NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER
Native American Heritage Month aims to provide a platform for Native people in the United States of America to share their rich culture, traditions, music, crafts, dance, and ways and concepts of life, while honoring the contributions and sacrifices they have made for centuries. Throughout this month, we commit to supporting the Native American tribes and raising awareness of the unique challenges Indigenous peoples face—such as tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, health care, education, and protection of ancestral lands—while celebrating their resilience and leadership.
American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage (AIAN) Month has evolved from its inception, as a week-long celebration in 1986, when President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the week of November 23-30, 1986 as, ”American Indian Week.” Since 1995, every subsequent United States President has issued annual proclamations designating the month of November as the time to celebrate the cultures, accomplishments, and contributions of American Indian and Alaska Natives.
In 1990, President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990, “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations, such as “National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month” and the present “Native American Heritage Month” have been issued each year since 1994.
NATIONAL ADOPTION MONTH
THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER
National Adoption Month is observed every November to raise awareness about the need for permanent, loving families for children and youth in the foster care system. Thousands of children in the U.S. foster care system await permanent placement, including a significant percentage of teens ages 13–17. It is because of this shocking statistic, we use this month to celebrate families formed through adoption, honor birth families and adoptive parents, and highlight children waiting for permanent homes—with a strong emphasis on older youth and teens in foster care.
National Adoption Month began in 1976 as Massachusetts Adoption Week by Governor Michael Dukakis, evolved into National Adoption Week under President Ronald Reagan in 1984, and expanded to a full month in 1995 by President Bill Clinton. National Adoption Day is still celebrated annually on the Saturday before Thanksgiving (historically featuring courts opening to finalize adoptions).
Please consider getting involved, as there are many children without permanent families, who could use a friendly face, an ear to listen, or even just a meaningful connection. What we know, is that when children and youth have enduring relationships with caring adults, they are better positioned to navigate life's challenges and milestones.
For more information on Family Support and Advocacy click the link below:
National Adoption Month: 4 Ways to Help | Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
VETERAN'S DAY
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH
Veterans Day is a public holiday held on the anniversary of the end of World War I, on November 11, to honor US veterans of all wars.
This holiday is a celebration of America's veterans. We celebrate them for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.
Unity Center of Miami blesses, honors, and salutes all of our congregants who bravely served/serve in the US military services.
THANKSGIVING
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26TH
“Thanksgiving will keep the heart fresh; for true thanksgiving may be likened to rain falling upon ready soil, refreshing it and increasing its productiveness.”
Unity teaches that thanksgiving is the act of rendering our grateful thoughts for our manifold blessings. It is the inner recognition that the goodness of God is not occasional, conditional, or limited. It is the unshakeable awareness that Divine love, Divine order, and Divine abundance are forever flowing, and we are always standing in that stream.
In Unity, Thanksgiving is a spiritual practice, a state of consciousness, and a powerful creative force, where we “give thanks,” and commune with loved ones. The mystics and Truth students understood something deeper: thanksgiving is not merely something we do, it is something we become. Something we are!
Core Principles:
• Nourishment for the Soul: Charles Fillmore defined true thanksgiving as "rain falling upon ready soil, refreshing it and increasing its productiveness," acting as a vitalizing energy that renews the heart.
• Vibrational Shift: Giving thanks raises personal spiritual frequency, clarifies inner vision, deepens faith, and opens psychological and spiritual channels to receive new good.
• Law of Attraction & Resonance: Metaphysically, gratitude is not merely a polite reaction to a past event; it is an active spiritual technology that recognizes the presence of abundance in the now, causing latent potential to manifest into reality.
• Heart and Mind Renewal: It prevents spiritual stagnation and keeps the emotional center ("the heart") fresh and receptive rather than hardened by scarcity or fear.