May 19 Holidays

National Devil’s Food Cake Day celebrates the intensely dark American layer cake, distinguished from ordinary chocolate cake by its extra cocoa content, hot water in the batter, and characteristically moist, dense crumb. Malcolm X Day marks the May 19, 1925 birthday of Malcolm Little, who became Malcolm X — the Black Muslim minister and human rights activist whose critique of racial capitalism and advocacy for Black self-determination made him one of the most influential figures of the 20th century. Hepatitis Testing Day was established by the CDC to highlight that approximately 2 million Americans have chronic hepatitis B or C infections and do not know it, making testing the first step in a treatable chain. World IBD Day was established to raise awareness for inflammatory bowel disease — Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis — affecting more than 10 million people worldwide. Cocoa, a 1925 birthday, an undiagnosed bloodstream, and an inflamed gut.