Event Updates for 2023
November 2023
Smile With Pride invites you to these fun events in November!
Ascend South Side
Saturday, Nov 18, 6-8pm
This climbing/bouldering session is a free dedicated to inclusivity for those who identify as queer, femme, trans, or women!
Admission is free
Beginning climbers are welcome
No prior experience is necessary
Rentals are provided
PGH Equality Center and Shepherd Wellness Community’s OUTrageous Bingo
SCOPE volunteer opportunity
Sunday, Nov 19, 4-8pm
This monthly fundraising event benefits the LGBTQIA+ community of Western Pennsylvania and those impacted by HIV/AIDS.
Volunteers will help set up, sell bingo cards, and ensure that the games run smoothly
Volunteers receive a voucher to get a snack during the event
Please arrive by 4pm. The event ends at 9pm, but feel free to come for as long as you schedule allows!
Please contact Kevin with any questions.
We hope to see you there!
National Native American Heritage Month: Observed in November to call attention to the culture, traditions, and achievements of the nation's original inhabitants and of their descendants. The official designation of November as National Native American Heritage Month was signed into law in 1990.
Pitt Military Appreciation Month: Saturday, November 11, 2023 is Veterans Day but Pitt is honoring veterans and active members of the military for the month of November. The Tau Sigma Military Club is hosting Spin for Vets, a spinning class lead by Pitt Dental Medicine dean, Dr. Marnie Oakley, on November 9 at 5 pm. You can also check out the events calendar of the Office of Veteran Affairs, to see what else is in store, including Pitt Warriors: Our Stories.
November 9: Spin for Vets
Join the Pitt Dental Medicine Tau Sigma Military Club for Spin for Vets. This month is Pitt’s Military Appreciation Month so you can get your cardio workout and support a wonderful cause! All proceeds go to Shepard’s Heart Homeless Veterans Shelter. This is a great way to help out those who fought for our country! For a $15 per rider donation, register here and reserve your spot! There are limited bikes available, but another way to show your support is to go to the GoFundMe link and make a donation to help.
November 1: All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows, the Solemnity of All Saints and Hallowmas, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honor of all the saints of the Church, whether they are known or unknown.
November 2: All Souls’ Day - Sometime in the 10th century, the Catholic priest St. Odilo of Cluny instituted All Souls' Day—a day to pray for the souls of deceased family members—ordinary men and women who had lived good lives and were waiting in purgatory until they were worthy to enter heaven. There are many different ways people around the world celebrate this day. For example, in Guatemala, people fly kites with written notes to an ancestor ties onto the tails for that ancestor to read in Heaven at the Barriletes Gigantes Festival, or Giant Kites Festival. These kites can take months to build and may be as big as 65 feet across! In Mexico, many people create private altars for their ancestors and decorate them with photographs, flowers, candy skulls, and candles. In Hungary, many people keep the lights on in their homes for the duration of the night and leave food on the table in memory of their loved ones. In Poland, traveling home for All Souls’ Day can be a must—similar to Easter and Christmas. Families visit the cemeteries where their ancestors are buried and set the night aglow with a veritable bonfire of candles. In Peru, people share a loaf of t’anta wawa with a friend or relative. T’anta wawa is a sweet bread baked into the shape of a doll or small child.
November 11: Veterans Day is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces. Why the 11th? This particular date recognizes the Armistice of November 11, 1918, the formal agreement that marked the official end of World War I. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, allied forces and Germany came together to sign the peace treaty.
November 12: Diwali is the five-day Festival of Lights, celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains across the world. Diwali, which for some also coincides with harvest and new year celebrations, is a festival of new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. Diwali, or Deepawali, is major Indian and Nepalese festive holiday, and a significant festival in Hinduism and some of the other faiths which originated in India. Numerous traditions revolve around family and the lighting of candles and lanterns – which signify bringing light into the world and warding off evil spirits.
November 12: Bandi Chhor Divas is a holiday that Sikhs commemorate the story of Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji, who was imprisoned in 1619 at Gwalior Fort. When given the chance to be liberated from prison, the Guru refused to be released without the 52 innocent kings who were imprisoned alongside him.
November 16: International Day for Tolerance was created as a way to commemorate the passing of The Declaration of Principles on Tolerance. This was the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which banned discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
November 20: Transgender Day of Remembrance is an annual observance that honors the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. It was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. This began the important tradition.
November 23: Thanksgiving Day (US) is an annual national holiday celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year. It also is celebrated in Canada. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists from England and the Native American Wampanoag people shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies.
November 26: Day of the Covenant is when Baha’is celebrate the unity of their faith and the essential unity of all faiths.
For more information, please visit the Pitt Diversity Events calendar
Trans Working Group Welcome Social
August 24, 2023
3:30 - 5 pm
Incoming trans and queer students are invited to attend.
Current Stations:
- C4C will engage students in a creative activity
- Prevention at Pitt will have a fun activity about relationships and consent
- ULS: button making, pronoun pins
- Chosen Name Station
- Food Station
- Resource Station (hand out flyers, etc. on important resources)
Come and enjoy yourselves!
Hispanic Heritage Month
There will be will be two days of food trucks to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month!
Both will be parked on Terrace Street in front of the Scaife Hall West Wing
Come enjoy authentic food and take in an amazing culture!
Please see the links below to check out their food truck fare!
El Sabor Food Truck
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
11:30 am - 1:30 pm
Cilantro & Ajo Food Truck
Wednesday, October 18, 2023
4 - 6 pm
Butterflies for Hope
Tuesday, October 11, 2023
Salk Hall Atrium on the 4th floor.
Presenters will be in room 456 starting at noon.
This is an all-day event.
Show off your painting skills by painting a butterfly and attaching an inspirational/motivational message. Let someone encourage you as you encourage them!