee will submit articles that highlight certain traditions, or comment on current events. The month of April, 2021, has special personal significance for many of our TIDA colleagues. The Jewish observance of Passover begins on March 27th and ends on April 4th. Passover recalls the story of how God intervened to enable enslaved Jews to escape from ancient Egypt under the leadership of Moses. Later, on April 8th, Holocaust Remembrance Day is observed within and outside the Jewish community of faith. Western Christians celebrate Easter on April 4th. For many Christians, Easter celebrations are preceded by Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Greek, Russian, and other Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter on May 2nd. Holy Thursday’s liturgy reenacts the last supper, when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. These holidays recount the narrative of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. In 2021, the Muslim month of Ramadan begins on April 12th and ends on May 12th. This month in the lunar calendar commemorates the initial revelations of the Qur’an to the prophet Mohammed. During this time, observant adult Muslims in good health fast during daylight hours. From sunrise to sunset, they do not eat or drink. They pray and abstain from certain usual activities. The fast is intended to be a reminder of the hardship endured by the poor. After sunset, Muslims share a meal with family. At the end of Ramadan, the community celebrates the Feast of Fast-Breaking (Eid al-Fitr) for three days, sharing meals and exchanging gifts with family and friends. In Jewish communities, we see the joy of liberation from oppression. Yet this is tempered by the remembrance of a very dark time in our own modern history, when oppression led to genocide. Christians look to Jesus as an example of service and sacrifice, while maintaining hope of something more. Muslims use an entire month to meditate on the origin of their faith, experience the plight of the poor, and to celebrate the comfort of food, family, and friends. What do these traditions have to do with TIDA, and its role in our industry? As an organization, we share many values: freedom, responsibility, fairness, service, being productive members of our communities. We each bring our own story to what we do, who we work for, who we employ, and who we associate with. When we listen to each other’s stories, we can gain a broader perspective of important issues that might otherwise be divisive. The three April narratives from different faiths point to common human practices of service, reflection, and celebration..
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