May is Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Updated: May 1, 2024

Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month is observed annually in May to celebrate the contributions that generations of AAPIs have made to American history, society, and culture. – Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC)

2024 AANHPI HERITAGE MONTH THEME
FAPAC is proud to announce the theme for the May 2024 observance of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is Advancing Leaders Through Innovation. – Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC)

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: May 2024 – United States® Census Bureau
Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month – National Park Service (NPS) Commemorations and Celebrations
Celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month – American Bar Association (ABA)
The story behind Asian Pacific American Heritage, and why it’s celebrated in May – npr.org
Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2024 – PBS Western Reserve

Library of Congress
Free to Use and Reuse: Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Women of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage

Twelve Asian American and Pacific Islander Women to Know – Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum
Inspiring Asian Woman – Good Housekeeping
Incredible AAPI Women – Prevention
4 Asian-American Women Who Changed History – Teen Vogue
Conversations with…Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month – The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Asia Society – New York
New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden – Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden
Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA)

CWNY’s list of resources on AAPI organizations in NY and throughout USA and on Stop Asian Hate – Center for the Women of New York (CWNY)

Cancer Support Groups

Updated: June 1, 2024

SHARE – A national nonprofit that supports, educates, and empowers women affected by breast, ovarian, uterine or metastatic breast cancer, with a special focus on medically underserved communities. (English, Spanish and 17 other languages)
Living Beyond Breast Cancer – Offers 3 private Facebook support groups: All Ages, All Stages; Young Women; and High Risk for Developing Breast Cancer
FORCE – Support for people facing hereditary cancer
Cervivor – Support for survivors and patients of cervical cancer
Woman to Woman Gynecological Cancer Support Program – New York-Presbyterian
Imerman Angels – One-on-one support matching individuals seeking cancer support with a Mentor Angel so that no one has to face cancer alone
Cancer Support Community – Gilda’s Club Worldwide – Support for cancer patients or their loved ones by phone, online and in person.
Red Door Community – formerly Gilda’s Club NYC – Welcoming communities of free emotional and social support for everyone living with cancer – women, men, teens, children and their families.
SHAREing and CAREing – Recovery Survivorship Program: Monthly support group for long term cancer survivors in the Queens and New York
City area.
American Association for Cancer Research – How to find a cancer support group
Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Langone Hospitals – Cancer support groups and counseling.
National Breast Cancer Foundation – Virtual breast cancer support group 1:00 – 2:00 PM EST 2nd Wednesday of every month

Supporting Loved Ones with Cancer

CWNY’s list of resources on Supporting Loved Ones with Cancer – Center for the Women of New York (CWNY)

May is Women’s Health Month

More CWNY resources on Women’s Health
CWNY’s YouTube Playlist of our Women’s Health Videos

Mental Health

CWNY’s list of resources on Mental Health

Headaches and Migraines

CWNY’s list of resources on Headaches and Migraines

Depression in Women

CWNY’s list of resources on Depression in Women

Stroke and Women

CWNY’s list of resources on Stroke and Women

Autoimmune Diseases in Women

CWNY’s list of resources on Autoimmune Diseases in Women

Cancers in Women

CWNY’s list of resources on Cancers in Women

Birth Control and Contraceptives

CWNY’s report on Birth Control and Contraceptives

Early Pregnancy Loss/Miscarriage

CWNY’s list of resources on Early Pregnancy Loss/Miscarriage

Maternal Health

CWNY’s report on Maternal Health

Cancer Support Groups

CWNY’s list of Cancer Support Groups

Supporting Loved Ones with Cancer

CWNY’s list of resources on Supporting Loved Ones with Cancer

Tax Filing Resources

Updated: March 1, 2024

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
IRS Free File Guided Tax Preparation Options
IRS Free File Online: Browse All Offers – 11 IRS Free File Online providers
IRS Free File Online: Lookup Tool – Answer questions to find an IRS Free File provider

Answers to Your Tax Questions – E-file.com
NYS Department of Taxation
NYC Free Tax Prep – NYC.gov
Manage Benefits – Social Security Administration
Preparing for Tax Time – Women’s Institute for Financial Education
Tax Planning Tips – American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
CWNY’s YouTube Playlist of our “Tax Prep” webinars

CWNY is offering free one-hour one-on-one tax prep assistance with a certified tax preparer Tuesdays, March 5 – April 9, 2024 from 11am to 4pm at our 2 locations. Book a one-hour timeslot by clicking below. On that website, please select a date and time first before clicking “Reserve a spot”.
Bayside, Fort Totten: March 5, 19, and April 2, 2024
Kew Gardens: March 12, 26, and April 9, 2024

