Inclusive Excellence in BCSD is dependent on how well we value, engage, and include the rich backgrounds of adults and students. We encourage culturally responsive and inclusive environments where adults and students have positive and healthy relationships, where students want to come every day, where they feel engaged and cared for, and where teachers and staff feel supported.
Please review this month's Inclusive Excellence Spotlight.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
In 1990, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act or ADA. This civil rights law made it illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities in areas like employment, transportation, public accommodation, communications, and access to state and local government programs/services.
According to the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (2015), the prevalence of people with disabilities in Berkeley County, SC was 13.2% (24,784 citizens).
Nelson Mandela Day
Nelson Mandela Day is celebrated on July 18, his birthday.
Mandela, a South African civil rights leader, won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1993. One of his most significant contributions to the world was the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate human rights violations and to provide a framework to ameliorate these atrocities.
Mandela served as South Africa's first Black president from 1994 to 1999, leading the country's transition from apartheid to a multiracial democracy. Mandela demonstrated that people can make a positive impact on the world through small acts of kindness.
The Hajj
The Hajj is an annual pilgrimage and one of the pillars of Islam. All able-bodied Muslims are required to undertake the journey to Mecca at least once in their lifetime.
Once in Mecca, all Muslims perform a series of rituals.
Thirty-two percent of citizens in Berkeley County self-identify as religious, 2% of those self-identify as belonging to the Muslim faith.