The Student Diversity Committee (SDC) at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMUoHP), supported by President Nielsen and the entire University, recognizes November 16 as the International Day for Tolerance. In recognition and celebration of the International Day of Tolerance, the SDC highlights the importance and significance of this day and its impact on peace and solidarity across the world.
Official SDC Statement on International Day for Tolerance
November 16 is the International Day for Tolerance, first proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1996 following the United Nations Year for Tolerance and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Declaration of Principles on Tolerance. The declaration affirms:
“Tolerance is respect, acceptance, and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world’s cultures, our forms of expression, and ways of being human. It is fostered by knowledge, openness, communication, and freedom of thought, conscience, and belief. Tolerance is harmony in difference. It is not only a moral duty, it is also a political and legal requirement. Tolerance, the virtue that makes peace possible, contributes to the replacement of the culture of war by a culture of peace.”
The Student Diversity Committee at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions wholeheartedly recognizes and celebrates the dignity and worth of each human being. Each individual is deserving of respect, empathy, and compassion, despite any differences in cultures, race, sexual orientation, religion, or political views. We have more in common than we realize and believe that both our similarities and differences should be honored. There is so much connection and joy to be experienced when we strive for understanding, peace, and solidarity.
On November 16, let this International Day for Tolerance serve as a kind reminder of the need to put aside our differences and be united in the common goal of embracing openness and improving all of our interactions. In guarding the values of tolerance, we can all honor the safety and wellbeing of each other as we collectively heal from the extraordinary adversity of 2020.