Equal Pay Day

Updated: March 1, 2024

March 12, 2024 is the day in a year when the average of all women must work to earn what a white, non-Hispanic male earns in one. — PowHer New York

Equal Pay Day 2024 Toolkit – PowHer New York
Equal Pay Day – National Committee on Pay Equity
Equal Pay Day – National Today
Equal Pay Data about the Gender Pay Gap – LeanIn.org
Equal Pay Day Calendar: Gender Pay Gap – American Association of University Women (AAUW)
The Working Woman’s Pocket Guide: Equal Pay – A Better Balance
Equal Pay Day: Know Your Rights – Office of the NYS Attorney General, Civil Rights Bureau

Pay Equity

Taraji P Henson talks pay inequality in Hollywood – USA Today
CWNY’s Women’s Issues Think Tank discussion on Pay Equity (YouTube video) – Center for the Women of New York (CWNY)

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month

Updated: November 1, 2023

“More men are diagnosed with lung cancer each year, but more women live with the disease. The rate of new cases in 2015 showed that men develop lung cancer more often than women (57.8 and 45.9 per 100,000, respectively).”
“The rate of new lung cancer cases (incidence) over the past 42 years has dropped 36 percent for men while it has risen 84 percent for women. In 1975, rates were low for women, but rising for both men and women. In 1984, the rate of new cases for men peaked (102.1 per 100,000) and then began declining. The rate of new cases for women increased further, did not peak until 1998 (52.9 per 100,000), and has now started to decline.” – National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute

American Lung Association
Lung Cancer Fact Sheet
Lung Cancer Morbidity and Mortality Trend Report
Lung HelpLine: 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872)
Lung Cancer Screening

verywell health
“Lung Cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women.”
Lung Cancer: The Disease May Present Differently in Women
“Looking at men and women together, the most common symptoms of lung cancer are a cough, shortness of breath, coughing up blood, weight loss, and a loss of appetite. But in women, fatigue and shortness of breath usually occur first (Latimer & Mott, 2015)”
Lung Cancer: The Disease May Present Differently in Women
Symptoms of Lung Cancer in Women

Lung Cancer – Patient Version – National Cancer Institute
Dialogue Between Two Women Lung Cancer Survivors: video 24 minutes – American Association for Cancer Research
Lung Cancer: Diagnosis, Treatment Principles, and Screening – American Family Physician (AFP)
What Women Need To Know About Lung Cancer – Penn Medicine
Lung Cancer Awareness – Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
How we can help you – Lung Cancer Research Foundation
Key Lung Cancer Statistics: How Common Is Lung Cancer? – American Cancer Society
Lung Cancer – Key Facts – World Health Organization (WHO)
National Lung Cancer Screening Day November 11, 2023 – National Lung Cancer Round Table

Society for Women’s Health Research
Lung Cancer – What’s My Risk? What Are My Treatment Options?
Value of Diagnostics within Women’s Health: Lung Cancer
Does Lung Cancer Have a Gender Bias?

CWNY’s list of resources on Cancers in Women – Center for the Women of New York (CWNY)
CWNY’s list of Cancer Support Groups – Center for the Women of New York (CWNY)
CWNY’s list of resources on Supporting Loved Ones with Cancer – Center for the Women of New York (CWNY)

Vulvar Cancer Awareness

Updated: September 1, 2023

Vulvar Cancer

Signs and Symptoms of Vulvar Cancers and Pre-Cancers – American Cancer Society

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
Basic Information About Vaginal and Vulvar Cancers
Basic Information About Vaginal and Vulvar Cancers (Spanish)

Vulvar Cancer – Mayo Clinic
Vulvar Cancer – Johns Hopkins Medicine
Vulvar Cancer – US National Library of Medicine – Medline Plus
Vulvar Cancer Treatment – info for patients – National Cancer Institute
About Vulvar Cancer – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

CWNY’s list of resources on Gynecologic Cancers – Center for the Women of New York (CWNY)
CWNY’s list of Cancer Support Groups – Center for the Women of New York (CWNY)
CWNY’s list of resources on Supporting Loved Ones with Cancer – Center for the Women of New York (CWNY)

Vaginal Cancer Awareness

Updated: September 1, 2023

Vaginal Cancer

“Vaginal Cancer starts in the vagina. There are many different types of vaginal cancer, but the most common is called squamous cell carcinoma. It starts in the lining of the vagina.” – American Cancer Society

What Is Vaginal Cancer? – American Cancer Society

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
What You Need to Know About Vaginal and Vulvar Cancers
What You Need to Know About Vaginal and Vulvar Cancers (Spanish)

Vaginal Cancer – Johns Hopkins Medicine
Vaginal Cancer – US National Library of Medicine – Medline Plus
Vaginal Cancer Treatment – info for patients – National Cancer Institute
Vaginal Cancer – Mayo Clinic
Vaginal Cancer – Free Professional Support Services and Treatment Information – CancerCare
Vaginal Cancer – Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) & Adenocarcinoma – Cancer Support Community (Gilda’s Club)
Vaginal Cancer – Get the Facts – Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA)

CWNY’s list of resources on Gynecologic Cancers – Center for the Women of New York (CWNY)
CWNY’s list of Cancer Support Groups – Center for the Women of New York (CWNY)
CWNY’s list of resources on Supporting Loved Ones with Cancer – Center for the Women of New York (CWNY)

September is Uterine/Endometrial Cancer Awareness Month

Updated: September 1, 2024

Uterine/Endometrial Cancer

“Endometrial cancer begins in the layer of cells that form the lining (endometrium) of the uterus. Other types of cancer can form in the uterus, including uterine sarcoma, but they are much less common than endometrial cancer.” — U.S. National Library of Medicine, medlineplus.gov

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)
What You Need to Know About Uterine Cancer
What You Need to Know About Uterine Cancer (Spanish)

Endometrial Cancer – Mayo Clinic
Endometrial Cancer – Johns Hopkins Medicine
Uterine Cancer (Endometrial Cancer) – Cleveland Clinic
Uterine Cancer – Medline Plus
Uterine Cancer – info for patients – National Cancer Institute
Uterine Cancer – CancerCare

Foundation for Women’s Cancer
Endometrial/Uterine Cancer Overview & English/Spanish/Chinese Guides
New Study Finds Possible Link Between Chemical Hair Straighteners and Endometrial/Uterine Cancer

Uterine Sarcoma

“Uterine sarcoma is rare, making up less than 4 percent of all cancers of the uterus. Only 1,200 women are diagnosed with this disease in the United States each year.” — Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Uterine Sarcoma: Overview – Cedars Sinai 
Uterine Sarcoma – Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA)
Uterine Sarcoma Global Resources – CancerIndex
CWNY’s list of resources on Gynecologic Cancers – Center for the Women of New York (CWNY)

Cancer Support Groups

CWNY’s list of Cancer Support Groups – Center for the Women of New York (CWNY)

Supporting Loved Ones with Cancer

CWNY’s list of resources on Supporting Loved Ones with Cancer – Center for the Women of New York

July 30th is World Day Against Trafficking in Persons

Updated: July 1, 2024

THEME 2024: “Leave No Child Behind in the Fight Against Human Trafficking”

“This year’s global campaign for World Day Against Trafficking in Persons urges accelerated action to end child trafficking. Children represent a significant proportion of trafficking victims worldwide, with girls being disproportionately affected.” – United Nations – Office on Drugs and Crime 

“Human trafficking is a crime that exploits women, children and men for numerous purposes including forced labor and sex.  Every country in the world is affected by human trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit, or destination for victims. Traffickers the world over continue to target women and girls. The vast majority of detected victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation and 35% of those trafficked for forced labor are female. Conflict further exacerbates vulnerabilities, with armed groups exploiting civilians and traffickers targeting forcibly displaced people.” – United Nations

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2022
May 2022 Report Exploitation and Abuse: The Scale and Scope of in Southeastern Europe
May 2022 Report Summary Exploitation and Abuse: The Scale and Scope of in Southeastern Europe
Cooperation is key to countering human trafficking and migrant smuggling: UNODC facilitates training on Mutual Legal Assistance request drafting

Blog | Human Trafficking Policy, Training Opportunities and Events, and learn more about the Anti-Trafficking Field – Freedom Network USA
YouTube | Leave No One Behind: Combatting Global Human Trafficking (2023) – American Association of University Women (AAUW)
Human Trafficking in Asia: a Hidden Scourge – Generation for Rights Over the World (GROW)
Ukraine Crisis Creates New Trafficking Risks – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
Preventing, Combating and Eradicating Trafficking in Persons – United Nations Network | Migration Network Hub
Human Trafficking – Interpol
Slavery Still Exists – International Justice Mission
Ending Human Trafficking & Sexual Exploitation – Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW)
Human Trafficking Victims Rescue – Our Underground Railroad
End Sexual Exploitation of Children – ECPAT International
Stop Child Trafficking – Protect All Children from Trafficking (PACT) (formerly ECPAT USA)
Fighting Human Trafficking in Ukraine – The Borgen Project
The 1.5 million children who fled Ukraine are at risk of human trafficking – National Public Radio (NPR)

National Survivor Network
Definitions and Explanations of Terms
Survivor’s Experiences of Sharing Their Trafficking Stories Publicly

CWNY’s list of resources on Human Trafficking awareness and prevention – Center for the Women of New York (CWNY)